Three-dimensional large area metamaterials, especially Negative Index Materials (NIMs) promise to enable numerous novel and breakthrough applications like perfect lenses and cloaking devices, not only but especially if they exhibit the desired properties in the visible frequency range. For the European Photonics industry it is of paramount importance enabling fabricating such materials as soon as possible, to maintain its important position in the areas of optical components and systems as well as production technologies. Till now such materials have not been produced, yet - neither in 3D nor on large areas, let alone both combined. The aim of NIM_NIL is the development of a production process for 3D NIMs in the visible regime combining UV-based Nanoimprint Lithography (UV-NIL) on wafer scale using the new material graphene and innovative geometrical designs. This project will go beyond state-of-the-art in three important topics regarding NIMs: the design, the fabrication using Nanoimprintlithography (NIL) and the optical characterization by ellipsometry. New designs and the new material Graphene will be investigated to extend the existing frequency limit of 900 nm into the visible regime. The fabrication method of choice is UV-NIL since it allows cost efficient large area nanostructuring, which is indispensible if materials like NIMs should be produced on large scale. The negative refraction will be measured using ellipsometry which is a fast and non-destructive method to control the fabrication process. At the end of the project a micro-optical prism made from NIM will be fabricated to directly verify and demonstrate the negative refractive index. Each aspect of innovation within NIM_NIL -design, fabrication and characterisation of NIMs -is represented by experts in this field resulting in a multidisciplinary highly motivated consortium containing participants from basic research as well as industrial endusers from whole Europe.

Micro- and nanometer structuring has proven to be an efficient method to functionalize surfaces, and is attractive to manufacturers of plastic products. Plastic components are volume manufactured by injection moulding. Compact Discs and Digital Video Discs are today manufactured with nanometer range lateral resolution but, only on planar surfaces. Free-form (double-curved) moulding tools today offer resolutions down to 100 μm, limited by the methods used for creating the injection moulding tools. The objective of the project is to upgrade existing injection moulding production technology for manufacture of plastic components by enhancing the lateral resolution on free-form surfaces down to micro- and nanometer length scales. This will be achieved through the development of a complete nanoimprint lithography solution for structuring the free-form surface of injection moulding tools and tool inserts. This will enable a cost effective and flexible nanoscale manufacturing process that can easily be integrated with conventional mass production lines. The proposed technology enables functionality of plastic surfaces by topography instead of chemistry. This will significantly simplify the introduction of new products to the market, safer to produce and use. The proposed technology allows production of plastic surfaces with several different functionalities using the same material. This simplifies recycling and supports a cradle-to-cradle production philosophy. The proposed technology will be developed to meet specific industry demands from partners representing the plastic industry including the automotive, lighting and toy industries. During the project the European Trade Organisation representing the European plastic industry will disseminate the PLAST4FUTURE technology towards inter-sectoral end-users. An OEM service, provided by participating SMEs and Large Enterprises, will be established to secure a lasting value supporting European competitive strength.

The rapid development of novel nanoelectronic devices utilizing the spin degree of freedom of the charge carriers and thus reaching beyond the limitations of traditional semiconductor based technologies is one of the central issues in nowadays spintronics. A special emphasis is put on the fabrication and investigation of hybrid nanostructures exploiting the complementary benefits of metallic, semiconducting, magnetic as well as the recently explored, low dimensional carbon based systems (carbon nanotubes, graphen). The proposed project aims to design various hybrid nanostructures defined by optical and electron beam lithography and to develop novel schemes for determining spin-related material parameters (g-factor, spin diffusion length, spin-injection efficiency and spin transfer torque) via transport measurements. This is essential in order to explore electron spin dynamics, decoherence and relaxation for multifunctional applications (fast switching elements, combined logical and storage devices, quantum dot based semiconductor spin qbits) and to determine conditions for coherent spin-transfer in nano/micro-circuits as well as methods of detection of spin currents. These experiments help to understand and control the coherent spin states of individual charge carriers, which is fundamental for the field of quantum computation in a solid state environment. The host institute possesses all the necessary nanofabrication facilities and the high-end cryogenic background for the successful implementation of device fabrication and low-level magnetotransport measurements. The host has also pioneered the measurement technique for determining spin-polarization and spin transfer torque in nanoscale magnetic systems with a resolution down to the scale of atomic junctions.

COLDNANO (UltraCOLD ion and electron beams for NANOscience), aspires to build novel ion and electron sources with superior performance in terms of brightness, energy spread and minimum achievable spot size. Such monochromatic, spatially focused and well controlled electron and ion beams are expected to open many research possibilities in material sciences, in surface investigations (imaging, lithography) and in semiconductor diagnostics. The proposed project intends to develop sources with the best beam quality ever produced and to assess them in some advanced surface science research domains. Laterally, I will develop expertise exchange with one Small and Medium Enterprise who will exploit industrial prototypes. The novel concept is to create ion and electron sources using advanced laser cooling techniques combined with the particular ionization properties of cold atoms. It would then be first time that 'laser cooling' would lead to a real industrial development. A cesium magneto-optical trap will first be used. The atoms will then be excited by lasers and ionized in order to provide the electron source. The specific extraction optics for the electrons will be developed. This source will be compact and portable to be used for several applications such as Low Energy Electron Microscopy, functionalization of semi-conducting surfaces or high resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectrometry by coupling to a Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope. Based on the knowledge developed with the first experiment, a second ambitious xenon dual ion and electron beam machine will then be realized and used to study the scattering of ion and electron at low energy. Finally, I present a very innovative scheme to control the time, position and velocity of individual particles in the beams. Such a machine providing ions or electrons on demand would open the way for the 'ultimate' resolution in time and space for surface analysis, lithography, microscopy or implantation.

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.

The investigation of the transport properties of nanoscaled objects is a strongly expanding field of nowadays solid-state physics, it attracts increasing attention either in applied science due to the potential in future applications or in basics research due to exciting quantum effects on the nanoscale. Semiconducting nanowires (NW) are single crystals with a typical diameter of 10-100nm and length of 5-10microm. Fabricating metallic leads to NWs, devices can be produced, where the electron density can be strongly varied by gates and the transport can be explored from the quasi-ballistic to the quantum dot regime. Due to their exceptional properties (e.g. band structure engineering, possibility to contact them with ferromagnetic (F), superconducting (S) leads, local gating), NW based devices open a new horizon in quantum transport. In order to be competitive in the field of experimental quantum electronics, it is essential to own sample fabrication facilities, which has not been available in the host institute. The main aim of this proposal is to set up the environment of device fabrication, which will be based on a Jeol scanning electron microscope equipped with lithography unit. The applicant will fabricate and investigate the low temperature transport properties of InAs NW based devices focusing mainly on spin injection from ferromagnetic leads and on F-S hybrid nanostructures. The fabrication facility will also support other ongoing quantum electronic projects.

Lab-on-chips (LOCs) are microsystems capable of manipulating small (micro to nanoliters) amounts of fluids in microfluidic channels with dimensions of tens to hundreds of micrometers: they have a huge application potential in many diverse fields, ranging from basic science (genomics and proteomics), to chemical synthesis and drug development, point-of-care medical analysis and environmental monitoring. Polymers are rapidly emerging as the material of choice for LOC production, due to the low substrate cost and ease of processing. Notwithstanding their potential, LOC commercial exploitation has been slow so far. Two breakthroughs that could promote LOC diffusion are: (i) a microfabrication technology with low-cost rapid prototyping capabilities; (ii) an integrated on-chip optical detection system. In this project we propose the use of femtosecond lasers as a novel highly flexible microfabrication platform for polymeric LOCs with integrated optical detection, for the realization of low-cost and truly portable biophotonic microsystems. Femtosecond laser processing is a direct, maskless fabrication technique enabling spatially selective three-dimensional material modification. It will be employed in different steps of the LOC production cycle: (i) rapid prototyping of the microfluidic chip using laser ablation or two-photon polymerization; (ii) direct fabrication of optical waveguides and integrated photonic components on the LOC for in situ optical sensing; (iii) master tool fabrication for mass production by replication techniques. The laser fabrication technology will enable to implement a variety of microfluidic LOCs with integrated photonic functionalities. In this project we concentrate on two prototypical applications in the fields of food quality and environmental sensing: LOCs for detection of mycotoxins in animal feeds and LOCs for water screening to detect bacteria and heavy ions contamination.

In the past decade, it has become increasingly recognized that low-energy electrons (LEE) play a key role in a large number of fundamental and applied fields. Electrons with energies in the range 0-30 eV can induce, at interfaces and surfaces, specific reactions which are relevant to nanolithography, dielectric aging, radiation waste management, radiation processing, astrochemistry, planetary and atmospheric chemistry, surface photochemistry, radiobiology, and radiotherapy. For more than 30 years, the action of LEE at the surface of molecular and biomolecular solids has been investigated in the laboratory of the applicant with model systems consisting of pure or doped thin molecular films. The purpose of the present application is to develop a research program within the European Union (EU) to investigate systems of relevance to three important applications of LEE processing, namely nanolithography, astrochemsitry and radiotherapy. In particular we plan (1) To investigate LEE-induced reactions of selected molecules on metallic surfaces so as to assess their potential for STM beam lithography. (2) To study the possibility of inducing specific chemical reactions with the photoelectrons. (3)To investigate LEE-induced reactions in ice mantles that simulate both planetary and ISM conditions. (4)To investigate LEE-induced damage to DNA incorporating the radiosensitizers Carboplatin and Gemcitabine with and without added water. (5)To obtain cross sections for DNA damage with and without the presence of these radiosensitizers by analysing the dose to yields relationship during LEE bombardment of DNA. Since the IIF is one of world's leading researchers in such LEE processes it is also intended to exploit his fellowship to provide valuable training and leadership amongst the younger members of the EU LEE community at a time when a new generation of researchers is emerging in the field.

An innovative mechano-chemical approach (based on the high energy ball milling) will be used for the development of innovative nanopolymers to be used in Rapid Manufacturing (RM) based on Selective Laser Sintering (SLS),by: 1.Structural modification (up nanopolymers stage) using a currently widely used polymer like Polyammide PA (a 'nanoPA' will be produced); 2.Alloying (at nanoscale) with different polymers to tune mechanical properties; 3.Nanocharging of polymers (development of nanocomposites). Moving from this background, the project will make a real, LARGE, step up in polymers and composites properties by including nano features into the base materials and the final products. The final products will benefit from radically extended performances (i.e. operating temperatures, increased strength). In this way it will be possible, using existing prototyping machines, to realize freeform manufacturing technologies for the direct automated and customised production of parts and products from small to medium size batches for a wide range of possible applications (from vehicle applications to biomedical devices). The following are the project S/T objectives of SLS materials and parts produced using the modified PA -New nanostructured materials based on Poliammides (PA) -Agglomerated (scale of 20-50 micron) nanophased (scale of 10-20 nm) particles suited for RM via SLS -Properties improvements in materials and RM/SLS parts properties (referred to conventional PA) of more than 200%. -Parts having improved properties and wider application window for automotive sector, consumer goods and medical instrumentation. For these reasons STEPUP responds quite well to the call topics by: introducing new concepts for the micro/nano fabrication (usage of nanoplymers); enabling transition of RM to customised solutions integrating materials design and simulations.

The aim of the present project is to explore different synthesis strategies to obtain silicon nanocrystals and carbon nanodots with luminescent properties as alternative to conventional fluorescent biomarkers or other light-emitting semiconductor nanoparticles containing heavy metals known as quantum dots. Nanostructured silicon can provide appealing properties such as size and wavelength-dependent luminescence emission in the red/near infrared window, resistance to photobleaching, and robust surface chemistry for grafting of bio-molecules without incurring the burden of intrinsic toxicity or elemental scarcity of quantum dots. Carbon-based nanostructures with fluorescent properties remain relatively unexplored but similar behaviour and properties can be envisaged. The production of silicon nanocrystals will be approached by means of two different methods: i) thermal processing of silesquioxanes to produce an encapsulating oxide matrix for the silicon nanocrystals and ii) laser pyrolysis of silicon precursors either in gas phase or in the form of aerosols containing organometallic precursors. Both methods are quite novel and offer great possibilities for scaling up the batch production of silicon nanocrystals offered by current methodologies. Likewise, the synthesis of carbon nanodots will be explored by both thermal decomposition and laser ablation of carbon-containing precursors. To stabilize the nanoparticles and render them biocompatible for in vitro and in vivo diagnostic imaging experiments, different passivating and encapsulating agents like alkyl or alkoxy-groups and micelle-forming polymers and phospholipids will be evaluated. Finally, fluorescent labelling of cells, evaluation of cytotoxicity, drug-loading, circulation and degradation of selected samples will be carried out.