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.

Inorganic nanotubes (INT) and particularly inorganic fullerene-like materials (IF) from 2-D layered compounds, which were discovered in the PI laboratory 16 years ago, are now in commercial use as solid lubricants (www.apnano.com) with prospects for numerous applications, also as part of nanocomposites, optical coatings, etc. The present research proposal capitalizes on the leadership role of the PI and recent developments in his laboratory, much of them not yet published. New synthetic approaches will be developed, in particular using the WS2 nanotubes as a template for the growth of new nanotubes. This include, for example PbI2@WS2 or WS2@NbSe2 core-shell nanotubes, which could not be hitherto synthesized. Other physical synthetic approaches like ablation with solar-light, or pulsed laser ablation will be used as well. Nanooctahedra of MoS2 (NbS2), which are probably the smallest IF (hollow cage) structures, will be synthesized, isolated and studied. Extensive ab-initio calculations will be used to predict the structure and properties of the new INT and IF nanoparticles. Cs-corrected transmission electron microscopy will be used to characterize the nanoparticles. In particular, atomic resolution bright field electron tomography will be developed during this study and applied to the characterization of the INT and IF nanoparticles. The optical, electrical and mechanical properties of the newly sythesized INT and IF materials will be investigated in great detail. Devices based on individual nanotubes will be (nano)fabricated and studied for variety of applications, including mechanical and gas sensors, radiation detectors, etc. Low temperature measurements of the transport properties of individual INT and IF will be performed.

The goal of IFOX is to explore, create and control novel electronic and magnetic functionalities, with focus on interfaces, in complex transition metal oxide heterostructures to develop the material platform for novel ‘More than Moore’ (MtM) and ‘beyond CMOS’ electronics, VLSI integratable with performance and functionality far beyond the state-of-the-art. To this end it will:

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.

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.

The overall purpose of this research project is to develop and apply a novel laser-initiated liquid-assisted colloidal lithography (LILAC) method for controllable nanostructuring a wide range of surfaces. The method combines, for the first time, ultra-short laser pulses, medium-tuned optical near-field effects and colloidal lithography to achieve surface structuring of materials like Si, III-V semiconductor, biomedically relevant metals and polymer surfaces. The detailed mechanisms underpinning the pattern formation depend on the many experimental process variables: laser wavelength and intensity/fluence; choice of liquid; size, shape, nature and packing of colloid particles; choice of solid surface, etc. Accordingly, the 2-year project proposed here has three interconnected aims: 1. To investigate the mechanisms of the pattern formation by systematic variation of relevant experimental parameters. To this end, we will vary: the nature of the liquid used to produce radical species at the liquid-substrate interface, laser pulse duration and wavelengths, the colloidal lithographic masking strategy, substrate surface chemistry, etc.; 2. To exploit the LILAC method to generate surface patterns with unprecedented physical and chemical sophistication and complexity; 3. To undertake preliminary investigations of the utility of specific surface micro-structures for tissue engineering and sensor applications. This project will help Dr. Magdalena Ulmeanu to embark upon an independent research career and to acquire new practical and theoretical skills necessary for her career development in ultra-short laser processing of surfaces.

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.

Mass data storage on magnetic hard drives in portable products is a new and fast growing market with an estimated turnover of several billion EUR per year. However, continued growth of storage density is limited as a result of the thermal instability of recorded data. To overcome this so called 'superparamagnetic effect', the use of discrete media, in which information is stored in single nanostructures, will become mandatory. However, the relevant roadmaps indicate that the required lithography tools will not be able to provide the needed feature size, performance and cost efficiency in time. Therefore it is likely that magnetic recording media will be the first technology which requires the introduction of nanostructuring by self-assembly processes. MAFIN aims at developing a new magnetic recording media at prove-of-concept level for ultrahigh density magnetic storage applications, by using low-cost, environmentally friendly processes and both advanced and new nanotechnologies. MAFIN will provide the required breakthroughs for an innovative concept of magnetic media: based upon assisted self-assembly to produce a periodic array of nanoparticles expandable to wafer size scale, and further, the controlled sputter-deposition of magnetic films with high magnetic anisotropy deposited onto the nanospheres. Furthermore, by tilting the deposition direction with respect to the substrate normal 'tilted media' can be realized, a novel concept providing the writability of the recording media. All progress in these innovative concepts will be constantly monitored by various techniques, and will be underpinned by micromagnetic modelling. In addition, the recording performance will be investigated and screened by state-of-the art write/read testing and probe recording. The new knowledge gained will be protected by appropriate IPR and will strengthen the European position in many competitive and strategic fields, in particular, in data storage.

In the CMOS manufacturing environment, the mask-based optical lithography technique is up to now the driving solution to deal with all industry concerns. Nevertheless, this solution becomes less effective for each new technology node. Effectively, it requires more and more complex and expensive masks due to the introduction of optical proximity correction and phase shift techniques. The blow up of the tool price plays also an important role in the overall cost of ownership of this technique. This trend opens opportunities for the Mask-Less Lithography (ML2) technology, based on multi-beam principles and developed by the two European companies MAPPER and IMS Nanofabrication AG. The cost effective model of the ML2 option in association with the high resolution capability of the electron lithography and a reasonable throughput target represents an attractive alternative for lithography and is supported by some key CMOS manufacturers around the world, like TSMC, STMicroelectronics, QIMONDA, TOSHIBA, and Texas Instruments…_x000d_

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.