Abstract: While polarons --- charges bound to a lattice deformation induced by electron-phonon coupling --- are primary photoexcitations at room temperature in bulk metal-halide hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (HOIP), excitons --- Coulomb-bound electron-hole pairs --- are the stable quasi-particles in their two-dimensional (2D) analogues. Here we address the fundamental question: are polaronic effects consequential for excitons in 2D-HIOPs? Based on our recent work, we argue that polaronic effects are manifested intrinsically in the exciton spectral structure, which is comprised of multiple non-degenerate resonances with constant inter-peak energy spacing. We highlight measurements of population and dephasing dynamics that point to the apparently deterministic role of polaronic effects in excitonic properties. We contend that an interplay of long-range and short-range exciton-lattice couplings give rise to exciton polarons, a character that fundamentally establishes their effective mass and radius, and consequently, their quantum dynamics.  Given this complexity, a fundamentally far-reaching issue is how Coulomb-mediated many-body interactions---elastic scattering such as excitation-induced dephasing, inelastic exciton bimolecular scattering, and multi-exciton binding---depend upon the specific exciton-lattice coupling within the structured excitation lineshape. We measure the intrinsic and density-dependent exciton dephasing rates of the multiple excitons and their dependence on temperature by means of two-dimensional coherent excitation spectroscopy. We find that diverse excitons display distinct intrinsic dephasing rates mediated by phonon scattering involving different effective phonons, and contrasting rates of exciton-exciton elastic scattering. These findings establish specifically the consequence of distinct lattice dressing on exciton many-body quantum dynamics, which critically define fundamental optical properties that underpin photonics and quantum optoelectronics.

Bio: Carlos Silva earned a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from the University of Minnesota in 1998 and was then a Postdoctoral Associate in the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge. In 2001 he became an EPSRC Advanced Research Fellow in the Cavendish Laboratory, and Research Fellow in Darwin College, Cambridge. In 2005, he joined the Université de Montréal as an Assistant Professor, where he held the Canada Research Chair in Organic Semiconductor Materials from 2005 to 2015 and a Université de Montréal Research Chair from 2014 to 2017. He joined Georgia Tech in 2017, where he is currently Professor with joint appointment in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the School of Physics, and Professor by Courtesy Appointment in the School of Materials Science and Engineering. He is also Honorary Professor in the Department of Applied Physics of the Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV Unidad Merida). He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry. His group focuses on optical and electronic properties of organic and hybrid semiconductor materials, mainly probed by nonlinear ultrafast spectroscopies.

Bio: Tolga Tekin, has received the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Technical University of Berlin, Germany. He was a Research Scientist with the Optical Signal Processing Department, Fraunhofer HHI, where he was engaged in advanced research on optical signal processing, 3R-regeneration, all-optical switching, clock recovery, and integrated optics. He was a Postdoctoral Researcher on components for O-CDMA and terabit routers with the University of California. He worked at Teles AG on phased-array antennas and their components for skyDSL. At the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (IZM), he then led projects on optical interconnects and silicon photonics packaging. At the Technical University of Berlin, he then engaged in microsystems, photonic integrated system-in-package, photonic interconnects, and 3-D heterogeneous integration research activities. He is group manager of Photonics and Plasmonic Systems at Fraunhofer IZM. He has been coordinator of European Flagship project on optical interconnects ‘FP7-PhoxTroT’, ‘H2020-L3MATRIX’ and is currently coordinating and ‘H2020-MASSTART’.

Access the event at: https://bluejeans.com/956721052

 Host: Professor Muhannad Bakir, mbakir@ece.gatech.edu

Abstract: While the biomedical importance of detecting cellular heterogeneity is widely accepted, we lack tools for detection of the vast majority of molecular heterogeneity, as expressed in proteins. In fact, oncoproteins and their proteoforms are implicated in tumor progression, metastasis, and drug resistance across different cancer types. Yet, a severely limited set of isoforms are even detectable, with single-cell resolution. A next-generation of cancer subtype classification tools that include protein isoforms are urgently needed.

Immunoassays are the de facto standard for direct measurement of endogenous, unmodified oncoproteins, including use of immunohistochemistry (IHC) in tissue analysis. Unfortunately, immunoassays lack the specificity needed for quantitation and even detection of important proteins, including truncated cancer isoforms like those of HER2 (t-erbB2).

We introduce a suite of high-specificity, protein analysis tools – with single-cell and sub-cellular resolution – that a profile protein isoform expression. The precision microfluidic tools are designed to augment classic IHC and single-cell genomics and transcriptomics – shedding light on ‘blind spots’ in pathology.

We will describe microfluidic systems engineered for precise cellular and molecular manipulation and measurement, centered around a single-cell immunoblotting (native, western, complexes, and isoelectric focusing). We discuss new strategies for sample preparation and imparting molecular selectivity, including through key physicochemical properties. Integration of standards to quantify and control technical variation will be presented, as both analytical variability (lack of isoform-specific antibody probes) and biological variability (small cell subpopulations diluted in bulk analysis) can render oncoproteins undetectable. We detail the important role of thermodynamic partitioning of immunoprobe into an immunoassay scaffold, and informed design of new hydrogel metrology tools and materials to overcome transport limitations.

We see refined taxonomies that include both cellular and molecular heterogeneity as essential to underpinning needed advances in cancer diagnostic and treatment strategies.

Bio: Amy E. Herr received a BS degree in Engineering & Applied Science from the California Institute of Technology and MS and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, where she was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. She is currently Professor of Bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley and a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator. Until 2020, she held an appointment as the Lester John & Lynne Dewar Lloyd Distinguished Professor. Prior to joining UC Berkeley, she was a staff member in the Biosystems Research Group at Sandia National Laboratories. Her research interests include bioinstrumentation innovation to advance quantitation in the biosciences & biomedicine, in particular the study and application of electrokinetic phenomena in single-cell and sub-cellular analyses. Her pedagogical interests are in bioengineering design and transport. Prof. Herr is an elected Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering and an elected member of the National Academy of Inventors. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the NSF CAREER award, NIH New Innovator Award, Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, and DARPA Young Faculty Award.

Wei Gao - Assistant Professor of Medical Engineering
Division of Engineering & Applied Science, California Institute of Technology

Abstract: The rising research interest in personalized medicine promises to revolutionize traditional medical practices. This presents a tremendous opportunity for developing wearable devices toward predictive analytics and treatment. In this talk, I will introduce our recent advances in developing fully-integrated skin-interfaced flexible biosensors for non-invasive molecular analysis. Such wearable biosensors can continuously, selectively, and accurately measure a wide spectrum of sweat analytes including metabolites, electrolytes, hormones, drugs, and other small molecules. These devices also allow us to gain real-time insight into the sweat secretion and gland physiology. The clinical value of our wearable sensing platforms is evaluated through multiple human studies involving both healthy and patient populations toward physiological monitoring, disease diagnosis, and drug monitoring. This talk will also feature our very recent works on laser-engraved lab on the skin and biofuel powered battery-free electronic skin toward metabolic/nutritional management as well as dynamic stress monitoring. These wearable and flexible devices could open the door to a wide range of personalized monitoring, diagnostic, and therapeutic applications.

Bio: Wei Gao is an Assistant Professor of Medical Engineering in the Division of Engineering and Applied Science at the California Institute of Technology. He received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at University of California, San Diego in 2014 as a Jacobs Fellow and HHMI International Student Research Fellow. In 2014-2017, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a recipient of IEEE EMBS Early Career Achievement Award, IEEE Sensor Council Technical Achievement Award, Sensors Young Investigator Award, MIT Technology Review 35 Innovators Under 35 (TR35) and ACS Young Investigator Award (Division of Inorganic Chemistry). He is a World Economic Forum Young Scientist (Class of 2020) and a member of Global Young Academy (Class of 2019). His research interests include wearable devices, biosensors, flexible electronics, micro/nanorobotics, and nanomedicine. For more information about Gao’s research, visit  www.gao.caltech.edu/.

Hosted by: Professor W. Hong Yeo; Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Tech

Hitesh Handa, Assistant Professor
School of Chemical, Materials, and Biomedical Engineering
University of Georgia

Abstract: Blood/material interaction is critical to the success of implantable medical devices, ranging from simple catheters, stents and grafts, to complex extracorporeal artificial organs which are used in thousands of patients every day.  There are two major limiting factors to clinical application of blood contacting materials: 1) platelet activation leading to thrombosis, and 2) infection.  Despite a thorough understanding of the mechanisms of blood–surface interactions, and decades of bioengineering research effort, the ideal non-thrombogenic prosthetic surface remains an unsolved problem.  One approach to improving the hemocompatibility of blood-contacting devices is to develop materials that release nitric oxide (NO), a known potent inhibitor of platelet adhesion/activation and also an antimicrobial agent.  Healthy endothelial cells exhibit a NO flux of 0.5-4x10^-10 mol cm^-2 min^-1, and materials that mimic this NO release are expected to have similar anti-thrombotic properties.  The potential of incorporating NO donor molecules such as S-nitrosothiols (RSNOs) into various polymers, and their hemocompatibility and antibacterial properties in short-term (4 h) and long-term (9 d) animal models will be discussed

Bio: Dr. Hitesh Handa is a faculty member in the School of Chemical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Georgia.  Dr. Handa's area of focus is in translational research for development of medical device coatings, wound healing materials, therapeutic nanoparticles, and microfluidic artificial lungs.   This work in designing innovative materials and testing them in animal models has resulted in over 70 publications and 12 patent applications.  Hitesh’s work has been funded by NIH, CDC, Department of Veteran Affairs, US Army, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Geneva Foundation, and industrial grants. Hitesh is also the founder of inNOveta Biomedical LLC which is exploring possibilities of using nitric oxide releasing materials for medical applications. With his experience in biomolecular interactions, materials/surface science, polymeric coatings, blood-surface interactions and animal models, his goal is to bridge the gap between the engineers and clinical researchers in the field of biocompatible materials.

Ayse Coskun, Professor
Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University

Abstract: The design of today's leading-edge systems is fraught with power, thermal, and variability challenges. The applications in rapidly growing computing domains of cloud and HPC exhibit significant diversity and require an increasing number of threads and much larger data transfers compared to applications of the past. In tandem, power and thermal constraints limit the number of transistors that can be used simultaneously, which has led to the Dark Silicon problem. Thus, it is becoming increasingly difficult to harness the full potential of computer chips.

This talk argues that there is a need for novel design and management approaches to push computing systems operation closer to their peak capacity and reclaim the dark silicon. Specifically, the talk will discuss how to use 2.5D integration technology with silicon photonic networks (PNoCs) to build (heterogeneous) computing systems that provide the desired parallelism, heterogeneity, and network bandwidth to handle the demands of the next-generation applications. At the core of this ambitious vision is designing modeling and optimization frameworks that are able to capture and tweak the complex cross-layer interactions among devices, architecture, applications, and their power/thermal characteristics. Specific methods that will be highlighted in the talk include runtime management of applications and PNoC wavelengths, EDA methods that optimize placement & routing of PNoC systems with strong power and thermal awareness, and new architectures built with PNoCs.

Bio: Ayse K. Coskun is currently an associate professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Boston University. She received her MS and PhD degrees in Computer Science and Engineering from University of California, San Diego. Ayse’s research interests are broadly in design automation, computer systems, and architecture, with a particular focus on energy efficiency and intelligent computer system analytics methods. She worked at Sun Microsystems (now Oracle) prior to her appointment at BU. Ayse is currently an associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Computer Aided Design and Transactions on Computers and serves in the executive committee of the IEEE Council on EDA (CEDA). She received the NSF CAREER award (2012), several best paper awards, and the IEEE CEDA Ernest Kuh Early Career Award (2017). Coskun was recently selected to attend the National Academy of Engineering’s Frontiers of Engineering Symposium (2019).

Hosted by: Professor Muhannad Bakir; School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Tech

Dr. Sourav Banerjee | Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina

July 23, 2020 | 11AM EST | The Cyber

Abstract: Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are gradually transforming at the interface of biology for multiple novel applications in the future. Integrated Material Assessment and Predictive Simulation Laboratory (i-MAPS) at the University of South Carolina (UofSC) has significant thrust on acoustical biomimetic for various applications. The approach is primarily based on observation, modeling and fabrication. All applications are derived from natural acoustic processes that we tend to ignore but naturally developed in the mammalian body. Through observation of the mechanism, understanding of the physics is derived from modified optimized physics-based models. Upon confirmation, the systems are fabricated for testing and validation. a) Inspired by the human cochlea, which is a magnificent acoustic device, an artificial basilar membrane is fabricated for potential use as mechanical Fourier Transformer. The device has potential applications in artificial hearing aids and artificial hearing devices for efficient human-robot interactions in the future. b) Natural transport of medicine and molecules through blood-brain-barrier (BBB) is challenging, however, with the aid of acoustical perturbation it is found to have increased absorption. Through understanding the physical mechanism acoustically aided artificial BBB are researched with neural experiments in acoustically aided microfluidic system. c) The lab-on-a-chip devices are very effective in sensing different mechanical and physical parameters related to biosensing, irrespective of their field of application, but has noticeable limitations. The limitation comes mostly from the demands posed by the users in a simultaneous sensing and the actuation environment, employing mutually exclusive physics and mechanisms. To overcome such limitations, acoustic waves devices are proposed for both sensing and actuation in a single platform simultaneously. The physics of surface acoustic wave (SAW) is one valuable physics used in MEMS that gives SAW devices to cover a wide range of applications such as filters, oscillators, transformers, sensors and actuators for biosensing.

Bio: Dr. Sourav Banerjee is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at University of South Carolina (UofSC). Before joining UofSC Dr. Banerjee served as Senior Research Scientist and then Director of Product Development in Acellent Technologies Inc. during 2008 and 2011. Dr. Banerjee’s research is focused on Ultrasonic and Acoustic waves while catering to multiple fields including ultrasonic wave based biomedical device applications. He serves in the editorial board of Scientific Reports published by Nature Publishing Group, International Aeronautics Journal, International Journal of Aeronautics and Aerospace Engineering. Dr. Banerjee also serve as an advisory board member of the Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation, Diagnostics and Prognostics of Engineering Systems, published by ASME. He has numerous research and teaching awards such as Achenbach Medal, 2010, Michael J. Mungo Award 2017, SHM person of the year award (2019) etc. for his contribution. Dr. Banerjee received Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics and Applied Mathematics from University of Arizona, Tucson, USA in 2005.

https://tinyurl.com/saws2020

Abstract: The application of photonics for the processing of radio frequency (RF) systems offer many potential advantages, such as low signal transport loss, large operating bandwidth, and potentially low size, weight, and power (SWaP) form factors. While investments from the telecommunications industry have matured the basic building blocks in radio frequency photonics and photonic integrated circuit technology, insertion of these advances into modern radio frequency systems requires solving additional unique challenges. The Georgia Tech Research Institute’s (GTRI) photonics team is researching solutions to successfully insert RF photonics in fielded electronic systems and broaden the technology impact beyond telecommunications. This seminar will cover three objectives: 1) introduce the Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology (IEN) community to GTRI and select topics of its photonics research portfolio; 2) examine advantages and challenges of both discrete and integrated photonics from an RF electronic systems perspective; 3) survey architectures, systems, and components under collaborative development between the Georgia Tech Research Institute, Georgia Tech Electrical and Computer Engineering, and external partners. We will conclude by discussing capabilities under development that can expand IEN’s competencies and explore paths toward broader collaboration across Georgia Tech.

Bio: Dr. Benjamin B. Yang is a photonics and microelectronics engineer at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), where he has been a research faculty member since 2015. He is currently the Microelectronics Systems Branch lead and principal investigator of GTRI’s photonics internal research and development strategic initiative. Prior to GTRI, Dr. Yang was a senior member of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories from 2011 to 2015, where he worked on microelectronics failure analysis, device packaging, and reliability of photovoltaic systems in both research and production capacities. Dr. Yang has 12+ years’ training and experience in electromagnetics and device physics, working in a broad range of disciplines that include photonics, semiconductor device failure analysis, and terahertz spectroscopy resulting in 40 peer-reviewed publications 1 patent. Dr. Yang obtained his B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering at the University of Utah and Ph.D. in electrical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also holds a B.S. in applied math from the University of Utah and an M.B.A. with a finance concentration from the University of New Mexico. In addition to his research responsibilities, Dr. Yang is an instructor of electromagnetics and signal processing courses in ECE, and a two-time winner of the Class of 1940 Course Survey Teaching Effectiveness Award. Dr. Yang also holds leadership positions in the Atlanta section of IEEE, the Atlanta joint chapter of the IEEE Photonics Society and Electron Devices Society, and the Optical Society of America’s Advanced Photonics Congress.

Speaker: Sung Jin Park, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor, Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering; Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University School of Medicine

Abstract: The cellular phenotypes caused by inherited arrhythmia mutations have been studied using human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs). However, arrhythmias are the emergent properties of cells assembled into tissues, and the impact of these mutations on tissue-level properties of human myocardium has not been reported. In this talk, I will present an in vitro hiPSC-CM-based platform to study the tissue-level properties of engineered human myocardium. I will illustrate how this hiPSCCM- based platform can be used to investigate pathogenic mechanisms in the deadly, exercise-triggered inherited arrhythmia catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT). In addition, I will show how we combined this novel platform with genome editing and identified new therapeutic target for CPVT.

Lunch Provided at 1pm
RSVP link: https://forms.gle/5VV1PzeduPaUBEKg8

BlueJeans: https://bluejeans.com/870397059
 

Jeremy V. Golden, General Manager, KemLab
October 29, 2019 | 12pm - 1pm

In Engineering & Lithography Fun - Practical Problem Solving, KemLab present several real & practical issues our customers encounter in the field of engineering & lithography.
Some examples to be covered:

• Lift-Off application
• Adhesion on substrates
• Photoresist Design

Bio: Mr. Golden is the General Manager of KemLab, responsible for day to day operations, including product development, manufacturing and QC, with particular focus on collaborative initiatives for new products. He is a senior engineering and applications technologist in the field of photo sensitive chemistries used in the microelectronics industry. He has over 20 years of experience in the disciplines of manufacturing, QC and product applications development for these specialty chemicals. Mr. Golden also holds publications in customer applications of these photoresist products developed. Since starting KemLab in 2012, several products have been developed and commercialized, including photoresists for MEMS, Packaging, Lift-off, and image reversal. Mr. Golden has degrees in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, and an MBA with concentration in entrepreneurship.

Pizza Lunch Provided with Prior Registration

Register now at
https://tinyurl.com/KemLitho

Use of company name or logo does not constitute an endorsement by the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Microfluidics & International Research Collaborations --Shuichi Takayama
This seminars-plus-lunch program aims to catalyze scientific and cultural exchange between Georgia Tech students and 12 visiting undergrads from Japan. It will also provide GaTech students a brief preview of a planned international exchange program for summer 2020 and beyond. My presentation will start with description of an interesting microfluidic phenomenon and its application to microfluidic sperm sorting used for in vitro fertilization. This was an international industry-academia collaboration that led to an FDA-cleared medical device that is used clinically. The presentation will also describe a computer-controlled microfluidic pumping technology that was developed by an undergraduate student, then applied to biomedical needs such as microfluidic embryo culture, another device that has been tested clinically. A final microfluidic topic will be efforts, including work by Ga Tech Undergrads, to construct microscale intestine models with human intestinal organoids and a microbiome.

The presentation will also give a short preview of two components of the planned exchange program:
(i)    Mentoring opportunity for GRADUATE STUDENTS to host a Japanese Undergrad Researcher for ~5 weeks in Aug/Sept 2020. Mentors will be invited to cultural exchange programs and also receive $3000 to be used for travel to scientific conferences or materials and supplies for the lab.
(ii)    Another component is an opportunity for Georgia Tech BME UNDERGRADS to do a fully-sponsored Global Internship Program
(GIP) in Japan in summer 2020 (mid May - July) doing research at leading Japanese Universities.

Ultrafast microfluidic cell compression for convective intracellular macromolecule delivery--Anna Liu
Efficient intracellular delivery of target macromolecules remains a major obstacle in cell engineering, cell labeling, and other biomedical applications. Our lab has discovered the unique cell biophysical phenomenon of convective intracellular macromolecule delivery using mechanically induced, transient cell volume exchange. Ultrafast microfluidic cell compressions are used to cause brief, deformation­induced cell volume loss followed by volume recovery through uptake of surrounding fluid. Macromolecules suspended in the surrounding fluid enter the cell on convective fluid currents. We harness this cell volume exchange behavior for high-throughput, convective intracellular delivery of large macromolecules, including plasmids (>10 kb) and particles (>30 nm), while maintaining high cell viability (>95%). Successful experiments in transfection and intracellular labeling demonstrate potential to overcome the most prohibitive challenges in intracellular delivery for cell engineering.

Investigating health effects of aerosol particles on single-cells in a high-throughput air-liquid interface platform --Jenni Li
Air pollution and its detrimental health effects have been an increasingly alarming concern for the world. Cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, and different types of cancers can all be linked to air pollution effects. Furthermore, over 4 million people die per year from the direct effects of ambient particulate matter. One conventional method for studying the health effects of aerosol particles is to collect particulate matter (PM) from the atmosphere, resuspend the PM in cell culture media, add the PM/media to cell cultures, and assess single cell oxidative stress. However, this method does not resemble the in vivo conditions of alveolar macrophages. Alveolar macrophages are found in the alveoli of the lungs where the oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange between blood and air takes place and are a key cell type that is affected by PM. In this project, we aim to create a microfluidic air-liquid interface environment that mimics how alveolar macrophages are exposed to PM in order to study effects of PM at a single-cell level. Utilizing a microfluidic platform provides uniform microenvironment and enables high-throughput and high content single-cell analysis for hundreds of cells. We adapted a previously developed microfluidic single-cell analysis technology and developed a method for exposing cells to an air-liquid interface. We then characterized cells by microscopy and LIVE/DEAD staining to assess if cells remain viable during air exposure. Following this validation of the air-liquid interface platform, we will use it to study the single cell responses of intracellular reactive oxygen species in exposure to aerosol particles.

Please RSVP at: https://forms.gle/Dy3ND2XpFRqL5DmbA

BlueJeans session: https://bluejeans.com/947188326

Abstract:

Colloidal Quantum Dots (CQDs) have been working their ways into the next-generation photonic devices. Highly efficient light emitters and absorbers made of CQDs can be demonstrated among various types of materials including CdSe/CdS/CdTe and perovskites. The wavelength tunability, according to their physical sizes, can be readily suitable for LED displays and solar spectrum management purposes. Meanwhile, the reliability of these nanocrystals remains one of the most important issues before their full-scale commercialization. In this talk, we will present our latest work on the improvement of the reliability of hybrid CQD photonic devices. A brief review on previous achievements will also be provided. The compact package and long lifetime features will be the key factors for future successful deployment of such materials and devices.

Speaker's Biography:

Dr. Chien-Chung Lin was born in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1970. He received his B.S.E.E. degree from National Taiwan University, Taipei, in 1993, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA, in 1997 and 2002, respectively. His thesis work focused on design, modeling, and fabrication of micromachined-tunable optoelectronic devices. He joined E2O Communications Inc., Calabasas, CA, USA, as a Senior Optoelectronic Engineer in 2002. His main research interests then were in optically and electrically pumped long-wavelength vertical cavity surface emitting lasers. In 2004, he joined Santur Corporation, Fremont, CA, where he initially worked as a member of technical staff and became a Manager of Laser Chip Engineering later. He had worked on monolithic multi-wavelength DFB Laser arrays for data and telecommunications, yield and reliability analysis of DFB Laser arrays, etc.  In2009, he joined the National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) in Tainan, Taiwan, where he currently holds the position of a full Professor.  His major research interests are in the design and fabrication of novel semiconductor optoelectronic devices, including LEDs, solar cells, and lasers.  Since 2016, he has been jointly appointed by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), where he participates in and leads several key projects in micro-LEDs, 3D ICs, and silicon photonics. Prof. Lin has published more than 200 journal and conference papers and is a senior member of the IEEE and the Optical Society of America.

(Pizzas will be served after the seminar presentation)

Mike Hale, Sales Manager AJA International, Inc.
Monday, Jun. 24th @ 12:30PM | Pettit Microelectronics Building 102A

Magnetron sputtering is a high-rate vacuum coating technique that allows the deposition of many types of materials, including metals and ceramics, onto as many types of substrate materials by the use of a specially formed magnetic field applied to a diode sputtering target. It allows a faster deposition rate at lower pressures compared with other techniques and is able to create strongly adhesive coatings on complex geometries including those made of heat-sensitive substrates such as polymers.*

Seminar attendees will be provided pizza and drinks during the talk.

Rates: *rates include lunch on both days*
• Georgia Tech Rate: $150
• Academic and Government Rate: $300
• Industry Rate: $600

Registration:
Due to the nature of the lab portion of the course, registration has a maximum of 15 participants. Your registration is not guaranteed until full payment is received. If you wish to charge the course to an IEN Cleanroom account, please contact us immediately so that we can provide the proper forms, and so that we may notify the PI or accounts representative. Credit cards are the only payment option for people outside Georgia Tech. Once you submit your registration, follow the appropriate links in your confirmation email. A waiting list of overflow registrants will be maintained in case of cancellations.

REGISTER FOR THE COURSE AT: ien.gatech.edu/s2019-sl

Abstract: The distribution and interactions of single molecules in three-dimensionally organized cellular networks are fundamental to the function of living systems. Today, we still lack a complete understanding of how local molecular mechanisms are integrated and dynamically mapped over larger scales onto functional activities. The challenges pose high demands for imaging technologies to provide molecular specificity, nanometer-scale resolution, ultrafast speed, and accessibility across larger volumes of tissues. In this presentation, I will talk about my laboratory’s recently developed super-resolution and light-field microscopy, and functional imaging tools for high-throughput extraction of molecular information in cells and tissues with ultrahigh-spatiotemporal resolution and accessibility.

Bio:  Dr. Jia is currently an Assistant Professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University. He completed postdoctoral training at Harvard University and received a PhD in Electrical Engineering at Princeton University. Dr. Jia has been recognized for his research with the DARPA Young Faculty Award and NIH MIRA Award.

Abstract: With seabirds trapped in multipack drink rings, and mid-ocean islands of indestructible rubbish, the idea that plastics could play a big part in a sustainable future world might seem far-fetched. However, new smart photonic and electronic plastics may yet rescue the reputation of this all-consuming 20th century material. Research into such functional plastics for cars and buildings could drastically reduce the need for air conditioning and, thus, improve their energy efficiency. We will present recent efforts to design new plastics of desired photonic and electronic functions targeted for a greener world. One line of our enquiry is to explore the potential of new polymer-based systems that can offer the same flexibility, softness and light weight as commodity plastics but can control the flow of light therefore assisting energy (light) harvesting, e.g., of photovoltaic devices, or light out-coupling from light-emitting diodes. Other opportunities for such systems include photonic heat mirrors that can prevent undesired heat built up of solar cells limiting performance degradation during operation of the cells. Such mirrors also can be exploited to reduce the energy we waste to keep buildings at the temperature we want.

Bio: Natalie Stingelin (Stutzmann) FRSC is Professor of Functional Organic Materials at the Georgia Institute of Technology, with prior positions at Imperial College London, London, UK; the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Queen Mary University of London, London, UK; the Philips Research Laboratories, Eindhoven, The Netherlands; and ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland. She was awarded a ‘Chaire Internationale Associée’ by the Excellence Initiative of the Université de Bordeaux (2016), the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining's Rosenhain Medal and Prize (2014) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) President's International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI) Award for Visiting Scientists (2015). She was the Chair of the 2016 Gordon Conference on “Electronic Processes in Organic Materials” as well as the Zing conference on “Organic Semiconductors.” She has published >160 papers and has 6 issued patents. Her research interests encompass organic electronics & photonics, bioelectronics, physical chemistry of organic functional materials, and smart inorganic/organic hybrid systems

Abstract : The mechanical properties of metastatic cancer cells can be modulated to better migrate through tissues. We evaluate cell stiffness as a biomarker for isolating of cancer cells and subtypes of cells. In this case, the heterogeneity of cancer cells can be reduced through rapid label-free isolation and sorting to improve our understanding of invasive or drug-resistant subpopulations. Microfluidic channels are designed that reposition flowing cells in proportion to important biomechanical properties of stiffness, size, and adhesion. The repositioned cells are then collected at the outlets. We demonstrate three examples of how this sorting process can be used to collect invasive ovarian cancer, drug resistant leukemia, and purer stem cell cultures.

Bio: Todd Sulchek conducts fundamental and applied research in the field of biomechanics. His research program focuses on creating new micro-technologies to apply to questions in cellular mechanics and adhesion. He joined Georgia Tech in July 2008 as an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Sulchek also holds program faculty positions in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering. Prior to Georgia Tech, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher and Staff Scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Dr. Sulchek graduated with his PhD in Applied Physics from Stanford University. He is a recipient of the NSF CAREER award, the CETL/BP Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award, the Lockheed Inspirational Young Faculty award, 2012 Petit Institute Above and Beyond Award, Class of 1940 Course Survey Teaching Effectiveness Award, and is a Woodruff Fellow. Over his research career he has published 74 journal papers (H-index of 34 on Google Scholar) and has filed or been issued 12 patents.

*Pizza lunch will be provided, however we ask that you limit yourself to two slices so that all attendees are accommodated.

Bio: Dr. Krishnendu (Krish) Roy received his undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology followed by his MS from Boston University and his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. After 2 years at Zycos Inc., a start-up biotechnology company, Dr. Roy joined the Biomedical Engineering Faculty at The University of Texas at Austin.  In 2013 he moved to Georgia Tech. where he is the Robert A. Milton Chaired Professor in Biomedical Engineering. At Georgia Tech, he also serves as the Director of the newly established NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT) and The Marcus Center for Cell-Therapy Characterization and Manufacturing (MC3M) - as well as the Director of the Center for ImmunoEngineering. He is also the Technical Lead of the NIST/AMTech National Cell Manufacturing Consortium (NCMC), a national public-private partnership, focused on addressing the challenges and solutions for large scale manufacturing of therapeutic cells. Dr. Roy’s research interests are in the areas of scalable cell manufacturing, Immuno-engineering, stem-cell engineering and controlled drug and vaccine delivery technologies, with particular focus in biomedical materials. Dr. Roy has been elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), in addition to numerous awards and honors including Young Investigator Awards from both the Controlled Release Society (CRS) and The Society for Biomaterials (SFB), NSF CAREER award, Global Indus Technovator Award from MIT, and the CRS Cygnus Award. He is also the recipient of the best advisor award given by bioengineering students at Georgia Tech. He serves as a member of the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Controlled Release, the European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, and the Journal of Immunology and Regenerative Medicine. He is a member of the Forum on Regenerative Medicine of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) and a Board Member of the newly established Standards Coordinating Body (SCB) for Cell and Regenerative Therapies.

The Optec system has 2 cutting heads, a fixed spot 6um head and a galvo-scanning 15um spot head. With a scanning area of 50mmX50mm, the Optec software allows coordinated moves between the galvo head and the stage to create patterns that are uninterrupted over the entire stage area. This will be ideal for microfluidics and photonics applications as well as material thinning and layer removal. The scan head allows for high speed patterns for photovoltaics and battery electrode modifications. The system allow material surface modifications to increase both hydroscopic and hydrophilic characteristics.

Flavien Liegeois from Optic will discuss athermal processing using the Optec WS-Flex, followed by a show and tell with the newly installed system in Lab 160.

Abstract: The development of ultra-compact integrated nanophotonic structures for communications, sensing, and signal processing has been of great interest lately. Recent progress in the development of miniaturized high-Q microresonators has resulted in orders of magnitude reduction in the size of functional integrated photonic structures. The possibility of low-power tuning of the resonance features in these structures has made the formation of reconfigurable photonic structures possible.

Among existing CMOS-compatible substrates, silicon (Si) and silicon nitride (SiN) have been used the most. Despite impressive progress in Si-based and SiN-based integrated photonics, neither substrate alone can be used for practical applications. Si (despite its good reconfigurability) suffers from strong nonlinear effects (especially at high light intensities) and relatively large free-carrier loss while SiN (with one order of magnitude lower loss and lower nonlinearity compared to Si) is very hard to tune. Thus, a reliable material system that combines ultra-loss-loss and high power handling with efficient and fast reconfigurability is of high demand in integrated nanophotonics.

In this talk, the recent achievements in the development and optimization of hybrid multi-layer CMOS-compatible material systems (e.g., SiN/Si, multi-layer Si/SiO₂, etc.) to address all the practical requirements of ultra-fast and ultra-compact integrated photonic structures will be discussed. Using these hybrid material systems, a series of ultra-compact and high-performance reconfigurable photonic devices and subsystems that are formed by using high Q resonators will be demonstrated. The use of these devices and subsystems for realization of densely-integrated reconfigurable photonic chips for signal processing and sensing applications will be discussed.

Bio: Ali Adibi is the director of Bio and Environmental Sensing Technologies (BEST) and a professor and Joseph M. Pettit chair in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology. His research group has pioneered several structures in the field of integrated nanophotonics for both information processing and sensing. He is the author of more than 150 journal papers and 400 conference papers. He is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Nanophotonics, and the nanophotonic program track chair of the Photonics West meeting. He is the recipient of several awards including Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, Packard Fellowship, NSF CAREER Award, and the SPIE Technology Achievement Award. He is also a fellow of OSA, SPIE, and AAAS.

Omer T. Inan, PhD
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology

Abstract: The Precision Medicine Initiative challenges biomedical researchers to reframe health optimization and disease treatment in a patient-specific, personalized manner. Rather than a one-size-fits-all paradigm, the charge is for a particular profile to be fit to each patient, and for disease treatment (or wellness) strategies to then be tailored accordingly. Non-invasive physiological sensing and modulation can play an important role in this effort by augmenting existing research in ‑omics and medical imaging towards better developing such personalized models for patients, and in continuously adjusting such models to optimize therapies in real-time to meet patients’ changing needs. While in many instances the focus of such efforts is on disease treatment, optimizing performance for healthy individuals is also a compelling need. This talk will focus on my group’s research on non-invasive sensing of the sounds and vibrations of the body, with application to musculoskeletal and cardiovascular monitoring applications. In the first half of the talk, I will discuss our studies that are elucidating mechanisms behind the sounds of the knees, and particularly the characteristics of such sounds that change with acute injuries. We use miniature microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) air-based and piezoelectric contact microphones to capture joint sounds emitted during movement, then apply data analytics techniques to both visualize and quantify differences between healthy and injured knees. In the second half of the talk, I will describe our work studying the vibrations of the body in response to the heartbeat using modified weighing scales and wearable MEMS accelerometers. Our group has extensively studied the timings of such vibrations in relation to the electrophysiology of the heart, and how such timings change for patients with cardiovascular diseases during treatment. Ultimately, we envision that these technologies can enable personalized titration of care and optimization of performance to reduce injuries and rehabilitation time for athletes and soldiers, improve the quality of life for patients with heart disease, and reduce overall healthcare costs.

Biography: Omer Inan is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Adjunct Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech. He received his BS, MS, and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford in 2004, 2005, and 2009, respectively. From 2009-2013, he was the Chief Engineer at Countryman Associates, Inc., a professional audio manufacturer of miniature microphones and high-end audio products for Broadway theaters, theme parks, and broadcast networks. He has received several major awards for his research including the NSF CAREER award, the ONR Young Investigator award, and the IEEE Sensors Council Early Career award. While at Stanford as an undergraduate, he was the school record holder and a three-time NCAA All-American in the discus throw.

Abstract : With the rapid development of nanotechnology, recent years have witnessed the explosive growth of a variety of nanometer-sized nanoparticles as candidates for an ever increasing list of potential applications for next generation electronics, microchips, composites, biosensors, and drug delivery. On one hand, the growing applications of nanomaterials pose serious concerns about their toxicity as they enter the human body via various pathways including the respiratory system, skin absorption, intravenous injection and implantation. On the other hand, nanomaterials show promising potentials in medical imaging and gene/drug delivery. Indeed, understanding the fundamental physics of the cell-nanomaterial interaction in the process of endocytosis is not only of paramount significance to the evaluation of beneficial and hazardous effects of nanotechnology but also to the medical applications such as gene/drug delivery and medical imaging. In this talk, I would like to provide a novel way to explore the mechanics of cell-nanomaterial interactions via a systematic and multiscale computational methodology with a focus on the effects of surface properties and mechanical properties of particles on the particle uptake and release processes, and to establish effective guidelines for designing controllable drug delivery from the computational perspective.

Bio: Dr. Xianqiao Wang is an Associate Professor of College of Engineering and the director of the Computational Nano/Bio-Mechanics Laboratory at the University of Georgia (UGA). Before he joined the University of Georgia in August 2012, he was an Assistant Research Professor at the Georgia Washington University (GWU) after he got his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 2011 from GWU. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers in top international journals such as ACS Nano, Advanced Sciences, Nanoscale, Carbon, Brain Structure and Functions, Cerebral Cortex, etc. He was the recipient of the 2017 International Conferences on Computational Methods (ICCM) Young Investigator Award and the recipient of 2018 College of Engineering Excellence in Instruction. Currently his work is funded by several NSF grants, and his research interests focus on the computational biomechanics, bio-inorganic interfaces, and multiscale brain modeling.

Title : Zn-based batteries are a safe alternative to Li-ion due to compatibility with aqueous electrolyte. Also, the theoretical volumetric energy density of Zn-based batteries (e.g. Zn-air) is more than twice the one of conventional Li-ion batteries and is ~85% of Li-sulfur batteries. The above two advantages plus the abundance of zinc render Zn-based aqueous batteries attractive for large-scale energy storage (e.g. electric vehicle, grid-scale storage). However, the Zn anode in aqueous electrolyte is historically not deeply-rechargeable, which has to be addressed for broad application of Zn-based batteries. The root cause of the lack of rechargeability stems from the passivation of ZnO discharge product, and dissolution of zincate intermediate. In this talk, I will show a series of our recent efforts on addressing the rechargeability issue of aqueous Zn anodes via nanoscale material design. The design principles shown in this talk are expected to inspire the design of other electrodes for post-Li-ion batteries.

Abstract : Nian Liu is an Assistant Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering since January 2017. He received his B.S. in 2009 from Fudan University (China), and Ph.D. in 2014 from Stanford University, where he worked with Prof. Yi Cui on the structure design for Si anodes for high-energy Li-ion batteries. In 2014-2016, he worked with Prof. Steven Chu at Stanford University as a postdoc, where he developed in situ optical microscopy to probe beam-sensitive battery reactions. Dr. Liu’s lab at Georgia Tech is broadly interested in the combination of nanomaterials, electrochemistry, and light microscopy for understanding and addressing the global energy challenges. Dr. Liu is the recipient of the Electrochemical Society (ECS) Daniel Cubicciotti Award (2014) and American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Inorganic Chemistry Young Investigator Award (2015).

Abstract: The continuing advance of Internet based activity, including mobile devices, connected sensors and cloud based operations, is driving the microelectronics industry to come up with faster devices and smaller form factors. The traditional route to CMOS miniaturization via device level scaling is reaching its limit. Our advanced system integration program is aimed at developing solutions which address this challenge through innovative technologies aimed at package level scaling on a conventional silicon platform.

The Ultra High Density Interposer project is focused on developing stacked interposers with signal input/output (I/O) an order of magnitude higher than typically achieved. There are several pre and post processing challenges associated with such interposer development. This presentation will provide an overview of the electrical yield and reliability issues of ultra high density interposers. A status overview of the advanced system integration program being pursued at BRIDG will also be provided.

Bio: Dr. John Allgair leads the Electronic Photonic Heterogeneous Integration program at BRIDG which is focused on providing robust, cost-effective platforms for the heterogeneous integration of silicon, III/V and photonic devices to enable smart sensor integration.

Over his twenty-year career in the semiconductor industry, Dr. Allgair has worked in  roles focused on business growth, innovation and bringing new products to market during tenures at GLOBALFOUNDRIES, AMD, SEMATECH, Freescale and Motorola. His semiconductor engineering background includes advanced packaging integration, factory design, process integration, yield enhancement, lithography and materials characterization.

Dr. Allgair serves on the SPIE Advanced Lithography program committee and has multiple publications in peer reviewed, industry journals. He received a PhD in electrical engineering with an emphasis in semiconductor physics and processing from Arizona State University.

•     Theoretical basis of Atomic Force Microscopy
•     Important considerations when choosing an AFM instrument
•     Applications for AFM measurements
•     Hands-on measurement with model samples

Register at: https://learnaboutafhatgt.eventbrite.com

Contact Dr. Walter Henderson at: walter.henderson@ien.gatech.edu for more information.

Abstract : Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune destruction of insulin producing β-cells present in the endocrine part of the pancreas. Lifelong administration of exogenous insulin is a current mode of treatment, due to frequency of injection and precise dosing it remains a suboptimal treatment. Furthermore, this treatment fails to balance endocrine system and in prevention of severe complications associated with this disease. As immunotherapy approaches have remained unsuccessful, the only cure for T1D is transplantation of donor-derived pancreas or islets. However, donor scarcity, graft loss, and immune response to the foreign tissue are issues challenging this approach and limiting the number of patients who can benefit from such treatments. A recent estimate is that about 12,000 organ donors in the U.S. could potentially supply islets but that the number of donor preparations is likely only about 3,000 per year. This supply is unlikely to expand significantly in the future as a result b-cells replacement therapies are being considered as a means to treat T1D. Scientist are evaluating different sources of insulin-producing cells, including re-engineered human cells such as differentiated pluripotent stem cells and islets from other species. This presentation will summarize the cutting-edge research that aims to tackle the current challenges in reaching a quality-controlled product with long-term effects, with a focus on regenerative medicine approaches using different sources of b-cells.

Bio: Dr. Chavan earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC) in Mumbai, India, and a Masters in Biotechnology from the Indian Institute of Technology.  He is Chief Scientific Officer at Vicapsys Inc, Athens, GA. He is an entrepreneur and Board Director level executive with proven international experience in drug development, commercial partnerships, strategy development, and operational management and financial management of life sciences/biotechnology companies.  Dr. Chavan is highly motivated, result oriented diligent team leader, with more than 27 years of biotechnology experience of which the last 16 years have been dedicated for the development of cell-based therapies and bio-therapeutic molecules for treatment of cancer and autoimmunity diseases. He has more than 16 years of global drug development experience covering preclinical, and early stage clinical development, clinical operations, regulatory and safety functions. During this period, he has held several positions of increasing responsibility and has successfully led drug development research programs at Celtaxsys, Inc, Forest Life Sciences, Bioquant, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which resulted in over 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals and 12 US patents. He is one of the inventorS of the real time fluorescent reverse transcriptase assay that forms the basis of today’s real time PCR technology platform. He has received several awards for his scientific contributions including the Henry Christian Award from American Federation for Medical Research Foundation, USA for his research on HIV-protease inhibitor “Indinavir”.

Target Audience: This short course is open to off-campus researchers from academia, industry and government laboratories/organizations and is not limited to current Georgia Tech students or IEN users. Anyone who is interested in starting research in the area of microfluidics or PDMS device fabrication is invited and strongly encouraged to participate.

Rates:  *rates include lunch on both days*

• Georgia Tech Rate: $150
• Academic and Government Rate: $300
• Industry Rate: $600

Registration: Due to the nature of the lab portion of the course, registration has a maximum of 15 participants. Your registration is not guaranteed until full payment is received. If you wish to charge the course to an IEN Cleanroom account, please contact us immediately so that we can provide the proper forms, and so that we may notify the PI or accounts representative. Credit cards are the only payment option for people outside Georgia Tech. Once you submit your registration, follow the appropriate links in your confirmation email. A waiting list of overflow registrants will be maintained in case of cancellations.

Register for the Soft Lithography Short Course Here!!

Abstract : Engineers and materials scientists tailor interfaces with polymer brushes to control their functional properties. It is not surprising perhaps, then, that biology uses a similar strategy. In this talk, I will describe how living tissues and cells make polymer brush-like structures to manage their interaction with each other and their surroundings. In particular, hyaluronan-rich glycocalyx will be a focus. Then I will demonstrate how we have hijacked the cell’s enzymatic machinery to generate spherical and planar interfaces with hyaluronan polymer brushes that are orders of magnitude thicker than typical brushes (>10 µm ). This unique brush technology provides new opportunities in a range of areas including biomaterials, lubrication, anti-biofilm interfaces, as well as fundamental studies of the glycocalyx and polymer physics.

Bio: Dr. Jennifer Curtis is an Associate Professor in the School of Physics at Georgia Institute of Technology. Jennifer received her B.A. in Physics at Columbia University in 1997, and her PhD in Physics at the University of Chicago in 2002.  There her research focused on soft matter physics and optical manipulation. She helped pioneer the development of holographic optical tweezers, a powerful method to generate dynamic optical traps and optical vortices in three dimensions.  During her postdoctoral research at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, Jennifer began to study the role of physics in biological systems at the molecular and cell level. During that time she was an Alexander Humboldt Fellow and eventually an independent group leader before she became a faculty member at Georgia Tech in 2007. In 2010 she received an NSF CAREER Award and since 2014 she has been an Editorial Board Member of the Biophysical Journal. At Georgia Tech, she is a co-director of CRĀSI, the Community for Research on Active Surfaces and Interfaces. Her active research interests fall in the area of physics of living systems, biological physics, bioengineering and nanotechnology.

Abstract: To secure their locomotion on a variety of natural substrates, terrestrial animals have evolved attachment systems based on hairy and smooth pads. Hairy pads can be either wet or dry and, in most cases, they bear spatula-shaped tips that appeared independently in insects, arachnids and reptiles. Smooth pads are always wet and they usually possess different surface textures, of which the hexagonal one found in bush crickets, mushroom-tongued salamanders and tree frogs is the most striking. Inspired by the questions of what mechanisms are hidden behind the spectacular tribological performance of biological attachment systems and whether they can be used in technical applications, we mimic both spatula-bearing and hexagonally textured surfaces using elastomeric materials. Tested for adhesion and friction, biomimetic surfaces demonstrate a range of properties related to arresting and facilitation of relative motion. In spatula-inspired surface microstructures, these are directional adhesion and friction to load ratio of over 100, which can be used in clean, cheap and safe gripping mechanisms. In hexagonally patterned surfaces, we observe elimination of stick-slip instabilities, suppressing of hydroplaning and ability to tune friction from 50% to nearly 100% of that measured on a smooth reference, which may find application in systems ranging from syringes and hand prostheses on one hand to belt drives and submarine propeller shaft bearings on the other hand.

Bio: Dr. Michael Varenberg is an Assistant Professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. Prior to this appointment, he was an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, where he also obtained his undergraduate and graduate degrees. Dr. Varenberg has also previously held a Researcher position in the Evolutionary Biomaterials Group at the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research.

Schedule:
• 9:00 – 9:30      Registration and gowning
• 9:30 – 10:00    Inorganic cleanroom tour
• 10:00 – 10:45  Maskless photolithography process demo (Inorganic cleanroom)
• 10:45 – 11:30   Inorganic cleanroom metrology techniques demo (SEM, profilometry, Ellipsometry)
• 11:30 – 12:00   Inorganic cleanroom tour (make-up)

Register at: https://tinyurl.com/y7lk688t

This seminar will highlight the newly installed Elionix ELS-G100 Electron Beam Lithography System to the Marcus Inorganic Cleanroom. Attendees will receive a general introduction to e-beam lithography, i.e. direct-writing of user-defined CAD patterns with a beam of high-energy electrons. Additionally, the speaker will walk you through some of the advanced e-beamlithographytopics by using Elionix ELS-G100 as a model system.

Seminar Topics

• E-beam system configuration and its components
• Principles of operation for ebeam exposure
• Limits of e-beam and its implications
• Proximity effect in ebeam exposure
•  Effect of post-exposure processing

Tool Specifications

• Generates patterns with a line width of 6nm with an 8” stage
• Stable 1.8nm electron beam using high beam current at 100kV
• 20bit DAC provides high beam positioning resolution
• At a beam current of 1nA, 20nm lines can be written over an entire
• 500μm field without stitching

Speaker: Yong Sun - A dedicated and driven scientist by training, with 15 years of hands-on nanofabrication experience in the semiconductor field, Yong has worked
both in academia and in industry, with research interests spanning across a varietyof subjects, including sensors, microfluidics, metamaterials, Li-Ion battery and energy
converters, to name a few. I am currently the Product Manager at SEMTech Solutions, collaborating with a group of dedicated engineers to advance the Elionix e-beam technology. Before joining the Elionix team, I have worked as a cleanroom manager at Princeton University, teaching users on the operation of many lithography tools,including Elionix ELS-F125.

Abstract: This presentation will give an overview of efforts in our laboratory to develop microfluidic systems to control cell microenvironments and to perform high precision biochemical measurements. Microfluidic technologies to be discussed include computer-controlled microfluidics, self-switching microfluidic transistor-like circuitry, microfluidics that utilize aqueous two phase droplets, and fracture fabrication of tunable nanochannels. Specific biomedical applications that will be discussed include lung-on-a-chip, microfluidic assisted reproductive technologies and in vitro fertilization, heartbeat-on-a-chip, chromatin analysis in fracture-fabricated nanochannels, and protein biomarker analysis. The long-term goal is to create miniature patients-on-a-chip for understanding disease mechanisms, testing drugs, performing better cell-based therapies, and validating protein biomarkers. 

Bio: Prof. Shuichi Takayama’s research interests (B.S. & M.S. from the University of Tokyo, Ph.D. from the Scripps Research Institute) started with organic synthesis of enzyme inhibitors.  Subsequently he pursued postdoctoral studies in bioengineered microsystems at Harvard University as a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Fellow with goal of developing microsystems to perform bioevaluations of the inhibitor molecules he synthesized. He spent 17 years at the University of Michigan in the Biomedical Engineering Department and Macromolecular Science and Engineering Program then moved to the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine in the summer of 2017. He is an associate editor of Integrative Biology and on the board of several other journals. Awards and honors include the NSF CAREER award, Pioneers of Miniaturization Prize, and AIMBE Fellow.

Bio: Vladimir Stojanovic is an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at University of California, Berkeley. His research interests include design, modeling and optimization of integrated systems, from CMOS-based VLSI blocks and interfaces to system design with emerging devices like NEM relays and silicon-photonics. He is also interested in design and implementation of energy-efficient electrical and optical networks, and digital communication techniques in high-speed interfaces and high-speed mixed-signal IC design.

Vladimir received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 2005, and the Dipl. Ing. degree from the University of Belgrade, Serbia in 1998. He was also with Rambus, Inc., Los Altos, CA, from 2001 through 2004 and with MIT as Associate Professor from 2005-2013. He received the 2006 IBM Faculty Partnership Award, and the 2009 NSF CAREER Award as well as the 2008 ICCAD William J. McCalla, 2008 IEEE Transactions on Advanced Packaging, and 2010 ISSCC Jack Raper best paper awards. He was an IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society Distinguished Lecturer for the 2012-2013 term.

The deadline for applications is Wednesday, November 1, 2017 and you can find more information by going here: http://oie.gatech.edu/scholarships/bobby-jones. 

The Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology (IEN) at Georgia Tech will offer a new short course on “Soft Lithography for Microfluidics” on September 21 & 22, 2017. This course module is designed for individuals interested in hands-on training in the fabrication of microfluidic devices using the soft lithography technique. This 2 day intensive short course will be structured to assume no prior knowledge of the technologies by the participants. The course agenda is evenly divided between laboratory hands-on sessions, including SU-8 master mold creation using photolithography and PDMS device fabrication in the IEN cleanroom, and supporting lectures.  The goal for this course is to impart a basic understanding of soft lithography for microfluidic applications as practiced in academia and industry.

Target Audience: This short course is open to off-campus researchers from academia, industry and government laboratories/organizations and is not limited to current Georgia Tech students or IEN users. Anyone who is interested in starting research in the area of microfluidics or PDMS device fabrication is invited and strongly encouraged to participate.

Professor Masoud Agah, The Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Virginia Tech

Abstract: In this talk, I will review the research endeavors in BioMEMS/NEMS and MicroAnalyticalChemistry Thrusts at Virginia Tech MEMS Laboratory (VT MEMS).  The first part (BioMEMS/NEMS) will go over the use of 3D MEMS cavities, atomic force microscopy, and microfluidics for deciphering cancer cell biomechanical and bioelectrical properties.  We will demonstrate how biophysical properties can be used as a potential marker for cancer treatment assessment and for determining tumor-initiating cells. The second part (MicroAnalyticalChemsitry) will demonstrate the innovations and research accomplishments from nano-structured material processing and synthesis to the development of key components of micro gas chromatography instruments including including preconcentrator, microfluidic separation column, and gas detectors.  I will present self-assembly techniques combined with high-aspect-ratio MEMS processing to achieve high adsoption efficiency for preconcentrators and high separation efficiency for the columns.  I will discuss the invention of new GC columns, semi-packed, multicapillary, and width-modulated, and demonstrate the marriage of MEMS and nanotechnology to improve stationary phase coating for GCs.  I will also introduce the first microfabricated purge extractor for the analysis of organic compounds present in aqueous samples and demonstrate a fully integrated platform for in-field environmental monitoring.

Biography: Masoud Agah received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology (SUT), Iran, in 1996 and 1998, respectively, and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 2005. From 1996 to 1999, he was a member of technical staff and then a project manager at Advanced Manufacturing Research Center, Iran, where his work was focused on industrial automation, robotics, and computer vision. In 1999. In 2000, he joined the NSF Center for Wireless Integrated MicroSystems (WIMS ERC), University of Michigan, where he developed MEMS-based gas chromatography columns for environmental monitoring applications. He was the recipient of the 2nd place DAC/ISSCC Student Design Contest Award at the 40th Design Automation Conference, 2003. He joined the faculty of Virginia Tech in August 2005, where he is currently an associate professor in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He is also a core faculty member of Virginia Tech-Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences. He established the VT MEMS Laboratory in 2005 and has focused his research on environmental and biomedical applications of MEMS. Dr. Agah received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2008 for his research on micro gas chromatography, the Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering Outstanding New Assistant Professor Award in 2009, the Graduate School's Outstanding Dissertation Advisor Award in 2010, and the College of Engineering's Faculty Fellow Award in 2011. He is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), as well as its Electron Devices and its Solid-State Circuits Societies.

Application-oriented presentations will be delivered by scientists from Agilent and Georgia Tech with hands-on sessions using Agilent’s new 7500 atomic force microscope.

Agenda

• 10:00AM  Registraion
• 10:30AM  Introduction
• 10:35AM  Parallelization of Thermochemical Nanolithography with Xi Lu of Georgia Tech
• 11:05AM  The New 7500: Electrical Characterization of Nanoscale Materials with Gil Min of Agilent
• 11:45AM  Lunch
• 12:45PM Hands-On Sessions - Agilent 7500 AFM
• 2:00PM Wrap-Up and Comments with Bob Hirche of Agilent
• 2:00-4:00PM  Demonstration and Sample Analysis - by appointment only

RSVP
Bob Hirche
bob@icmas.com or 865-984-8058
You can make an arrangement for individual showing and possible sample analysis. This is best done by contacting Bob Hirche in advance. We will accommodate as many as we can.

We have an exciting program with two invited keynote presentations; 

Dr. George Yu, CEO and Founder of Variable Inc, Chattanooga, TN

Dr. Leonidas E. Ocolam, Physicist at Argonne National  Laboratory.

Additionally, there will be 12 oral presentations and approximately 30 poster presentations from users of the IEN shared-user laboratories. This year we will also commemorate the 10^th Anniversary of the operation of the JEOL JBX-9300FS 100kV direct write Electron Beam Lithography System at Georgia Tech with dedicated oral and poster sessions on this topic.

Registration is FREE but space is limited due to the size capacity of the Marcus Building conference room. The registration for the full-day program will include, in addition to the research presentations, a poster session, continental breakfast, and a boxed lunch. Registrations will be processed on a "first-come-first-serve" basis, so please  register as soon as possible to secure your space.

Register for the program at this link

SEMICON West is the flagship annual event for the global microelectronics industry. It is the premier event for the display of new products and technologies for microelectronics design and manufacturing, featuring technologies from across the microelectronics supply chain, from electronic design automation, to device fabrication (wafer processing), to final manufacturing (assembly, packaging, and test).  SEMICON West is also showcase for emerging markets and technologies born from the microelectronics industry, including micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), photovoltaics (PV), flexible electronics and displays, nano-electronics, solid state lighting (LEDs), and related technologies.

SEMICON West features more than 30 hours of technical and business programs covering the latest in advanced materials, to cutting-edge developments in transistor architecture, to the topics, trends, and ideas moving microelectronics design and manufacturing. Focus areas for 2014 include, new device architectures; advanced microelectronics materials; metrology and measurement; components and sub-systems; advanced packaging; semiconductor testing; MEMS; and silicon photonics.

For more information, follow this link to the SEMICON website.

Abstract: Ushio’s Projection Mask Aligner UX-44101, engineered for the manufacturing of MEMS devices, is available for use by faculty and  students users at the Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology. The lithographic tool was installed in the Packaging Research Center’s laboratory last year, and will be available until May of 2015.

The UX-44101 has a minimum exposure area of 100 mm diameter, with the maximum capability to visualize the entire area of a 4” wafer with one exposure. Within the 80 mm x 60mm area range, 2µm L/S of resolution is achievable using samples prepared with a thin photoresist. The depth of focus for the UX-44101 is +/- 10 µm. The UX-44101’s large depth of focus is highly useful for 3D MEMS structure visualization and device manipulation.

The UX-44101 has a dedicated operator in the Packaging Research Center laboratory who will operate the tool for users who have had no prior instruction in the use of mask aligners or characterization tools.

Bio:  Ryuta Furuya received B.S. and M.S. degree of Physics from University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan in 2010 and 2012 respectively. He joined USHIO.Inc at 2012 as a research engineer. He is currently working at Georgia Institute of Technology  3-D Packaging Research Center (GT-PRC). His recent research is development of panel base process for 2.5-D glass/organic interposer. His current interests include projection lithography optics and MEMS packaging.

This short course will cover essential micro-fabrication techniques including, photolithography, thin film deposition, etching, packaging, and characterization. Attendees will gain valuable experience by fabricating simple devices in one of the most advanced uni­versity cleanrooms in North America

Target Audience

Attendance is open to the general technical community and is not limited to current Georgia Tech students or IEN users. Anyone who expects to become an IEN cleanroom user in 2015 is strongly encouraged to attend this course. The course is suitable for both new and experienced researchers interested in micro-fabrication techniques and applications.

A course emphasis will be placed on IEN cleanroom resources, however, the concepts and techniques discussed are applicable to a broad array of research in this field.

Rates:

Georgia Tech Rate: $200
Academic and Government Rate: $400
Industry Rate: $1200

Registration:

Due to the nature of the lab portion of the course, registration has a maximum of 30 participants. Your registration is not guaranteed until full payment is received. If the course is charged to an IEN Cleanroom account, we will notify the PI or accounts representative. Credit cards are the only payment option for people outside Georgia Tech. Once you submit your registration, follow the appropriate links in your confirmation email. A waiting list of overflow registrants will be maintained in case of cancellations.

** Registration is NOT complete until you have received a link to pay for your attendance through Georgia Tech's secure payment gateway. You will receive this link via email after completing the initial registration process.

Registration and full payment MUST be completed online by May the 29th, 2015: NO EXCEPTIONS. No one will be allowed to register or pay on-site.** 

Register for the Microfabrication

Workshop Here!!

Abstract: Self-assembly of micro- and nano-scale materials to form well-ordered structures promises new opportunities for developing miniaturized electronic, optoelectronic, and magnetic devices. In this regard, several elegant methods based upon self-assembly have emerged, for example, self-directed self-assembly and electrostatic self-assembly. Dynamic self-assembly of nonvolatile solutes via irreversible solvent evaporation has been recognized as an extremely simple route to intriguing structures. However, these dissipative structures are often randomly organized. In this presentation, I will show two simple yet robust techniques based on very familiar “coffee ring” phenomena to produce a large variety of intriguing structures (e.g., concentric rings, fingers, spokes, squares, triangular contour lines, ellipses, etc.) consisting of polymers or nanocrystals (NCs) with unprecedented regularity by allowing a drop of polymer or NC solution to evaporate in curve-on-flat geometries and two-parallel-plate geometry, respectively. These techniques, which dispense with the need for lithography and external fields, are fast and cost-effective. As such, they represent powerful strategies for creating highly structured, multifunctional materials and devices.

Biography: Dr. Zhiqun Lin is a Professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech. He received his BS degree in Chemistry from Xiamen University in 1995, MS degree in Macromolecular Science from Fudan University in 1998, and PhD degree in Polymer Science and Engineering from University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 2002. He was a postdoctoral associate at UIUC. He joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Iowa State University in 2004 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2010. He moved to Georgia Tech in 2011. His research interests include polymer-based nanocomposites, block copolymers, polymer blends, conjugated polymers, quantum dots (rods, tetrapods and wires), functional nanocrystals (metallic, magnetic, semiconducting, ferroelectric, multiferroic, upconversion and thermoelectric) of different architectures (plain, core/shell, hollow and Janus), solar cells (organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells and dye sensitized solar cells), hierarchically structured and assembled materials, and surface and interfacial properties. He has published 165 peer reviewed journal articles, 7 book chapters, and 2 books. Currently, he serves as an Associate Editor for Journal of Materials Chemistry A, and an editorial advisory board member for Nanoscale. He is a recipient of the Frank J. Padden Jr. Award in Polymer Physics from American Physical Society, an NSF Career Award, a 3 M Non-Tenured Faculty Award, and an invited participant at the National Academy of Engineering’s 2010 US Frontiers of Engineering Symposium. He became a Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry in 2014. He was a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) fellow in 2015. More information on his research can be found at http://nanofm.mse.gatech.edu/.

This short course will cover essential micro-fabrication techniques including, photolithography, thin film deposition, etching, packaging, and characterization. Attendees will gain valuable experience by fabricating simple devices in one of the most advanced uni­versity cleanrooms in North America

Target Audience: Attendance is open to the general technical community and is not limited to current Georgia Tech students or IEN users. Anyone who expects to become an IEN cleanroom user in 2015-2016 is strongly encouraged to attend this course. The course is suitable for both new and experienced researchers interested in micro-fabrication techniques and applications.

A course emphasis will be placed on IEN cleanroom resources, however, the concepts and techniques discussed are applicable to a broad array of research in this field.

Rates: Georgia Tech Rate: $200
Academic and Government Rate: $400
Industry Rate: $800

Registration: Due to the nature of the lab portion of the course, registration has a maximum of 30 participants. Your registration is not guaranteed until full payment is received. If the course is charged to an IEN Cleanroom account, we will notify the PI or accounts representative. Credit cards are the only payment option for people outside Georgia Tech. Once you submit your registration, follow the appropriate links in your confirmation email. A waiting list of overflow registrants will be maintained in case of cancellations.

** Registration is NOT complete until you have received a link to pay for your attendance through Georgia Tech's secure payment gateway. You will receive this link via email after completing the initial registration process.

Registration and full payment MUST be completed online by October the 12th, 2015: NO EXCEPTIONS. No one will be allowed to register or pay on-site.** 

Register for the Microfabrication Workshop Here!!

Accommodations: Getting to the workshop is easy if you stay at the Georgia Tech Conference Center
Georgia Tech Hotel (attached to Global Learning Center)
800 Spring St., Atlanta, GA 30308
404.838.2100 - Reservations
404.347.9440 - Hotel Main

Hotel reservation’s hours are Monday through Friday 8am-5:30pm; Saturday 9am-3pm

Directions and Parking: Parking is not included in the cost of the course. If you are a visitor and you would like to park on campus you will need to use the pay-by-the hour visitor parking lot, located across from the Marcus Nanotechnology Building. We are also easily reached via public transportation and Georgia Tech transportation services. Information on these services, and directions to Georgia Tech and IEN, can be found here: http://www.ien.gatech.edu/contact/visit-ien-georgia-tech

Schedule Overview:

Day1: Registration, Introduction, Lectures, Group Lab Session (8:30 am - 4:30 pm)

Day2: Lectures (morning); Group Lab Session (afternoon) (8:30 am - 4:30 pm)

Day 3: Lectures (morning); Group Lab Session (afternoon) (8:30 am - 4:30 pm)

Day 4: Lectures (morning); Lunch & Farewell (afternoon) (8:30 am - 1:00 pm)

Dress Code: There is a mandatory dress code for access to the IEN clean room which must be adhered to. 

Shoes: Socks or stockings are required. Shoes must be closed-toe shoes that fully enclose the heel and the top of the foot. Additionally, the shoes must not have a high heel (over one inch) or a deep cleat that may hold mud or other dirt. Also, your shoes must be clean and dry when you enter the facility.
Not Allowed: Sandals, open weave shoes, or shoes that expose the top of the foot.    

Shirt: Your shirt must be at least a short sleeve shirt that is long enough to reach your pants (no bare midriffs) and it must not have a deep neckline.
Not Allowed: Tank tops, halter tops, and spaghetti strap tops.   

Pants: Pants must be full-length, from waist to ankle.
Not Allowed: Shorts or short pants, tight pants. NO skirts or dresses.

Register for the Microfabrication Workshop Here!!

Panelists: Charlie Suh, John Pham, Hang Chen, and Mikkel Thomas 

• What are the new capabilities of the IEN cleanroom for your research in metallization?
• What are the projects that staff is working on?

Panelists: Tran-Vinh Nguyen, Hang Chen, Mikkel Thomas

• Fundamental principles behind photolithography processes
• Trouble shooting skills and tricks in photolithography

Panelists: John Phan, Tran-Vinh Nguyen, Hang Chen, Mikkel Thomas

• What are IEN's cleanroom plans for the upcoming year?
• What are your expectations from the IEN cleanroom staff?
• How can we make your experience as a user better at IEN?

Abstract: Microfluidics offers multiple unique and powerful tools with which to address astrobiology’s big questions, including “Is there life beyond Earth?”  One key microfluidic technology in the search for life beyond Earth is the Extraterrestrial Organic Analyzer (EOA) microcapillary electrophoresis (µCE) laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection system.  EOA, because it uses a programmable microfluidic architecture (PMA) in tandem with µCE-LIF, enables rapid, automated, and extremely sensitive analyses of organic biomarkers (down to 70 pM or sub pptr) including amines, amino acids, dipeptides, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.  The PMA, based on normally-closed or lifting-gate monolithic membrane microvalves, enables automated sample processing with complex fluidic manipulation including mixing, dilution, labeling, and transfer for analysis of multiple compound classes within minutes.  EOA technology has been proposed for Mars rover missions and Enceladus fly-by missions.  Recent work in our group has looked at hardening the technology for a 50,000 g 5 km/s impact mission for Europa.  This requires the entire optical subsystem be assembled with sub-micron precision and permanently welded as a single monolithic stack.  It also requires that we transition from pneumatically-actuated microvalves to hydraulic valves with incompressible fluids.  This talk will present an overview of EOA, with detailed descriptions of the microfluidics that makes this technology possible.

This work was performed in collaboration with the Stockton Research Group at Georgia Tech (Z. A. Duca, T. P. Cantrell, G. Tan, M. H. Dorn, M. A. Van Enige, and M. Cato), P. Putnam of Sierra Lobo, J. Kim of Texas Tech, and R. A. Mathies of UC Berkeley.

Bio: Amanda Stockton is an Assistant Professor in Chemistry and Biochemistry at Georgia Tech.  Prior to this appointment, she worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology.  Her PhD work was with Richard Mathies at UC Berkeley after she earned a Master’s degree in chemistry from Brown University and Bachelor’s degrees in aerospace engineering and chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Stockton group’s research focuses on the development of ultra-highly sensitive analytical methods and portable equipment using microfabricated capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection (µCE-LIF) and other microfluidic technologies. Dr. Stockton has extensive experience in the use of µCE-LIF to detect very low levels (sub-pptr) of organic molecules in astrobiologically relevant samples, including samples from the Murchison meteorite, Atacama Desert, Saline Valley, Rio Tinto, etc… Her work also includes a significant field-work component, including field expeditions to map lava tube caves in the Mojave Desert and repeated expeditions to volcanic regions of Iceland as a Martian analogue.

Professor Dennis Hess Ph.D., School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
The Georgia Institute of Technology

Abstract: Fabrication of devices and structures for integrated circuits, sensors, photonics, and MEMS/NEMS requires layers of patterned thin films. For nearly all film materials, patterns are generated by lithographic processes, followed by plasma etching. Plasmas or glow discharges are ionized gases that contain electrons, ions, neutral species and photons that promote chemical reactions and ensure that anisotropic etch profiles can be obtained. This tutorial will discuss the fundamental physics and chemistry of plasmas, plasma reactor configurations, unique properties of plasmas that allow thin film processing for a variety of applications, and approaches to control etch rates, profiles, and etch selectivity.

Bio: Dennis W. Hess is the Thomas C. DeLoach Jr., Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research interests include thin films, surfaces, and interfaces, especially as applied to microelectronics and polymer processing. He received a B.S. in Chemistry from Albright College, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Physical Chemistry from Lehigh University. He was a Member of the Research Staff and Supervisor of Process Development at Fairchild Semiconductor from 1973 to 1977. From 1977 to 1991 he was a faculty member in the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of California, Berkeley, where he also served as Assistant Dean, College of Chemistry (1982-1987) and Vice Chair, ChE Department (1988-1991). From 1991-1996, he served as Chair of the Chemical Engineering Department at Lehigh University. He joined the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech in 1996.

Friday March 4th, 2016 12:00pm - 3:00pm Marcus Rm. 1116
Lunch will be provided

Grand Opening Schedule

• 12:00pm - 12:30pm: Introduction to the Soft Lithography Bay
•  12:30pm - 1:00pm: Fundamentals of Soft Lithography
•  1:00pm - 1:30pm: Applications of Soft Lithography
•  1:30pm - 3:00pm: Lab Tour

Soft lithography is a complementary extension of photolithography and is based on rapid prototyping using silicon or negative photoresist SU-8, and on replica molding of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) onto the SU-8 film patterned by UV lithography. Due to its unique advantages, such as low cost, compatibility with large or non-planar surfaces, bio-compatibility and more, it has found applications in many area such as micro- and nanoscale patterning, nano functional devices (OLED, optical transducer, optical waveguides), and most significantly in biological research.

RSVP to Dr. Hang Chen (hang.chen@ien.gatech.edu) or Dr. Jie Xu (jie.xu@ien.gatech.edu) for tour

• Current rate: $20/hr with no entry fee or time limitations
• IEN will offer free SU-8 photoresist to users, please contact hang.chen@ien.gatech.edu

Register for the Soft Lithography Short Course Here!!

The Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology (IEN) at Georgia Tech will offer a new short course on “Soft Lithography for Microfluidics” on April 28 & 29, 2016. This course module is designed for individuals interested in hands-on training in the fabrication of microfluidic devices using the soft lithography technique. This 2 day intensive short course will be structured to assume no prior knowledge of the technologies by the participants. The course agenda is evenly divided between laboratory hands-on sessions, including SU-8 master mold creation using photolithography and PDMS device fabrication in the IEN cleanroom, and supporting lectures.  The goal for this course is to impart a basic understanding of soft lithography for microfluidic applications as practiced in academia and industry.

Target Audience

This short course is open to off-campus researchers from academia, industry and government laboratories/organizations and is not limited to current Georgia Tech students or IEN users. Anyone who is interested in starting research in the area of microfluidics or PDMS device fabrication is invited and strongly encouraged to participate.

Rates: *rates include lunch on both days*

Georgia Tech Rate: $150
Academic and Government Rate: $300
Industry Rate: $600

Registration:

Due to the nature of the lab portion of the course, registration has a maximum of 15 participants. Your registration is not guaranteed until full payment is received. If the course is charged to an IEN Cleanroom account, we will notify the PI or accounts representative. Credit cards are the only payment option for people outside Georgia Tech. Once you submit your registration, follow the appropriate links in your confirmation email. A waiting list of overflow registrants will be maintained in case of cancellations.

** Registration is NOT complete until you have received a link to pay for your attendance through Georgia Tech's secure payment gateway. You will receive this link via email after completing the initial registration process.

Registration and full payment MUST be completed online by April the 25th, 2016: NO EXCEPTIONS. No one will be allowed to register or pay on-site.** 

Register for the Soft Lithography Short Course Here!!

June 3, 2016 | 2pm - 3pm | Marcus Nanotechnology Room 1117

Abstract: To understand how functions and characteristics of neuronal networks arise from the concerted interactions of the involved neurons, it is necessary to have methods that allow for interacting with neuronal functional subunits and ensembles - somas, axons, dendrites, single neurons, and entire networks - at high spatiotemporal resolution and in real time. Extracellular electrical recordings by means of micro-transducer arrays complement well-established patch clamp techniques and optical or optogenetic techniques.

The use of CMOS technology helps to overcome the connectivity problem of how to interface thousands of tightly-spaced electrodes, while, at the same time, it improves signal-to-noise characteristics, as signal conditioning is done on chip next to where the partially very small signals (< 10 µV) are generated. CMOS-based arrays also enable high-throughput monitoring of potentially all action potentials in a larger neuronal network (> 1000 neurons) over extended time to see developmental effects or effects of disturbances. Here, we demonstrate how CMOS high-density microelectrode arrays (HD-MEAs) featuring several thousands of transducers (> 3’000 transducers per mm²) can be used to record from or stimulate potentially any individual neuron or subcellular compartment on the CMOS chip. Future applications may include research in neural diseases and pharmacology.

Bio: Andreas Hierlemann completed his college education in chemistry at the University of Tübingen, Germany, and was awarded a Ph.D. degree in 1996. He then held Postdoctoral positions at Texas A & M University, College Station, TX, USA, in 1997, and at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, USA, in 1998. In 1999, he joined the Department of Physics, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, where he was appointed Associate Professor in June 2004. In April 2008, he became a Full Professor in the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (BSSE), ETH Zurich, Basel. His research interests include the development and application of microsensor, microfluidic, and microelectronic technologies to address questions in biology and medicine with applications in the fields of systems biology, drug testing, personalized medicine, and neuroscience. For details, see https://www.bsse.ethz.ch/bel/.

The Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology (IEN) at Georgia Tech will offer a new short course on “Soft Lithography for Microfluidics” on July 21 & 22, 2016. This course module is designed for individuals interested in hands-on training in the fabrication of microfluidic devices using the soft lithography technique. This 2 day intensive short course will be structured to assume no prior knowledge of the technologies by the participants. The course agenda is evenly divided between laboratory hands-on sessions, including SU-8 master mold creation using photolithography and PDMS device fabrication in the IEN cleanroom, and supporting lectures.  The goal for this course is to impart a basic understanding of soft lithography for microfluidic applications as practiced in academia and industry.

Target Audience:
This short course is open to off-campus researchers from academia, industry and government laboratories/organizations and is not limited to current Georgia Tech students or IEN users. Anyone who is interested in starting research in the area of microfluidics or PDMS device fabrication is invited and strongly encouraged to participate.

Register for the Soft Lithography Short Course Here!!

Rates:  *rates include lunch on both days*

Georgia Tech Rate: $150
Academic and Government Rate: $300
Industry Rate: $600

Registration:
Due to the nature of the lab portion of the course, registration has a maximum of 15 participants. Your registration is not guaranteed until full payment is received. If the course is charged to an IEN Cleanroom account, we will notify the PI or accounts representative. Credit cards are the only payment option for people outside Georgia Tech. Once you submit your registration, follow the appropriate links in your confirmation email. A waiting list of overflow registrants will be maintained in case of cancellations.

Register for the Soft Lithography Short Course Here!!

The deadline for applications is Tuesday, November 1, 2016 and you can find more information by going here: http://oie.gatech.edu/scholarships/bobby-jones. 

Students who will be graduating in December 2016 or May/August 2017 are encouraged to apply by the Tuesday, November 1, 2016 deadline.

For more information, please go to: http://oie.gatech.edu/scholarships/bobby-jones

Students who will be graduating in December 2016 or May/August 2017 are encouraged to apply by the Tuesday, November 1, 2016 deadline.

For more information, please go to: http://oie.gatech.edu/scholarships/bobby-jones

• Understanding DSC and TGA
• Experimental Design
• Calibration
• Optimization of Experimental Conditions
• Interpretation of Undesirable Events
• Applications

The timed agenda for this training event is:

• 11:00am - 12:30pm ~ Q600 Simultaneous TGA/DSC (SDT), Basic Theory & Applications Training, Mark Taylor, TA Instruments
• 12:30pm - 1:00pm ~ Pizza Lunch Break (lunch provided by IEN)
• 1:00pm - 3:00pm ~ Hands-on Training

Please contact Jie Xu: jie.xu@gtri.gatech.edu to register for this lecture & training session.

IEN Industry Seminar Series:

Introduction to High-Purity Water Standards - Implications for System Design and Operation

Who Should Attend:

Scientists, researchers, lab technicians, A&E firms, facility managers and engineers who specify, procure, use, operate or maintain high-purity water systems will gain valuable information.  This seminar is intended to educate the audience about the latest state-of-the art analytical, large-scale and small-scale treatment technologies which will help those engaged in all aspects of high-purity water systems from planning to operating and maintaining.

Join Dr. Slava Libman from Air Liquide – Balazs^TM Nanoanalysis, Glen Sundstrom and Jeffrey Holland from Evoqua Water Technologies, LLC to explore water quality standards, system designs and small-scale point of use water purification encountered in nanotechnology research facilities.

Agenda:

• 9:00 AM – 9:15 AM Welcome Address & Seminar Overview, Dr. Paul Joseph – IEN Principle Research Scientist

• 9:15 AM – 9:45 AM Session 1: Water Quality Standards; ASTM, SEMI, USP, Dr. Slava Libman – Balazs Water Lab Director

• 9:45 AM – 10:30 AM Session 2: Analytical Methodology; On-Line, Off-Line, Sampling Strategies, Detection Limits, Dr. Slava Libman – Balazs Water Lab Director

• 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM Session 3: High-Purity Water System Design; Unit Operations, Philosophies, Examples, Glen Sundstrom – Evoqua UPW Process Engineer

• 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM IEN Clean Room & Lab Tour for attendees (Q/A session for “Online” participants), Ben Hollerbach – IEN Cleanroom Support Staff

• 12:00 PM – 12:10 PM Lunch Pick – Up

• 12:10 PM – 1:00 PM Session 4: High-Purity Water System Operation; Startup Considerations, Case Studies, Glen Sundstrom  – Evoqua UPW Process Engineer

• 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM Session 5: Laboratory Point of Use Water Systems; Considerations, Jeffrey Holland – Evoqua Director of Laboratory Products

• 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Networking Time

Register Here. Complimentary Lunch Provided with Registration.

Prof. Eric Freeman
College of Engineering, University of Georgia

ABSTRACT: Biologically inspired materials attempt to replicate the elegant engineering solutions observed in the natural world.  Observing that many of these solutions are multiscale hierarchical structures comprised of nature’s building block, the cell, a new class of stimuli-responsive materials is proposed based on cellular capabilities.  While fully replicating cellular functionality is well beyond the scope of any laboratory, we examine this concept through the creation of synthetic cellular membranes in complex arrangements, combining emulsions, interfacial chemistry, and digital microfluidics.  This envisioned material platform has been successfully applied towards the creation of biological sensors, actuators and energy harvesters, but there is ample room for improvement in the concept.  This presentation focuses on better understanding the underlying mechanics of the membrane networks in order to improve their stability, durability, and reliability in non-laboratory environments, promoting their adoption as novel engineering materials.  This is accomplished by investigating new methods for solidifying the networks, creating models for their behavior under mechanical constraints, and investigating non-contact methods for their manipulation.

BIO: Eric Freeman is currently an assistant professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia.  He completed his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and Material Science at the University of Pittsburgh in 2012, then worked as a postdoctoral associate in the Biomolecular Materials and Systems group at Virginia Tech for two years before joining the faculty at UGA.  He is an active member of the biologically inspired smart materials community, and combines computational and mathematical modeling with experimental validation in his interdisciplinary research.

Jean Paul Salvestrini Professor at the University of Lorraine -­‐ France
Adjunct Professor at Georgia Tech
UMI 2958 Georgia Tech CNRS

The most recent and significant developments in optoelectronics and electronics are mostly related to advances in the crystal growth of semiconductor heterostructures. The outcomes of these breakthroughs have been successfully demonstrated and have yielded understanding of the subjects beyond quantum phenomena. Furthermore, they have given rise to tremendous industrial growth and replaced several conventional systems. Gallium nitride (GaN) related alloys have been recognized as among the most promising materials for optical and electronic devices in the short-wavelength region because of their wide and direct bandgaps, enabling strong optical direct transition.

Research and development of GaN has reached a stage where several devices (e.g. LEDs, diodes) have been commercialized. Several other devices are on the verge of commercialization. After the major breakthroughs and successful commercialization of GaN based LEDs, the development of other devices based on these materials has followed an accelerated course, prime examples of which being deep UV sources and detectors, high power electronic (converters, inverters, rectifiers...), sensors and harvesting energy.

The group of A. Ougazzaden at Georgia Tech Lorraine has made impressive progress in the epitaxy of both GaN and, more recently, BN based materials and nanostructures and their alloys. Analogous and complementary to graphene, the two dimensional atomic layers of h-BN are very interesting from the perspectives of both basic science and application. Furthermore, low dimensional BN systems are biocompatible, easily functionalized, and exhibit rich, reliable and superior physical properties in comparison with carbon nanotubes

All of this could pave the way to develop new generation of photonic and electronic devices and more specifically deep UV sources and detectors, sensors, and, solar and betavoltaic cells. In this talk, I will be presenting the recent progress obtained by our group in the realization of innovative wide band gap material based devices.

Dr. Rakesh Kumar

The role of polymers in the electronics and medical arenas, particularly in miniaturized devices and electronic components, continues to grow rapidly. As the number of medical devices and electronics are growing to enhance human life, the challenges to make them safe, effective, and to find protection solutions for components are also increasing. For a number of years, conformal coatings have offered a level of protection to components, but many simply do not offer the level that is required for today and tomorrow's complex technologies.

This presentation will provide an overview of recent advances in Parylene technologies, including microRESIST® Antimicrobial Parylene Technology, and will discuss how currently available Parylenes differentiate themselves from other available conformal coating and polymeric materials. This presentation will address the latest advances in adhesion technologies and Parylene's role in nano- and micro- technologies. Examples of applications that have benefited from the properties of Parylene include circuit card assemblies, MEMS, LEDs, sensors, lab-on- a-chip devices, pacemakers, stents, electrosurgical tools, cochlear implants, neurostimulation devices and elastomers.

As applications and materials continue to evolve, Parylenes, used as conformal coatings as well as structural materials, enhance the performance and reliability of critical components and devices.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Rakesh Kumar is currently the Vice President of Technology for Specialty Coating Systems, Inc., overseeing Parylene R&D activities worldwide. With more than 27 years of extensive experience in polymeric materials, Dr. Kumar is currently involved with the application of Parylenes in the fields of medical devices, electronics, MEMS, sensors and nanotechnology. Dr. Kumar earned his doctoral degrees in Chemistry from India, and completed his post-doctorate work at the University College London, United Kingdom. He is co-author of a book and has authored several published papers and patents.

Professor Dennis Hess Ph.D., School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Georgia Institute of Technology

Abstract: Fabrication of devices and structures for integrated circuits, sensors, photonics, and MEMS/NEMS requires layers of patterned thin films. For nearly all film materials, patterns are generated by lithographic processes, followed by plasma etching. Plasmas or glow discharges are ionized gases that contain electrons, ions, neutral species and photons that promote chemical reactions and ensure that anisotropic etch profiles can be obtained. This tutorial will discuss the fundamental physics and chemistry of plasmas, plasma reactor configurations, unique properties of plasmas that allow thin film processing for a variety of applications, and approaches to control etch rates, profiles, and etch selectivity.

Biography: Dennis W. Hess is the Thomas C. DeLoach Jr., Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research interests include thin films, surfaces, and interfaces, especially as applied to microelectronics and polymer processing. He received a B.S. in Chemistry from Albright College, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Physical Chemistry from Lehigh University. He was a Member of the Research Staff and Supervisor of Process Development at Fairchild Semiconductor from 1973 to 1977. From 1977 to 1991 he was a faculty member in the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of California, Berkeley, where he also served as Assistant Dean, College of Chemistry (1982-1987) and Vice Chair, ChE Department (1988-1991). From 1991-1996, he served as Chair of the Chemical Engineering Department at Lehigh University. He joined the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech in 1996.

Genome Packing in Viruses: Sequence-Driven or Electrostatics?

For more information contact Dr. Mohan Srinivasarao (404-894-9348) at Georgia Tech or Dr. James Kindt (404-712-1817) at Emory University.

Expanding nature's toolkit: Introducing non-native functionality into biopolymers

For more information contact Dr. Laren Tolbert (404-894-4093).

Post-translational modifications in natural product biosynthesis

Lantibiotics are highly effective peptide-derived antimicrobial agents with nanomolar MICs against pathogenic bacteria. These compounds are ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified to install multiple cyclic thioethers as well as dehydro amino acids. Nisin has been used for decades in the food industry against food-borne pathogens. The compound has attracted much attention due to its novel mechanism of action including specific binding to the bacterial cell wall precursor lipid II. We succeeded in the reconstitution of the biosynthesis of nisin¹ as well as the new two-component lantibiotic haloduracin.² The X-ray structure of the nisin cyclase was solved, which surprisingly revealed structural homology to farnesyl transferase. The implications of these findings will be discussed as will re-engineering efforts of the structure of lantibiotics and investigations into their mode of action.^3,4 These studies demonstrate that the biosynthetic enzymes have very relaxed substrate specificity that has been exploited to prepare a range of compounds from lantibiotics to conotoxin and enkephalin analogs.

(1) Li, B.; Yu, J.-P. J.; Brunzelle, J. S.; Moll, G. N.; van der Donk, W. A.; Nair, S. K. Science 2006, 311, 1464-1467.
(2) McClerren, A. L.; Cooper, L. E.; Quan, C.; Thomas, P. M.; Kelleher, N. L.; van der Donk, W. A. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2006, 103, 17243-17248.
(3) Levengood, M. R.; Knerr, P. J.; Oman, T. J.; van der Donk, W. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 12024-12025.
(4) Oman, T. J.; van der Donk, W. A. ACS Chem. Biol. 2009, 4, 865-874.

For more information contact Prof. Wendy Kelly (404-385-1154).

PROGRAM

• "Epitaxial Graphene as an Electronic Material" by Dr. Walt A. de Heer, Regents’ Professor, School of Physics, Georgia Tech
• "Advances in Graphene Chemistry" by Dr. Robert C Haddon, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, and Chemical and Environtal Engineering, University of California, Riverside 
• "Synchrotron Opportunities for Surface Science in Graphene" by Dr. Amina Taleb-Ibrahimi, CNRS, Synchrotron Soleil 
•  "Graphene and Spintronics" by Dr. Albert Fert, Nobel Prize 2007 in Physics, University Paris-Sud 
•  "Carbon-based Optoelectronics" by Dr. Bernard Kippelen, Professor and Director, Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics, Georgia Tech
• "Atlanta Overview of the Graphene Programs in France and Future European Projects"  TBA

Biography

Ana Claudia Arias is an Acting Associate Professor at the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at the University of California in Berkeley. Prior to joining the University of California she was the Manager of the Printed Electronic Devices Area and a Member of Research Staff at PARC, a Xerox Company, Palo Alto, CA. She went to PARC from Plastic Logic in Cambridge, UK where she led the semiconductor group. She did her PhD on semiconducting polymer blends for photovoltaic devices at the University of Cambridge, UK. Prior to that, she received her master and bachelor degrees in Physics from the Federal University of Paraná in Curitiba, Brazil. Her research focuses on the use of solution processed materials to fabricate flexible sensors and electronic systems.

Nano@Tech provides lunch only to those that have pre-registered by noon on Wednesday, March 16. To do so, visit http://www.nrc.gatech.edu/?q=content/nanotech-rsvp.

Abstract:
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy have been combined in a single instrument capable of producing nanoscale spatial resolution IR spectra and images. This new capability enables the spectroscopic characterization of microdomain-forming polymers at levels not previously possible. Films of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyheanoate) were solution cast on ZnSe prisms, followed by melting and annealing to generate spherulites of different sizes. A tunable IR laser generating pulses of the order of 10 ns was used for excitation of the sample films. Short duration thermal waves, due to infrared absorption, were studied by monitoring the resulting excitation of the contact resonance modes of the AFM cantilever. Dramatic differences in the IR spectra are observed in the 1200-1300 cm-1 range as a function of position on a spatial scale of less than one micron. This spectral region is particularly sensitive to the polymer crystallinity, enabling the identification of crystalline and amorphous domains within a single spherulite of this copolymer.

The talk will focus on four key points:

• The nanoIR instrument enables, for the first time, the spectroscopic differentiation of local regions of molecular order in microdomain-forming copolymers at nanoscale spatial resolutions. 
• Studying biodegradable poly(hydroxyalkanoate) (PHA) copolymer, the AFM-IR technique reveals crystalline and amorphous microdomain spectra not previously seen with bulk FTIR. 
• By collecting spectra at 200-nm increments starting from a nucleation site, it is possible to gain insights into the crystallization mechanism of polymer systems. 
• Using heating via nanoscale thermal probes, the researchers locally modified the crystalline content and observed corresponding changes in nanoscale IR absorption spectra 

Speaker Bio:
Curtis A. Marcott, Ph.D, is a Senior Partner at Light Light Solutions and 2011 president of the Society of Applied Spectroscopy. He is a past member of the editorial advisory boards of Analytical Chemistry and Vibrational Spectroscopy, the A-page advisory panel of Analytical Chemistry, and the board of managers of the Coblentz Society. A former research fellow at Procter & Gamble, he served as program committee chairman for the 2009 FACSS Conference and is presently the chairman of the program committee for ICAVS 2011. 

Due to current budget restraints on campus the Nano@Tech seminar series will be providing lunch only to those who have pre-registered.

Abstract:
The ability to unambiguously identify arbitrary material under the tip of an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) has long been identified as one of the primary interests of users of probe microscopy. While the AFM has the ability to measure a range of material properties including mechanical, electrical, magnetic and thermal, the technique has lacked the robust ability to characterize and identify unknown materials. Infrared spectroscopy is a benchmark technique routinely used in a broad range of sciences to characterize and identify materials on the basis of specific vibrational resonances of chemical bonds. Several AFM probe-based techniques have been used to beat the diffraction limit of conventional IR measurements, including near field optical techniques. Other IR techniques are based on measuring the local temperature rise from spectral absorption through the use of temperature-sensing probes integrated with conventional Fourier Transform IR (FTIR) spectrometers. To our knowledge, however, none of these techniques provide readily interpretable broadband IR spectroscopy with nanoscale resolution. We have successfully integrated the capabilities of AFM with IR spectroscopy to allow chemical characterization on the micro and nanoscale. The instrument employs a technique called photothermal induced resonance (PTIR) that uses an AFM probe to measure the local thermal expansion from IR light incident upon a sample. This technique enables the ability to obtain a high quality IR spectrum at a selected point in an AFM image and/or automatically map spectra at an array of points on a sample to enable chemical mapping. In addition, local mechanical and thermal properties can be obtained from the sample. In this presentation, we will share the details of the measurement technique including application examples on polymer multilayers and blends, along with measurements on biological samples.

TBA

Biochemistry Divisional Seminar

For more information contact Prof. Loren Williams (404-894-9752).

If you planning to attend, please RSVP by Monday, January 25, 2010.

Abstract:
The fabrication of integrated nanomachinary systems can enable break-through applications in nanoelectronics, photonics, bioengineering, and drug delivery or disease treatment. Naturally occurring nanomotors are biological motor proteins powered by catalytic reactions, which converts the chemical energy into mechanical energy directly. It has been demonstrated recently that using a simple catalytic reaction and an asymmetric bimetallic nanorod, one can produce catalytic nanomotors that mimic the autonomous motions of bionanomotors. Yet, the construction of artificial nanomachines remains a major contemporary challenge due to the lack of a flexible fabrication technique that can design the desired dynamic components.

In this talk, I will discuss our current nanomotor research based on a fabrication method called dynamic shadowing growth technique, and will show some nanomotor components, systems, and their motion behaviors.

If you plan on attending this seminar, please register here.

Abstract:
I will describe some work on the modification of surfaces with phosphonic acids, that can be used to improve compatibility of nanoparticles in polymers for fabrication of capacitors, as well as modification of the work function and surface energy of transparent conducting oxides for applications in organic electronics.

I will also discuss thermochemical nanolithography (TCNL), which has the potential for patterning of materials to sub-10-nm resolution. The capability to modify the chemical properties of surfaces with nanoscale control can be beneficial in a wide range of applications. Here a heated scanning probe tip is used to activate the local chemical deprotection of amine groups at the surface of a specially designed polymer, spin-coated on a substrate. These amine groups are then converted into different functionalities using standard protocols and used for the subsequent attachment of nano-objects. We demonstrate that co-existing patterns of up to three different chemical species (amine, thiol, aldehyde, biotin) in independent and arbitrary designs can be obtained on the same surface by iteration of the writing and conversion steps. Several strategies to attach proteins and DNA to the chemical nanopatterns are demonstrated, including the co-patterning of two bioactive proteins. This chemical nanopatterning approach uses heat transport and molecular recognition rather than mass transport to chemically functionalize surfaces and then attach nano-objects. This approach is therefore unique in its high-speed (> 1mm/s with a single probe), flexibility in the substrate choice, and versatility in generating orthogonal functionalities on the same surface.

Understanding chemical reactivity with molecular force probes

Physical Chemistry Seminar Series

We design, synthesize and study medium-size molecules to understand quantitatively how reaction rates change when the motion of atoms that convert reactants into products is coupled to directional motion at larger scales, from sub-um to mm. Such multiscale coupling is ubiquitous in Nature, underlying phenomena as diverse as fragmentation of polymers that contributes to failure of mechanically loaded materials, reactions in shear flows and at evolving interfaces and operation of motor proteins. Our objectives are two-fold: (1) to extend the formalism of the transition state theory to multiscale reactions and (2) to develop a general predictive framework to guide the design of new materials that exploit such coupling.

Conventionally, multiscale reaction dynamics has been studied using macromolecules but quantitative molecular interpretations of such experiments have proven challenging. Our approach exploits the fact that restoring force quantifies both multiscale coupling and molecular strain resulting from such coupling. Restoring force develops whenever an object of any size is distorted from its optimal geometry. Unlike strain energy, the relationship between the rate of a chemical reaction and the restoring force of the strained reactant(s) is an intrinsic property of the reaction landscape and is largely independent of the size of the molecule within which the reaction occurs. This property allows the effects of multiscale coupling on localized reactions to be inferred by studying much more tractable small molecules instead of polymers. To do so, we have developed molecular architectures to vary restoring forces of diverse functional groups in <30 pN increments up to ~600 pN. By applying this technique to mechanistically distinct reactions we have succeeded in the last 2 years in validating the two key postulates of chemomechanics that have eluded experimental tests for the past 50 years: (1) the activation barrier changes linearly with restoring force up to ~500 pN and (2) its sensitivity to force is controlled by a single atomic pair whose nature is determined by the reaction mechanism. These findings mean that to predict accurately rates of localized chemical reactions in mechanically loaded polymers, shear flows and other anisotropically stressed environments one only needs to know the readily accessible transition-state geometries of the free functional group (or monomer) and the degree of multiscale coupling (e.g., forces).

Guided by these insights, we have designed molecules that fragment orthogonal to their restoring force axis and that become more stable to fragmentation in response to tensile force and demonstrated experimentally such counterintuitive responses. The availability of small simple molecules with diverse responses to tensile force and of general rules to guide the design of other such molecules opens up new opportunities for creating stress-responsive, actuating, energy-dissipating and "smart-delivery" polymers that we and others are currently pursuing.

For more information contact Prof. Mostafa El-Sayed (404-894-0292).