High-speed Nanomanufacturing with Roll-Based Lithography Printing

Outcome/Accomplishment

Scientists demonstrated reliable, high-speed continuous nano-manufacturing using roll-based lithography in research at the Nanomanufacturing Systems Center (NASCENT), an NSF-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) based at the University of Texas at Austin.

Impact/Benefits

The breakthrough promises a significant advance in high-volume nanomanufacturing, helping build a bridge from science to scalable nanotech factories. The roll-to-roll and roll-to-plate processes demonstrated by NASCENT researchers will help produce the much smaller metal components required to continue the miniaturization of electronics. Multiple companies have licensed the technology.

Explanation/Background

The low-cost process combines existing tools for manufacturing metals on a large scale, using the speed and precision of roll-to-roll and roll-to-plate printing to produce nano-scaled patterns, thus lowering costs, increasing productivity, and the accessibility of the technology. It has applications across many different fields such as the automotive, electronic, chemical, and aerospace industries.

NASCENT's goal is to enable silicon-grade precision in scalable roll-to-plate (RTP) and roll-to-roll (R2R) nano-manufacturing using nanoimprint lithography with sub-50nm patterning and sub-25nm residual layers for etching functional films. Researchers demonstrated reliable R2P nanopatterning at a speed of one meter per minute while minimizing the residuals that could cause overheating and battery drain in electronics.

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Location

Austin, Texas

e-mail

Start Year

Advanced Manufacturing

Advanced Manufacturing Icon
Advanced Manufacturing Icon

Advanced Manufacturing

Lead Institution

UT Austin

Core Partners

University of New Mexico, UC Berkeley
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Outcome/Accomplishment

Scientists demonstrated reliable, high-speed continuous nano-manufacturing using roll-based lithography in research at the Nanomanufacturing Systems Center (NASCENT), an NSF-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) based at the University of Texas at Austin.

Location

Austin, Texas

e-mail

Start Year

Advanced Manufacturing

Advanced Manufacturing Icon
Advanced Manufacturing Icon

Advanced Manufacturing

Lead Institution

UT Austin

Core Partners

University of New Mexico, UC Berkeley

Impact/benefits

The breakthrough promises a significant advance in high-volume nanomanufacturing, helping build a bridge from science to scalable nanotech factories. The roll-to-roll and roll-to-plate processes demonstrated by NASCENT researchers will help produce the much smaller metal components required to continue the miniaturization of electronics. Multiple companies have licensed the technology.

Explanation/Background

The low-cost process combines existing tools for manufacturing metals on a large scale, using the speed and precision of roll-to-roll and roll-to-plate printing to produce nano-scaled patterns, thus lowering costs, increasing productivity, and the accessibility of the technology. It has applications across many different fields such as the automotive, electronic, chemical, and aerospace industries.

NASCENT's goal is to enable silicon-grade precision in scalable roll-to-plate (RTP) and roll-to-roll (R2R) nano-manufacturing using nanoimprint lithography with sub-50nm patterning and sub-25nm residual layers for etching functional films. Researchers demonstrated reliable R2P nanopatterning at a speed of one meter per minute while minimizing the residuals that could cause overheating and battery drain in electronics.