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Dr. Yong Shi along with researchers: Dr. Chang-Hwan Choi, Dr. Frank Fisher, Dr. Stefan Strauf, Dr. Eui-Hyeok Yang, Dr. Adeniyi Lawal, Dr. Hongjun Wang, Dr. Xiaojun Yu, and Dr. Daizong Li recently were awarded a National Science Foundation MRI Grant for the "Acquisition of an Inductively Coupled Plasma Etching System for Nano/Micro Device Fabrication."

The objective of the Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) etching system is to achieve uniform and highly selective anisotropic etching capabilities for research and training in fabrication of micro/nanoscale sensors, actuators and devices at Stevens Institute of Technology.

The ICP etching system will greatly augment existing micro/nano fabrication capabilities within the MicroDevices Laboratory. Current research projects directly benefiting from the requested system include:

1. Nano and micro devices for sensing, communications and medicine;
2. Single-electron carbon nanotube memory devics;
3. Nanoengineered surfaces for microfluidic and nanobioscience applications; and
4. Bottom-up prototyping of microchemical systems.

Further, the ICP Etcher will promote and foster a multidisciplinary research-intense learning environment in microsystems and nanotechnology on campus.

The ICP etcher is essential to complete the fabrication process chain for micro/nano fabrication capabilities. It's capability will greatly impact research projects in a number of multidisciplinary areas, many of which have significant broader impact, including:

• new methods for thrombus retrieval from stroke patients,
• novel memory and waveguide devices,
• biomolecular sensing, and
• nerve regeneration and wound healing.

This instrumentation grant will also support two educational initiatives underway at Stevens: a new cross-disciplinary PhD program in Nanotechnology and an NSF Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education grant, by increasing the number of students exposed to the proposed ICP Etcher and the research projects leveraging its capabilities. Research results will also be made available to K-12 students through the outreach program.