NNI Workshop on Instrumentation and Metrology for Nanotechnology
NIST, Gaithersburg MD – January 27-29, 2004
Instrumentation and Metrology for Nanofabrication
By Dr. Haris Doumanidis
State of the Art
Over the past two years, the Nanomanufacturing Program at NSF has funded research relating to
nanoscale instrumentation and metrology in the following themes:
 FIB micromachining and advanced characterization of carbon nanotube-metal junction (K.
Dovidenko, SUNY Albany)
 Staggered probes for integrating nanomachining and metrology (R. Vallance, Univ. of Kentucky)
 Nanofabrication using sub-wavelength near-field nano-optical laser processing (S. Das, Univ. of
Michigan)
 Novel low-cost nanolithography technique using nanometric high-transmission optical antenna
(X. Xu, Purdue Univ.)
 Nanoxerography: the use of electrostatic forces to pattern nanoparticles (H. Jacobs, Univ. of
Minnesota)
 Nanorobotics (A. Requicha, Univ. of S. California)
 Motion Control platform for accurate measurement and manufacturing of nanostructures (S.
Smith, Univ. of N. Carolina)
 Advanced control algorithms for active materials actuators used in nanoscale positioning (S.
Seelecke, N. Carolina State Univ.)
 Protein-based nanomotors and nanorobots ( C. Mavroidis, Rutgers Univ.)
 Manipulation and 3D organization of nanoparticles by dielectrophoresis (P. Alexandridis, SUNY
Buffalo)
 Spatially resolved characterization of nanoporous SiC layers (S. Ostapenko, Univ. of S. Florida)
 Torque spectroscopy for nanosystem characterization and fabrication (D. Cole, Duke Univ.)
Research Issues, Barriers and Needs
The following research themes are crucial in further development of instrumentation and metrology
for nanofabrication:
* Multi-energetic domain transduction and measurement techniques at the nanoscale
* Multi-scale integrated instrumentation, from macrosensors to MEMS to NEMS etc.
* Simultaneous fabrication and in-process sensing integrated in one machine
* Lab-on-a-chip / fab-on-a-chip integrated fabrication/metrology MEMS instruments
* Parallel sensing element arrays and scanned sensing systems for field measurements
* 2D surface mapping and 3D volume imaging sensing technologies (e.g. ultrasonics etc)
* Off-line metrology and real-time sensors for feedback control during fabrication
* Improved resolution and bandwidth for distributed, dynamic control
* Decoupling of transduced information in complex nanoscale structure-sensor interactions
* Model-based software observers of unmeasurable nanostructure states
* Positioning, orientation, alignment and registration methods between the structure and sensor
* Redundancy on nanosensor elements for robustness to instrumentation defects
* Power autonomy for activation of measurement instrumentation at the nanoscale
* Multi-scale grid interconnects and wireless transduction/interrogation of information
* Scalability and affordability of nanometrology instrumentation for mass manufacturing and use.
Future Milestones and Interdisciplinary Breakthroughs
The following new developments and areas in instrumentation are expected in the longer term:
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Computational virtual nanoenvironments for geometrically coordinated measurements
Cognitive signal transduction by neuron on silicon and remote action potential research
Quantum effects for nanostructure/sensor transport, transcription and transduction
In-situ hardware feedback control by integrated nano-sensors, controllers and actuators
Bioinstrumentation and metrology, based on biological phenomena for measurement,
including biomimetic instruments, bioinspired measurement techniques, hybrid bio/abiotic
sensor elements, and use of biological entities for metrology (biomolecules, viruses, etc)
Supporting Infrastructure
* Education and training in nanoinstrumentation and metrology with various modalities
* Networked laboratory infrastructure for nanometrology (NIST, NNIN etc)
* Teleoperation of instruments (telefabrication and telecharacterization) via cyberinfrastructure
* Collaboration with precision engineering/metrology societies and international centers
Dr. Charalabos Doumanidis
Dept. of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
University of Cyprus
75 Kallipoleos Ave, PO Box 20537
1678 Nicosia, Cyprus
Tel: +357 22892265, Fax: +357 22892254
Email: cdoumani@ucy.ac.cy
Prof. Charalabos (Haris) Doumanidis holds his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the
Aristotelian Univ. of Thessaloniki (1983), his M.S. from Northwestern University (1985), and his
Ph.D. from MIT (1988). He has been a Postdoctoral Associate with the MIT Laboratory for
Manufacturing and Productivity (1989), a Squadron Sergeant for the Hellenic Air Force (1990), and
a Lecturer at the Aristotelian Univ. (1991). He is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and
Director of the Hephaistos Thermal Manufacturing Laboratory at Tufts University in Medford,
Massachusetts since 1991; Chief Scientist with Axcelis Technologies (Thermal Processing Systems)
in Beverly, Massachusetts since 2000; the founding Director of the Nanomanufacturing Program at
the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Arlington, Virginia since 2001; Visiting Professor of
Mechanical Engineering at MIT since 2002; and a consultant for automation, optoelectronics,
biomedical imaging and automotive industries. His research and teaching interests include thermal
manufacturing, material deposition and joining processes, rapid prototyping, rapid thermal
processing and laser annealing of semiconductors, distributed parameter system modeling and
control, robotics and mechatronics, and biomedical instrumentation. He is Associate Editor of the
International Journal of Modeling and Simulation, the organizer and chair of several symposia for
ASME, IASTED, IEEE, NSET and NSF, the speaker of keynote and invited lectures, and the author
of over 150 papers and several patents and book chapters. He is the recipient of the ASME Blackall
Award (2002), the White House Presidential Faculty Fellow Award (1996), the NSF Young
Investigator (1994) and the Research Initiation Award (1992), as well as several grants from NSF,
SME, DoE, NIST, Honda R&D Americas etc. He presently serves as Professor of Mechanical &
Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Cyprus.