The Center for Probing the Nanoscale (CPN) addresses five overriding goals:
1.To develop novel probes that dramatically improve our capability to observe, manipulate, and control nanoscale objects and phenomena.
2.To educate the next generation of scientists and engineers regarding the theory and practice of these probes.
3. To apply these novel probes to answer fundamental questions and to shed light on technologically relevant issues.
4. To disseminate knowledge and to transfer technology so that other research scientists and engineers can make use of the advances, and so that corporations can manufacture and market the new novel probes.
5. To inspire thousands of middle school students by training their teachers at a Summer Institute.
The CPN includes thirteen core faculty-level Investigators (including three IBM Investigators who also serve as Consulting Professors at Stanford), twenty-eight affiliated faculty members and dozens of students and postdocs in eight academic departments: Applied Physics, Art and Art History, Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Physics.
Research at the Center is focused on five Theme Groups:
Plasmonic Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. The plasmonic scanning tunneling microscope will perform spatially localized combined electronic and optical imaging and spectroscopy. The pivotal goal is to combine the exquisite spatial resolution inherent in high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy with the detailed information on high-frequency excitations of materials yielded by optical channels.
Nanoscale Electrical Imaging. Lithographically-patterned structures such as transistors now commonly have electronic properties that vary on scales of nanometers to tens of nanometers. The goal is to develop and apply a suite of techniques to measure electronic properties such as dielectric constant, conductivity, and carrier density of materials at the 10 nm scale, with sensitivity to variations deep beneath a sample surface.
Individual Nanomagnet Characterization. The volume, shape, and structure of magnetic nanoparticles lead to a number of present and proposed applications in biology and medicine. This theme will develop and advance a variety of nanoprobes with the spatial resolution and magnetic sensitivity to detect and characterize individual nanomagnets for nanobiotechnology applications
Nanoscale Magnetic Resonance. Recent work sponsored by CPN has proven that magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) can achieve three dimensional imaging with spatial resolution below 10 nm. Research in the second five years will focus on extending MRFM resolution to below 1 nm - or roughly an order of magnitude improvement over today's capability. If sub-nanometer can be achieved, then MRFM?s true 3D imaging capability, lack of radiation damage and elementally specific contrast could make it a powerful tool for structural biologists.
BioProbes: Nanoscale Cantilevers. The objective of the BioProbes theme is to measure the forces, mechanical stiffness, electrostatics, and sequence of biological processes on cell membranes. Our theme will adapt unique cantilever designs for aqueous solution, based on recently invented torsional and dual-cantilever AFM cantilevers that have extremely high force sensitivity together with kHz sampling frequencies, ideal for biological samples.
Nanoprobes are arguably the enabling technology for all of the scientists and engineers working to realize the vast potential of nanotechnology. CPN research and outreach activities combine to broadly impact science, technology and education. The programs span graduate education, K-12 teacher development, academic courses, ethics for scientists and public scientific literacy. CPN intellectual contributions are widely disseminated through publications, on-line resources, conferences, workshops, and institutes.
The following activities constitute the educational and outreach programs:
Graduate and Postdoctoral Fellowships. Research students learn nanotechnology and precision measurement techniques as well as the fundamentals of their field. CPN Fellows are strongly engaged in Center events and outreach. The interdisciplinary Center provides a broader and deeper education for students than traditional graduate study.
CPN Prize Fellowships Program. CPN Graduate Prize Fellowships are competitively awarded on the basis of advisor recommendations and student-written proposals, and provide graduate students with a full stipend to initiate a novel nanoprobe research project.
Summer Institute for Middle School Teachers (SIMST). Middle school teachers participate in an intensive week-long program of content lectures, hands-on activities and curriculum development exercises. Teachers apply their new knowledge to create nanoscience lessons that are shared among participants for use during the school year and will be compiled for broader dissemination through workshops and online education resources.
CPN Annual Nanoprobe Workshop. The Annual Workshop provides an excellent opportunity for academic and industrial scientists to exchange knowledge and ideas and to broaden the horizons of the students. Industrial Affiliates Program. The CPN Industrial Affiliates Program builds partnerships between CPN researchers and companies that have a strategic interest in nanoprobe development.
Collaborations. Collaborations with local institutions greatly enhance the impact and diversity of programs such as the Summer Institute for Middle School Teachers. Partners such as SRI International and the Exploratorium contribute curriculum and teaching best-practices, while collaborations with the National Hispanic University and the Latino College Preparatory Academy (LCPA) allow the Center to engage a diverse group of under-served students and teachers.
Curriculum. Probing the Nanoscale (AP275) is a graduate survey of scanning probes that draws on the expertise of CPN Investigators. Lecture videos are publicly available online as a rich source of information that has been accessed by people throughout the world.
Workshop on Professional Ethics for Students in Science and Engineering. A Workshop on Professional Ethics for Graduate Students in Science and Engineering was over-enrolled and reviewed very positively by the participants. This workshop will be offered annually during the renewal period.
