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Paul F. Nealey
Milton J. and A. Maude Shoemaker Professor
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| Paul F. Nealey |
| Paul F. Nealey Milton J. and A. Maude Shoemaker Professor
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| 3020 Engineering Hall 1415 Engineering Drive Madison, WI 53706-1691 |
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Tel: 608/265-8171 Fax: 608/262-5434 E-mail: nealey@engr.wisc.edu |
Resist Materials for Advanced Lithography: Current lithographic techniques cannot be blindly extrapolated to the 70 nm and 50 nm nodes of production. Patterned resist structures at this scale are of molecular dimensions, and tolerances and margins are of atomic dimensions. Extreme ultraviolet and X-ray lithography have the required resolution, but no satisfactory resist materials exist for applications below 100 nm. Our research focuses on the analysis, design and synthesis of resist materials for advanced lithography. Current projects include: 1) the development of ultra-thin imaging layers, 2) theoretical and experimental analysis of the thermal and mechanical properties of polymer structures as a function of their dimensions, 3) quantification, modeling and prevention of collapse of resists structures due to surface tension, and 4) outgassing and photochemical reaction mechanisms of resists in EUV lithography.
Self-Assembly of Thin Films of Block Copolymers on Chemically Heterogeneous Surfaces: Nano-fabrication techniques based on block copolymers attract attention because these materials self-assemble at the scale of 10 nm, and the size and shape of microphase-separated domains can easily be manipulated by controlling the polymer's molecular weight and composition. Our research focuses on using substrates patterned with regions of different chemical functionality to induce macroscopic order (regions of 1 sq. cm) in the morphology of block copolymer thin films. We use self-assembled monolayers as imaging layers with X-ray and extreme ultraviolet lithography to create patterns with dimensions from tens of nanometers to microns. The behavior of block copolymer thin films on these substrates is investigated as a function of pattern dimensions, film thickness and polymer and surface properties.
Use of Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAMs) as Boundary Lubricants: Control of the adhesion and friction between surfaces immersed in solvent is crucial in processes such as fluidic self assembly (FSA)and in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Lubricants must be of molecular dimensions to be commensurate with the microscopic dimensions of the structures in these applications. We investigate the adhesive and frictional forces between surfaces modified with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and immersed in solvents with scanning probe microscopy.
Effect of Nanostructured Surfaces on Cell Behavior: Basement membranes are found throughout the vertebrate body and serve as substrata for overlying cellular structures. Recent evidence suggests that geometrical or topological factors play important roles in the modulation of cellular behavior on these surfaces. The basement membrane underlying the corneal epithelium exhibits a rich complex topography of pores and fibers with dimensions of tens to hundreds of nanometers. Our goals are to fabricate deterministic, nanostructured surfaces using advanced lithographic techniques, modify the surfaces to be biocompatible, and quantify the ability of synthetic surfaces to modulate fundamental cell behaviors. This may lead to development of improved cell culture systems and is relevant to tissue engineering.
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Copyright 2008 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System Date last modified: 24-Oct-2008 Content by: nealey@engr.wisc.edu Accessibility Web services |