From August 18-21 I attended a workshop entitled Enabling Nanofabrication for Rapid Innovation in Napa, California.

We were honored to present our work on maskless lithography and real-time identification of particles in flow:

“A FLEXIBLE SYSTEM FOR MICROFLUIDIC PARTICLE LITHOGRAPHY AND REAL-TIME SHAPE IDENTIFICATION

C. R. Oliver1 and A. J. Hart2*
1Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, USA and
1,2Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Abstract

We present the design and performance of a reconfigurable  optofluidic lithography system for on-demand fabrication of custom shaped polymer microparticles.  The system uses a flexible optical design to enable rapid integration of complimentary components such as a digital light projector (DLP) chip. By replacing the traditional lithography mask with a DLP device, the particle size and shape can be customized dynamically via the image projected by the DLP. We characterize the poly dispersity of a library of particles (20-100 µm, size CoV 5.2-15 %) fabricated using the system and study the speed limits for feature fabrication. Finally, a vision algorithm to identify particles in real time based on shape is demonstrated.”

The goal of the work as taken from the website was:

“Background

A critical challenge to our nation is the ability to ensure a strong advanced manufacturing base, which enables industry to develop advanced, robust, high value devices and services. There has been an identified emergent industry driven need for a manufacturing base that enables much more precision at an accelerated path over a wider range of materials and form factors than currently planned by established incrementally improving industries such as the semiconductor industry. Although some of the science, engineering, and manufacturing infrastructure of established industries can be leveraged by these “businesses of the future”; the semiconductor model and mandate of very large fabrication facilities to manufacture microchips at extremely low prices in massive quantities does not always translate to that of emergent businesses. In particular, the development of nanoscale structures by emerging small to medium scale enterprises is key to enabling innovation in nanotechnology.

Goals & Vision

Key to innovative technologies and products is the ability to rapidly develop and test new ideas. This workshop brings together industry, government and academic leaders in manufacturing and nanotechnology for a two-day interactive discussion on prototyping of emerging devices enabled by precisely integrating nano-scale structures and materials. The goal of this workshop is to explore ways to take the techniques and methods developed in the lab and translate them into nanomanufacturing systems on a scale and cost that allows them to be widely adopted by organizations, large and small.

The invited speakers and poster presenters will provide a view of the state-of-the-art in nanofabrication and nanometrology including basic knowledge, emerging technologies, and recently deployed systems. In addition, the nanodevice area will be represented by speakers who will present grand challenges in nano-scale precision that can create large opportunities in areas as diverse as electronics, healthcare and security. Finally, business leaders will be invited to present their view on market trends and investments opportunities in these areas.

The expected outcome of this workshop will be two-fold. Firstly, the program will include round-table sessions where the participants will get the opportunity to engage and contribute to the goal of this workshop. The organizers will collect the feedback from these round-table sessions, and from the speakers, and prepare a report that will be made available to the participants. Secondly, and more importantly, we expect that the various participants including nanotechnology researchers, tool builders, nanofabricators, and device innovators will make meaningful connections which will lead to significant future collaborations.”

The conference was put on by the following co-chairs and sponsors.  Thank you to all for organizing.

John N. Randall – Zyvex Labs

S.V. Sreenivasan – University of Texas, Austin