Nanomanufacturing Companies License Important NASCENT Technologies
A number of important new technologies, each patented and drawing industry interest, were developed at the Nanomanufacturing Systems Center (NASCENT), an NSF-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) based at the University of Texas at Austin.
Multiple companies have licensed or are in discussion to license NASCENT technologies as they seek to produce nanotechnologies at scale.
Already-licensed technologies include large-area roll-to-plate (R2P) and roll-to-roll (R2R) nanoimprint lithography, enabling silicon-grade precision in scalable R2P and R2R nanomanufacturing through nanoimprint lithography. Companies also have licensed adaptive algorithms that help automate complex waveforms for printing nanoscale components through commercially available printheads, using more than 1,000 nozzles in a single pass.
Industry players also have licensed equipment technologies made possible through a process called Atomically-precise Metal-assisted Chemical Etching (MacEtch), including both liquid and vapor forms. Applications include low-cost nanofabrication in conjunction with nanoimprint for advanced semiconductor integration, in front-end etching of silicon nanostructures, and in energy related production.
