Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year. (2017-2018 to 2022-2023)

Materials with dimensions on the scale of nanometres (billionths of a metre) will ultimately be integrated into all parts of our lives. Nanoscale energy harvesting systems will collect energy from our bodies and environment; nanoscale wireless technologies will transmit this power to integrated circuits and allow them to communicate; and connected sensors and displays that we interact with will be fabricated using nanomaterials. New nanomaterials are needed to make this future a reality and if these devices are to be truly ubiquitous, they must be manufactured using inexpensive, scalable processes. Currently, it takes an incredible 10-20 years to bring new materials to market in sectors such as microelectronics, energy, and healthcare. Furthermore, many advanced materials are fabricated using high-temperature or vacuum-based processes that are not suitable for large scale manufacturing of ubiquitous electronics (e.g., the printing of flexible solar cells on plastics).

In the proposed program, Dr. Musselman will transform an existing atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP-SALD) system into an Adaptive AP-SALD system that can rapidly screen advanced materials consisting of many different atomic elements. This innovative system will be able to quickly print nanoscale films with varying atomic compositions, and simultaneously characterize the properties of the films as a function of their composition. By simultaneously synthesizing and measuring thousands of different compositions, it will be possible to quickly identify advanced materials that have desired properties. Importantly, the atmospheric nature of this technique ensures the identified materials are suitable for low-cost, industrial-scale manufacturing.

Dr. Musselman will employ nanomaterials discovered using Adaptive AP-SALD, as well as those synthesized using other scalable approaches, in prototype devices. In the first instance, he will optimize charge-transporting molybdenum oxide alloys for next-generation solar cells and LEDs. By studying the device performance as a function of the material composition and manufacturing method, the program will expand our knowledge of the fundamental operating mechanisms in these new devices and improve their efficiency.

In developing Adaptive AP-SALD, it is Dr. Musselman’s goal to accelerate advanced materials research and development in sectors of strategic importance to Canada, including clean energy conversion, microelectronics, wireless technologies, and healthcare devices. Through this specialized program, HQP will gain the necessary skills and expertise needed to build and maintain Canada’s position as a leader in advanced manufacturing. This will increase Canada’s competitiveness and establish it as a hub where the world’s innovators come to develop new nanomaterials for devices that make us safer, healthier, and happier.