A table is a flat surface (2D), while a hill has some vertical topology (2.5D), however most objects we interact with and that make up all living things are three dimensional (3D). These 3D objects often include overhangs, embedded structures, voids; therefore making them very complex to replicate. Until now nano/microfabrication has been stuck in a 2D realm. To fabricate a 2.5D, or 3D, structure one has to use a layer-by-layer process. This can be done at a scale 10,000 times smaller than a human hair (100 µm), but there are several limitations. Layer-by-layer processing is very slow due to the precision required to align each layer and all the repetitive steps. The current systems are very expensive and are not designed to make these 3D structures. The Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT2 (Nanoscribe) now allows users to produce a true 3D structure with sub-micron resolution (0.15 µm in the x-y direction and 1 µm in z direction). The Major Research Instrument program of the National Science Foundation enables the acquisition of the system. The Nanoscribe supports users from many departments in research and education. The research includes, but is not limited to, 3D printing, photovoltaics, optoelectronics, biomedical engineering for smart adhesives and tissue growth, and advancements in photonic structures. The Nanoscribe is also available to external users and collaborators, mainly in the upper Midwest. The Nanoscribe will also be used as a hands-on teaching tool for undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of 3D printing, nanofabrication, and biomedical engineering; being such a recent development, students are going to get exposure to a state-of-the-art system for 3D fabrication. Furthermore, the Nanoscribe will be incorporated into K-12 programs to help engage with women and minority students that are thinking, or undecided, about going into a STEM field.
The Nanoscribe system allows for the fabrication of nanostructures in a range of media. These include UV activated polymers, hydrogels, using the polymer as a negative for electroplating, using the polymer as source of carbon for carbonization using an inert environment and high temperature, and custom blends where the polymer is used as the binder for a filler medium like carbon nanotubes. The Nanoscribe supports several areas of research supported by several Federal agencies (NSF, NIH, DOD), and others. At Michigan Tech the Nanoscribe mainly supports research in 1) Advancement of 3D printing at smaller-size scales and incorporating these into open-source technical development environments, 2) Improving photovoltaic cells through reduced optical losses with plasmonic structures, 3) Metamaterials to be used in a range of applications – super-resolution imaging, compact antennas, quantum computing, and communications, 4) Topological and singular photonics, 5) Improvement of smart adhesives through complex 3D submicron structures, and 6) Conductive nanomaterials fabricated from a blend of carbon nanotubes and polymers to be initially studied at the fundamental level and then used in tissue engineering. By having it available in the Michigan Tech shared Microfabrication Facility, the Nanoscribe will be available to all researchers in the region and across the country.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
