Water immersion lithography has been widely accepted as patterning technology for the 45nm technology node, but solutions for the patterning of 32nm and 22nm technology nodes are not clear yet.

Spintronics, in which both the spin and the charge of the electron are used, is one of the most exciting new disciplines to emerge from nanoscience. The 3SPIN project seeks to open a new research front within spintronics: namely 3-dimensional spintronics, in which magnetic nanostructures are formed into a 3-dimensional interacting network of unrivalled density and hence technological benefit. 3SPIN will explore early-stage science that could underpin 3-dimensional metallic spintronics. The thesis of the project is: that by careful control of the constituent nanostructure properties, a 3-dimensional medium can be created in which a large number of topological solitons can exist. Although hardly studied at all to date, these solitons should be stable at room temperature, extremely compact and easy to manipulate and propagate. This makes them potentially ideal candidates to form the basis of a new spintronics in which the soliton is the basic transport vector instead of electrical current. ¬3.5M of funding is requested to form a new team of 5 researchers who, over a period of 60 months, will perform computer simulations and experimental studies of solitons in 3-dimensional networks of magnetic nanostructures and develop a laboratory demonstrator 3-dimensional memory device using solitons to represent and store data. A high performance electron beam lithography system (cost 1M¬) will be purchased to allow state-of-the-art magnetic nanostructures to be fabricated with perfect control over their magnetic properties, thus allowing the ideal conditions for solitons to be created and controllably manipulated. Outputs from the project will be a complete understanding of the properties of these new objects and a road map charting the next steps for research in the field.

Nano-templates fabricated from chemically stable, resistant materials provide a flexible basis for a range of fabrication technologies including forming, moulding, imprinting and hot embossing. The purpose of this proposal is to establish large-area novel nano-forming technologies based on patterning porous anodised alumina (Al2O3) and their application to the fabrication of organic solar cell devices, quantum dot based photonic LEDs/Lasers and photonic crystal structure elements. The specific aims are 1. To research and develop technologies compatible with semiconductor microfabrication technologies for nano-patterning using porous anodised alumina or titania thin films, to form arrays of ultra-small structures; 2. To apply porous anodised alumina nano-masking and nano-imprinting to selective area epitaxial growth, to produce GaN quantum dots of unparalleled size uniformity for enhanced light emitting devices and lasers; 3. To apply anodised nano-templates to the fabrication of novel high-aspect ratio photonic devices by nano-imprint lithography; 4. To apply self-ordered porous alumina nano-templates to the mass market fabrication of two-dimensional and three-dimensional photonic crystal structure devices in semiconductors, dielectrics and polymers. Meeting each aim will involve a detailed, multi-disciplinary programme of microfabrication and materials and device characterisation.

ROOTHz project addresses the bottleneck of Terahertz Science and Technology, where the fabrica-tion of room temperature, continuous wave, compact, tunable and powerful sources (at low cost, if possible) is the prime challenge. THz radiation (also called T-rays), whose frequency range lies between microwaves and infrared light in the electromagnetic spectrum, opens the possibility for a new imaging and spectroscopic technology with a broad range of applications, from medical diagnostic (without the damage pro-duced by ionizing radiation such as X-rays), industrial quality control or security-screening tools. T rays sources must be obtained at the limits of electronics from one side and optical systems from the other, resulting in a lack of efficient and practical radiation sources. In ROOTHz we propose to exploit THz Gunn oscillations in novel (narrow and wide bandgap) semiconductor nanodevices, which have been predicted by simulations but not experimentally confirmed yet. We aim at the fabrication not only of solid state emitters but also detectors at THz frequencies by exploiting the properties of both wide and narrow bandgap semiconductors and the advantages pro-vided by the use of novel device architectures such as slot-diodes and rectifying nano diodes (nano-channels with broken symmetry so called self-switching diodes, SSDs). The simplicity of the tech-nological process used for the fabrication of these diodes is remarkable, since it only involves the etching of insulating trenches or recess lines on a semiconductor surface (a single step of high reso-lution lithography). Furthermore, their particular geometry allows providing Gunn oscillations overcoming the classical frequency limit (around 300GHz). The fabrication of THz detectors with the same technology will complement this objective and allow the demonstration of a simple THz detection/emission subsystem at the conclusion of the project.

SiAM aims at exploiting in future ICT devices and circuits the atomic nature of dopants used throughout microelectronics. The key idea is to use the very sharp, deep and reproducible potential created by a dopant in a semiconductor host crystal. Despite its small size (on the scale of the Bohr radius), the donor state of a single dopant can be addressed with conventional lithography techniques, and is therefore perfectly suitable for realistic devices exploiting the quantum nature of single atoms. The project relies on: - The extremely mature silicon technology in which, however, no quantum mechanical or atomic properties are at play when dopant atoms are used. - The very atomic nature of these dopants. The consortium will investigate dopants: - At the device level, with the demonstration of atomic devices (single dopant) and molecular devices (coupled dopants). A crucial effort towards integration of deterministic implantation in CMOS technology will be made. - In the theoretical understanding, for exploiting the specific features of dopant-based devices, especially time-dependent processes. - At the system level, with circuits exploiting the atomic characteristics of dopant based devices. The consortium brings together three methods for fabricating single-atom transistors: top-down silicon fabrication, bottom-up growth of nanowires and Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM)-assisted fabrication. This is a unique combination of expertises only available in Europe. In addition, metrology and theory experts will exploit time-dependent phenomena in atomic devices for applications such as electron pumps. Another opportunity is to address directly the spin of a single dopant and make use of its extremely long coherence time to make a single atom quantum bit, crucial for applications in spintronics and quantum computation. Target outcomes: - Dopant-based devices: (i) atomically-precise dopant junctions realized with STM-assisted hydrogen resist lithography, (ii) single-atom transistors and pumps made in a silicon foundry and (iii) single atom spin quantum bit made in bottom-up silicon nanowires. - Time-dependent theory: the apparent limitation of non-adiabaticity will be turned into an advantage by exploiting the dynamical delays due to non-adiabaticity for robust single-gate operation. - Integration of the dopant-based CMOS devices in a circuit will be realized. STM-assisted lithography will be performed on silicon-on-insulator wafers with special surface preparation and capping, in order to avoid the usual surface preparation at very high temperature. Finally, the development of nanovias will pave the way for reintegration of STM defined donor device chips into a CMOS flowchart.

Access is offered to advanced micro- and nanotechnology device processing environments for microwave and photonic devices and for nanotechnology at the Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2) at Chalmers University of Technology in Göteborg, Sweden. The laboratory provides means to develop process steps, process sequences, and components in small/medium quantities. In 1240 m2 clean-room area more than 150 tools are available, including two e-beam lithography systems (one of which is a JBX 9300FS from JEOL with a spot diameter of 4 nm and a minimum feature size of below 10 nm), silicon processing on up to 150 mm wafers, III-V and wide bandgap processing, molecular beam epitaxy, CVD and dry etching systems.

The goal of the proposed research is the evaluation of an entirely new path to fabricate strained Si nano-devices which are compatible to Si CMOS processing. The idea is to fabricate field effect transistors from strained Si bridges, which have been manufactured by disposing embedded, sacrificial Ge islands (dots). To achieve the required positioning of the Ge dots, templated self assembling will be explored. This approach promises high speed electronics, due to the large mobility of carriers in strained Si, substantially reduced short channel effects, since the thickness of the channel is defined by an air bridge, and an improved thermal conductivity, which is attributed to the all Si device design. Alternative paths for the templated self assembly of Ge dots will be investigated, including e-beam lithography and x-ray interference lithography for the pre-pattern and molecular beam epitaxy as well as chemical vapour deposition for the growth of the ordered Ge islands. Care will be taken to analyse by grazing incidence x-ray diffractometry the strain and its uniformity in the Si bridges before and after removal of the Ge dots as well as after the fabrication of the gate stack. The actual devices will be processed using CMOS compatible Si device technology. The fabrication of the devices will be accompanied by intensive structural and electronic modelling. Special emphasis will be put on the strain distribution in the Si channel prior and after the removal of the dots and its impact on the electronic properties of the devices.To tackle this complex multi-faceted project experts in the field of crystal growth, structural and electronic analysis, device processing, modelling of crystal growth and device simulation will closely cooperate. As a result detailed insights into the correlation between structural and electronic properties in Si nano-electronic devices are expected as well as the successful fabrication of this new device - the disposable dot FET.

The 'Development of low-cost technologies for the fabrication of high-performance telecommunication lasers' project has two main objectives: (1) Development of high-performance surface-grating-based DFB/DBR telecommunication lasers (2) Development of ultra-high speed directly modulated lasers (> 40 GBit/s) with a simplified multi-section design, which exploit high-order photonic resonances for extending the modulation bandwidth. The project approach is to develop a common technological fabrication platform for both types of lasers based on surface gratings and other surface micro- and nano-structures. One important advantage in using surface structuring for increasing the performances and functionality of edge-emitting lasers is the elimination of the regrowth stage, which adds to the fabrication cost, affects the laser performances (notably the reliability and the characteristics shift in time) and reduces yield. The surface micro- and nano-structures will be imprinted by the low-cost and high-yield nanoimprint lithography, which will contribute to reducing the fabrication cost. The developed surface-oriented technology will be largely independent on the underlying semiconductor structure and will be applied for the fabrication of InP- and GaAs-based edge-emitting lasers (EELs) working in the 1300 and 1550 nm ranges. Although advanced materials (like dilute nitrides and antimony-containing dilute-nitrides) as well as low-dimensional structures (quantum dots and quantum dashes) will be investigated for developing the active regions of the lasers, the surface-oriented technology will be directly applicable to epitaxial layer structures already developed and tested in regular Fabry-Perot telecommunication EELs. Thus the developed surface-oriented approach will have the unique advantage of enabling the fabrication of higher-performance lasers from already tested and qualified 'legacy' epiwafers.

Insulin resistance, the key feature of the metabolic syndrome, not only causes type 2 diabetes but also gives rise to its deadliest complications - the cardiovascular disease. A key factor in the development of insulin resistance is the accumulation of triglycerides in liver and muscle, a process that seems to be highly regulated. NACARDIO is a multidisciplinary project aiming to develop and commercialise a nano-biosensor technology, capable of analysing extremely small amounts of protein in small sample volumes. The technology can be used to quantify proteins involved in lipid storage to investigate if any of these proteins are potential biomarkers for the development of insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. The sensor technology is based on single electron tunnelling (SET), a phenomenon well explored for low temperature applications. State of the art nanofabrication utilising metallic nanoparticles now make this technology platform available for room temperature operation. SET-technology provides unique possibilities for biosensing. Direct electrical detection can be made with sensitivity greater than for any other existing or proposed technique. To achieve the goals of NACARDIO, extensive multidisciplinary work addressing questions at the interface between nanotechnology, physics, electrical engineering, surface chemistry, biotechnology and medical sciences will be performed. Frontline experimental approaches encompassing peptide-stabilised gold nanoparticles, electron-beam lithography, nano-imprint, molecular self-assembly, engineered antibody-fragments, protein expression and fluidic simulations will be employed to fabricate the sensor and ensure biological functionality and usability. The efforts will result in a technology that not only revolutionises cardiovascular research and diagnostics, but also promotes other innovative approaches including analyses of extremely small sample (e.g. single-cell) and real-time monitoring of cell-signalling.

The purpose of the restructured SURPASS project is to develop key technologies to achieve super-resolution beyond the diffraction limit in air at visible wavelength. The application fields covered by the project are optical data storage, wafer inspection, maskless optical lithography and confocal microscopy. The first super-resolution technology is based on so-called super-RENS materials (Super-Resolution Enhanced Near-Field Systems). These materials, such as the semiconductor InSb, undergo a local modification of their refractive index properties above a certain power threshold of a focused laser spot. As a consequence they produce a reduction of the effective size of the laser spot. Super-RENS materials are developed mainly for optical ROM discs to allow the readout of recorded marks smaller than the resolution limit of the optical readout system. The maximum capacity of single-level Super-RENS discs will be studied theoretically and experimentally. In parallel, semi-transparent Super-RENS levels will be developed and the industrial potential of this technology for multi-level discs will be evaluated. The purpose is to propose a technological solution for the extension of the Blu-Ray format from 25 GB to 75-100 GB for high-definition video content distribution. The second super-resolution technology is based on micro-solid immersion lenses (µ-SILs) which enable to reduce a focused laser spot by a factor equal to the refractive index of the µ-SIL. A low-cost manufacturing process will be developed on 200 mm silicon wafers. The resolution of µ-SIL should be further enhanced by using engineered polarization, high index material, plasmonic nanostructures at focus or functionalization with a Super-RENS layer. The performances of high-resolution optical heads including a µ-SIL will be studied in various application fields such as wafer inspection, optical lithography and confocal microscopy.