Project description DEENESFRITPL Bottom-up nanostructuring harnesses concentrated light pulses Engineered nanostructures enable exquisite control over the propagation of electromagnetic and acoustic waves. Bottom-up approaches including molecular self-assembly can produce nanostructures with fewer defects and better ordering than conventional top-down methods that create smaller pieces from a bulk material. The EU-funded NanoStencil project will develop a new process to create dense arrays of identical nanostructures of precise size, shape and composition for devices exploiting the quantum regime. NanoStencil will accomplish the in situ nanostructuring with precision laser interference optics and state-of-the-art pulsed lasers integrated into materials reactors. The resulting concentrated light patterns will induce local photothermal or photochemical modifications on the growing surface, creating sites for self-assembly. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective By overcoming all the limitations of conventional top-down nanostructuring, the NanoStencil project seeks to initiate a new process paradigm for the production of dense arrays of identical nanostructures of precise size, shape and composition. It achieves this by combining the simplicity of structuring with light, with the advantages of molecular self-assembly, to provide a single step, cost effective and state of the art capability for next-generation ordered arrays of nanostructures. New methods to achieve such structures are a vital requirement for the exploitation of devices in the quantum regime. In our approach, laser interference patterning is applied by means of ultrashort pulses to material surfaces at the nanostructure formation phase, where it acts to modify local reaction processes providing energetically favourable sites for the nucleation of self-assembly. The approach is based on some established principles and prior art gained within the consortium, but is yet to be demonstrated at the device scale.To achieve in-situ nanostructuring, precision laser interference optics and state of the art pulsed lasers are integrated within materials reactors producing concentrated light patterns with a pitch of fractions of the laser wavelength which then induce local photothermal or photochemical modifications on the growing surface, creating sites for self-assembly. The science objectives of the project are to develop a comprehensive understanding of the absorption of concentrated pulsed light at the nanoscale to understand how this impacts on a growing or reactive surface. The technological objectives are to demonstrate large scale highly ordered arrays of identical nanostructures within four diverse materials systems (InAs quantum dot arrays, patterned SiO2/metallic nanostructures, ZnO nanowires and functional metal oxide nanospots), each of potentially transformative impact within the themes of semiconductor electronic and photonics, sensing and biomaterials. Fields of science natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryinorganic compoundsnatural sciencesphysical scienceselectromagnetism and electronicssemiconductivitynatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physicspulsed lasersengineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterials Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.2. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) Main Programme H2020-EU.1.2.1. - FET Open Topic(s) FETOPEN-01-2016-2017 - FET-Open research and innovation actions Call for proposal H2020-FETOPEN-2016-2017 See other projects for this call Sub call H2020-FETOPEN-1-2016-2017 Funding Scheme RIA - Research and Innovation action Coordinator THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD Net EU contribution € 919 720,00 Address Firth court western bank S10 2TN Sheffield United Kingdom See on map Region Yorkshire and the Humber South Yorkshire Sheffield Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Participants (4) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all TAMPEREEN KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR Finland Net EU contribution € 600 833,75 Address Kalevantie 4 33100 Tampere See on map Region Manner-Suomi Länsi-Suomi Pirkanmaa Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 ASOCIACION CENTRO TECNOLOGICO CEIT Spain Net EU contribution € 581 103,75 Address Paseo manuel de lardizabal 15 20018 San sebastian See on map Region Noreste País Vasco Gipuzkoa Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 UNIVERSITY OF BEDFORDSHIRE United Kingdom Net EU contribution € 546 875,00 Address University square LU1 3JU Luton See on map Region East of England Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Luton Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 INNOLAS LASER GMBH Germany Net EU contribution € 560 207,50 Address Justus von liebig ring 8 82152 Krailling See on map SME The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed. Yes Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Landkreis Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
