Nanomanufacturing technology program created at The
University of Texas at Austin October 1, 2002
AUSTIN, Texas - A nanomanufacturing technology program to foster
educational, research and commercialization efforts in nanomanufacturing
has been started at The University of Texas at Austin's Center
for Nano- and Molecular Science and Technology (CNM).
The Nano ManTech program will focus on new methods of nanomanufacturing,
which is the process of producing novel materials and devices
from structures that are about one billionth of a meter in size.
These miniature structures potentially could be used for a variety
of high-technology applications, such as creating new medical
devices, optical devices, nanoelectronics, chemical sensors and
biosensors.
The Nano ManTech program builds on the expertise of 18 faculty
members from the CNM and their academic and business collaborators
within The University of Texas System, The University of Texas
at Dallas and The University of Texas at Arlington. Program members
are producing innovations in the creation, evaluation and large-scale
production of nanoscale products that will address various needs
in society, from the development of new energy sources to the
creation of more compact ways to store computer data. Commercialization
in the Nano ManTech program will be enhanced by collaboration
with the IC2 Institute in the McCombs School of Business.
"Nanometer scale structures have novel properties and optimal
functions due to the unprecedented control we have over nanomaterials,"
said Dr. Paul F. Barbara,
director of the CNM and the Nano ManTech program, and the Richard
J. V. Johnson -Welch Regents Chair In Chemistry. "The Nano
ManTech program is galvanizing our efforts to learn how to manufacture
nanoproducts using low cost processes that are environmentally
friendly. By drawing on the knowledge of business, scientific
and engineering experts within the program, we can spur on the
development of economical, practical ways of using nanotechnology.
"A number of companies have endorsed the Nano ManTech program
in recent weeks, including DuPont Photomasks, Inc., which provides
micro imaging solutions to the semiconductor industry. DuPont's
Dr. Franklin Kalk, a researcher who is a member of The University
of Texas at Austin's Presidential Advisory Committee for Nanoscience
and Technology, said, "Over the next several years, nanostructured
materials and their progeny must become manufacturable to enable
next generation lithography technologies for the electronics industry."
Local companies such as DuPont Photomasks are interested in having
their industrial nanoresearchers interact with academic counterparts
in the Nano ManTech program to discuss early scientific findings
and exchange ideas. Closer collaborations among researchers also
would occur through feedback sessions, internships and other avenues.
Nano ManTech program members already have reorganized into research
groups that foster their interactions with industrial counterparts.
These members have access to $8 million in advanced research equipment
purchased by the CNM during the past two years.
In the future, the Nano ManTech program will be housed in 30,000
square feet of space the university is renovating within the Experimental
Science Building. The university has committed $35 million for
the renovation. In combination, these factors are intended to
make the Nano ManTech program a national resource for advancing
nanotechnology and to establish Texas as a nanotech leader.
Among the Nano ManTech projects underway is Barbara's work to
develop tools that would allow manufacturers to evaluate the quality
of nanodevices as they are being fabricated. On the biomedical
front, Robert O. (Bill) Williams III, associate professor of pharmacy,
Keith P. Johnston, the Kenneth A. Kobe Professor of Engineering,
and associates are making nano-sized drug particles that are more
readily absorbed by the body than traditional medications. Other
projects include the work of C. Grant
Willson, the Rashid Engineering Regents Chair, S. V. Sreenivasan,
associate professor of mechanical engineering, and colleagues,
who can imprint patterns less than 20 nanometers in size on semiconducting
substrates to form integrated circuits.
For more information, contact Dr.
Paul F. Barbara, director of The University of Texas at Austin's
Center for Nano- And Molecular Science and Technology and the
Nano ManTech program, at 512-471-2053, or Barbra Rodriguez, media
relations contact at the College of Natural Sciences, 512-232-0675.
Additional information may be viewed at www.cm.utexas.edu/cnm.
