To become economically viable and accessible at large scales, nanomanufacturing critically depends on achieving control over complex process parameters and a thorough understanding of the underlying driving scientific phenomena. The goal of this collaborative effort will be to establish a Hierarchical Nanomanufacturing Node for computational tools development aimed at creating smart, model- and data-driven nanomanufacturing. By leveraging emerging advances in computing and cyberinfrastructure, the vision of this node is to simulate every step of the manufacturing process of a nano-enabled product. Simulation tools developed will be optimized and tested for utility by stakeholders including researchers in nanotechnology and related industrial sectors. In addition, the impact of this 5-year activity on the nanomanufacturing industry will be critically assessed. The node will be part of the established Network for Computational Nanotechnology (NCN) Cyber Platform.
The mission of the nanoMFG Node is to be the engine for design, simulation, planning, and optimization of highly relevant nano-manufacturing growth and patterning processes. Both working with the existing cyber framework (nanoHUB) and facilitating development of human resources that will broadly impact nanomanufacturing and nanotechnology are essential to this mission. To help achieve this mission, computational tools for nanomanufacturing aimed at multiscale theory, modeling, and simulation (TM&S) will be developed and broadly disseminated. The intellectual merit of this 5-year activity is the development of nanomanufacturing simulation tools, validated by experimental data, and integrated with data-driven uncertainty quantification. The framework for the effort is based on a layered computational tool infrastructure comprising the creation of the following: (1) nanoscale transport phenomena models, (2) process models, (3) uncertainty quantification framework, (4) application and empirical validation of process models, (5) tools for multiscale transport phenomena, and (6) tools for nanoscale self-assembly.
Beyond nanomanufacturing, the burgeoning field of nanoscience will significantly benefit from free, open-source computational tools that have been validated by experiments. The collaboration will bring researchers, educators, industries, national labs, and high schools together to form a cohesive framework to advance nanoscience and resulting nanotechnologies, promote STEM education, and build the human resources necessary to make nanomanufacturing an economically viable engine for society. This will have several impacts on realizing the varied promises promulgated by nanotechnology as it pertains to: accelerating the high-tech economy, improving human health, and positively impacting an array of manufacturing industry domains including aviation, automotive, agricultural, construction machinery, and many others. Efforts to promote workforce diversification are tightly interwoven into this effort to both help increase participation from underrepresented groups and institutions and also to add to the richness of the tools being developed. Fellowships will be competitively awarded annually to help train the next generation workforce not only on simulation and modeling tool development but also on the value of community building and sharing of resources and expertise, thus building a nationwide innovation ecosystem for economic development of the U.S. and its leadership worldwide.
