Boston College Nano-Optical Antenna Compresses Light into Nanoscopic Dimensions for Easy Nanolithography

In U.S. Patent 7,634,162,   Boston College (Chestnut Hill, MA) inventors Krzysztof J. Kempa, Michael J Naughton, Zhifeng Ren,  and Jakub A. Rybczynski disclose apparatus and methods for nanolithography using nanoscale optics. Their discovery provides an inexpensive and effective solution for nanolithography that may both successfully and easily be used to create sub-micron structures

Submicron-scale structures may be obtained using standard photolithography systems with a de-magnifying lens. A de-magnifying lens for use in a standard photolithography system includes a film having a top surface, a bottom surface and a plurality of cylindrical channels containing a dielectric material; and an array of carbon nanotubes penetrating the film through cylindrical channels, wherein an image on the top surface of the film is converted into a de-magnified image on the bottom surface of the film by the carbon nanotubes.

Nano-optics is the study of optical interactions with matter on a subwavelength scale. Nano-optics has numerous applications in optical technologies such as nanolithography, optical data storage, photochemistry on a nanometer scale, solar cells, materials imaging and surface modification with subwavelength lateral resolution, local linear and nonlinear spectroscopy of biological and solid-state structures, quantum computing, quantum communication and optical networking.

Nanolithography is a method for the creation of nanoscale structures. Usually one creates a pattern of a desired nanostructure in a template material, and then uses this template to fabricate the nanostructure. Nanolithography can employ a computer controlled electron beam and an electron sensitive template material. Several other nanolithography techniques employ nanotools, like the scanning probe microscope (SPM) or atomic force microscope (ATM) to create the templates. However, these techniques are extremely expensive and slow.

The Boston College nanolithography de-magnifying lens has a metallic film with a top surface, a bottom surface and cylindrical channels containing a dielectric material; and an array of nanorods penetrating the metallic film through the cylindrical channels, the array of nanorods having a protruding portion that extends beyond a surface of the metallic film and an embedded portion that is within the metallic film.

A de-magnifying lens for use in a standard photolithography system is comprised of: a film having a top surface, a bottom surface and a plurality of cylindrical channels containing a dielectric material; and an array of carbon nanotubes penetrating and converging through the film through the plurality of cylindrical channels, wherein an image on the top surface of the film is converted into a de-magnified image on the bottom surface of the film by the carbon nanotubes, wherein each carbon nanotube connects a light-receiving pixel on the top surface of the film with a light-emitting pixel on the bottom surface of the film, and wherein the light-receiving pixels on the top surface of the film are indirectly mapped to the light-emitting pixels on the bottom surface of the film by scrambled wiring through a nano-coaxial transmission line.

The portion that extends beyond the top surface of the film and the bottom surface of the film act as nano-optical antennas for receiving, transmitting, and re-emitting an optical signal.  The de-magnifying lens forms the nano-optical antenna on the top surface of the film  and compresses the optical signal into nanoscopic dimensions. The film acts as a nano-coaxial transmission line and converts energy trapped in currents along the nano-optical antenna on the top surface of the film into a manageable signal and allows for propagation of the optical signal with a wavelength exceeding a perpendicular dimension of the carbon nanotube through the nano-coaxial transmission line. Light from an optical signal is collected by the receiving pixel on the top surface of the film which excites the nano-optical antenna on the top surface of the film to transmit the light through the nano-coaxial transmission line to the nano-optical antenna on the bottom surface of the film and re-emit the light into the light-emitting pixel. The light-receiving pixels on the top surface of the film are directly mapped to the light-emitting pixels on the bottom surface of the film by direct wiring through the nano-coaxial transmission lines.

Status Quo of Nanotechnology in Germany Reveals $48 Billion Market in 2007, $6.8 Billion Spent on R&D

 Germany claims the #1 position in nanotechnology in Europe.  The turnover generated by 750 nano-companies active in Germany amounted to about $48 billion (33 billion Euro) in the year 2007.

The total number of employees currently working in the field of nanotechnology in Germany is  estimated at 63,000.  The global nanotechnology R&D-expenditures of nanotechnology companies active in Germany were about $6.8 billion (4.7 billion Euros) in 2007. About 97%, the major part of the total research expenditure, is attributed to large enterprises with research budgets of more than $1.4 million (1 million Euro). The R&D-expenditures represent  German investments worldwide and is in part also comprised of foreign groups with activities in Germany. That’s all according to “ nano.DE-Report 2009, Status Quo of Nanotechnology in Germany”  published by Federal Ministry of Education and Research Department (BMU) “Nanomaterials; New Materials“ (D-53170).

About 750 companies in Germany are dealing with the development and marketing of nanotechnological product s, methods and services on different steps of the value-added chain. About 80 % of German nano-technology companies are small and medium-sized enterprises.

About 370 companies in Germany are to be regarded as nanotechnology core firms in which nanotechnology accounts for an essential part (more than 30 %) of the business activities. For the rest of the companies – first and foremost big and medium-sized enterprises from traditional branches of industry – nanotechnology is rather a complementary side activity or represents only a relatively small part of the value added.

Present forecasts do not yet consider the effects of the global economic crisis to the full extent. Nevertheless, analyses show that the nanotechnology sector continues to develop dynamically. Current market forecasts for nano-optimized products expect an economic leverage effect of nanotechnology to a world market volume of up to $3 trillion by 2015. This corresponds to approx. 15 % of the global production of goods. In the medium term, nanotechnological know-how will have an immense influence on the value added, for example in the fields of health, information and communication technology as well as in energy and environmental engineering.

On the value added step of nanomaterials and devices for the manufacturing or analysis of nanostructures, world market volumes of approximately $50 billion are forecasted by 2010. In nanoanalytics, an increase is forecasted from $2.5 billion in 2008 to $3 billion in 2010. In the same period, a world market growth from $35 billion to $43 billion is assumed for the field of nanotools and from $1.3 billion to $ 2.1 billion for the nanomaterials sector. These assessments provide a realistic but also incomplete picture of the market potentials of nanotechnology, since in each case only a fraction of the multitude of different methods and material classes is considered. A more de -tailed assessment requires the breakdown to individual material classes and methods, which are exemplified in the present report.

Regarding both thematic orientation and positioning within the value-added chain, the German nano-technology corporate landscape is widely diversified and comprises manufacturers in the field of nanomaterials, nanotools, nanoanalytics and equipment for the operation of nanotools (e.g. vacuum and clean-room  technology, plasma sources etc.) manufacturers and users of nano-optimized components and systems as well as service providers in the field of consulting, contract coating, technology transfer, contract analysis and research.

Nanotechnology is a relatively young field of technology. Approximately 70 % of the nanotechnology companies were set up after 1985. For about a quarter of the companies the subsidies of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and funding on federal-state and EU-level played an important role in the start-up of their businesses. Other decisive factors were the know-how transfer from research institutions as well as financing through venture capital.

Nanotechnology companies are relatively highly export-oriented. Only one fifth of the companies regard Germany as the dominant business market with a share of > 75 %. For approx. half of the companies, the German domestic market accounts for less than a quarter. The most important market behind Germany is Europe, followed by North America and Asia with equally high shares. Other regions play a rather minor role regarding sales markets.

The large majority of the nanotechnology companies expect an increase in sales figures and numbers of employees as well as in research investments by 2010. More than half of the companies reckon with increases in sales of over 10 % compared to 2007. Although the extent of the global financial and economic crisis has not been foreseeable at the time of the survey, a significantly positive industry trend for the coming years is beginning to show.

Nanotechnology is such a key technology. With its,  "Nano-Initiative – Action Plan 2010", the Federal Government has established an interdepartmental framework for action in the area of nanotechnology.