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Summary
The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST’s) Center for
Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) was founded on May 1, 2007, and remains
in development with respect to projects and staffing. It aspires to be recognized both as a
world leader in each of its research areas and as an organization providing ready access to
unexcelled nanoscale measurement and fabrication facilities. Its mission is to (1) provide
measurement methods, standards, and technology to support all phases of
nanotechnology development from discovery to production; (2) develop and maintain a
national shared-use facility, the Nanofab, with state-of-the-art nanoscale fabrication and
measurement capabilities; (3) apply a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving that
involves partnering with industry, academia, and other government agencies; (4) serve as
a hub to link the external nanotechnology community to the vast measurement expertise
that exists within NIST, including expertise in related metrology residing in other NIST
laboratories; and (5) help to educate the next generation of nanotechnologists.
The CNST has two components with complementary purposes―the research
program and the Nanofab facility. The current research program consists of leading-edge
nanoscale research directed toward exploring phenomena that may provide the basis for
future nanoscale metrology techniques. This part of the CNST is staffed by scientific
research staff with records of individual research accomplishment―although much of the
output was completed before the staff joined the CNST―supported by a large number of
postdoctoral appointees and various support staff. The Nanofab is a national shared-use
facility that aspires to provide a state-of-the-art suite of nanoscale measurement and
fabrication capabilities. It is largely a clean-room facility and is staffed accordingly. It is
expected that the Nanofab will attract users from all sectors of the economy―industry,
academia, and government―through its impressive capital equipment capabilities.
Individuals, from elsewhere at NIST and beyond, can interact with the CNST in either or
both of two ways: (1) through collaborations with the scientific research staff in the
research program, and (2) through use of the Nanofab to fabricate structures or devices.
As described to the National Research Council’s (NRC’s) Panel on Nanoscale
Science and Technology, the CNST, with a fiscal year (FY) 2008 budget of $21 million,
is currently staffed by 70 full-time equivalents (FTEs), including 45 technical staff.
Several staff hiring offers are pending. There are currently 9 staff members with the title
of Project Leader, each of whom is allocated 2 postdoctoral researchers and one sixth
each of an electrical engineer, mechanical designer/instrument specialist, computer
specialist, and secretary. Two group leaders and 2 CNST Fellows also serve as project
leaders; they, too, are supported by staff and laboratory resources. There are 10
administrative-support positions and 15 technical-support positions. The research
program is organized in three groups―Electron Physics, Nanofabrication Research, and
Energy Research. The first two groups are reasonably fully staffed, and searches are
underway to staff the third group. The operation of the Nanofab is undertaken by the
Nanofab Operations Group. Aggressive recruiting for all levels within the CNST is
continuing, and the center is working to achieve its full complement of talent.
The panel of experts appointed by the National Research Council assessed the
overall CNST accomplishments and operations for FY 2009. As requested by the Deputy
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Director of NIST, the scope of the assessment included the following criteria: (1) the
technical merit of the current laboratory programs relative to current state-of-the-art
programs worldwide; (2) the adequacy of the laboratory budget, facilities, equipment, and
human resources, as they affect the quality of the laboratory’s technical programs; and (3)
the degree to which the laboratory programs in measurement science and standards
achieve their stated objectives and desired impact.
TECHNICAL MERIT OF THE CENTER’S PROGRAMS
On the basis of its assessment of the CNST, conducted in February 2009, the
NRC’s Panel on Nanoscale Science and Technology concluded that for the selected
portion of the programs presented for review by the CNST, the staff, the projects, and the
facilities are outstanding and, in many cases, unique. The various parts of the CNST are
not uniformly mature. Some parts are very mature, with efforts that have evolved
naturally from long-standing NIST programs, while others are extremely new, in some
cases with almost no staff yet. Much of the work reviewed is scientifically outstanding;
all of the work reviewed is scientifically very good. The panel was impressed by the
breadth of scientific knowledge and the overall level of enthusiasm of the staff
encountered throughout the CNST. The projects presented are clearly focused on the
metrology mission of NIST as they seek to develop understanding that will lead to
standards and metrology at the nanoscale. Much of the research presented is directed
toward developing unique instrumentation. These efforts are first-rate. The quality of
the science done with the instrumentation is more variable. Although much of the work
reviewed is original, innovative, and among the best of its kind, some is significantly
more pedestrian. The panel is particularly concerned about plans for the new Energy
Research Group. Given the uniqueness of much of the CNST instrumentation, it is
incumbent upon CNST staff to seek out the best collaborators from around the world to
perform high-impact, game-changing experiments as programs and projects are
developed. In addition, the CNST may find it useful to benchmark itself against other
nanoscience/nanotechnology efforts around the world. An advisory committee composed
of nanoscience/nanotechnology experts might also be helpful.
The staffing of the CNST is heavily biased toward experimental work. The
relatively small theoretical effort is outstanding and has significant impact on a wide
variety of programs. The CNST would benefit from having a larger theoretical
component in its staffing mix. A greater presence of talent in the realm of theory could
act as a catalyst to bring together efforts across the CNST and beyond.
The technical merit of the reviewed work of the Electron Physics Group relative
to the state of the art is at the level of the best in the field. The group’s laboratory
facilities are state of the art and in many cases unique. The outstanding accomplishments
of the group indicate achievement of stated objectives and impact.
Many members of the CNST staff have been at NIST for a very short time. These
new hires have shown impressive results in their previous positions but have not been at
NIST long enough to have established new research directions or reputations. The panel
looks forward to evaluating their progress in future reviews. Likewise, the Nanofab
facility has not been operating for very long. The current Nanofab leadership arrived at
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the CNST only recently, and the operating mode for the facility is still developing. Some
of the efforts of the Nanofabrication Research Group are producing outstanding results
and have shown excellent success in achieving stated objectives. This rather new group
has articulated an outstanding vision and direction. The combination of creative
personnel with excellent facilities that enable them to push in new, unexpected directions
makes for an exceptional infrastructure. The panel recommends that the Nanofab be
reviewed again in about a year, when it has been operating long enough for its
performance to be judged.
The Energy Research Group is even more embryonic, with almost no staff in
place. The description of the group’s dual role in improving measurements in the energy
area and particularly in addressing nanometer-dimensional problems in energy is
insufficiently focused. The plan to focus on nanometer aspects of energy research does
not suggest disciplinary activities characteristic of a well-considered program driven by
the investigation of physical principles through good measurements. The vision for this
group requires further development if it is to occupy a unique, NIST-appropriate position
in the very crowded field at the intersection of nanoscience and energy. This vision
should be developed before the group is staffed. The next year will be critical in defining
the role of the Energy Research Group. Review of the group within the next year will be
important to ensure that it is on the right track.
The productivity of CNST staff since 2007 has been impressive, although much
of the output was completed before the staff joined the CNST. The number of
publications with CNST affiliation totals 43 for 2007-2008. In the same time period,
current CNST staff members have been authors of more than 150 publications
representing work done before they joined the CNST. So far in 2009, a total of 20
publications by CNST staff are in press, half of which have the CNST affiliation. This
high level of productivity is likely to continue, with a substantially higher proportion of
the total number of publications having a CNST affiliation as the center matures. CNST
staff and leadership have also garnered an impressive array of awards over the same time
period.
Many of the capabilities in the CNST are unique, having been developed by NIST
personnel with both the talent and the resources to develop novel instrumentation and
techniques. These unique capabilities will have their maximal impact when they are
applied to forefront scientific and technical challenges that can only be addressed through
such cutting-edge techniques. It is imperative that the CNST seek out and work with the
best collaborators from around the world in order to have the game-changing impact of
which it is capable.
The generous budget of the CNST and the “block funding” nature of its allocation
are increasingly unusual in the U.S. scientific community. This approach enables the
CNST staff to concentrate on their scientific endeavors in a way that is all too rare. The
staff recognize their enviable position and greatly appreciate the NIST and CNST
leadership for their roles in making this funding model possible. The rather
“comfortable” nature of this funding arrangement means that it is incumbent on CNST
leadership to ensure that the CNST is pursuing the best possible science consistent with
its mission. Also, the leadership must develop quality assessment tools and mechanisms
to end any less productive projects and to change scientific directions where appropriate.
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ADEQUACY OF INFRASTRUCTURE
The CNST facilities are clearly among the best in the world and in many cases are
unique. Such facilities are appropriate for the elements of the CNST mission that involve
developing the understanding and techniques for nanoscale standards and metrology.
Likewise, the staff is outstanding. The inability to hire foreign nationals as NIST
employees is, however, a significant impediment, because the United States certainly
does not have a monopoly on the best and brightest talent in nanoscience and
nanotechnology. The restrictions on access by and employment of foreign nationals are
likely to be detrimental to the CNST’s efforts to remain at the forefront of nanoscience
and nanotechnology for the long term. Although an innovative arrangement with the
University of Maryland is in place to enable foreign nationals to work at the CNST, these
individuals do not enjoy the same unfettered access to the facilities and information that
is taken for granted by staff who are U.S. citizens.
The leadership of all of the measurements and standards laboratories at NIST,
including the CNST, has impressive incentives at its disposal for recruiting top talent;
these include offering generous starting bonuses and paying off student loans. The
recruiting challenges that the CNST is experiencing at the moment are far from unique to
NIST.
There is a striking lack of diversity of the staff, from management, to project
leaders, to postdocs, to technical support. Few women or underrepresented minorities
were part of any of the groups with which the panel met, although the panel understands
that a few women have recently departed and that a female staff member will be starting
soon. The CNST must continue to work hard to attract and retain a diverse workforce
that more closely represents the available pool of talent. There is apparently more
diversity in the makeup of the recently recruited staff; the panel expects to see noticeably
different demographics during the next review.
ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES AND IMPACT
The vision presented to the panel in the overview presentation on the CNST is
clear, compelling, and consistent with the mission of NIST. During discussion, the panel
heard clearly that others generally work on future nanotechnologies (e.g., devices),
whereas NIST focuses mostly on the instruments to measure properties within the new
technologies and on current needs of industry. The efforts of individual projects are
generally aligned with the CNST vision.
Given the youth of the CNST as an organization and the recent arrival of many of
its staff, the center has made outstanding progress toward achieving its goals. It has not,
as its leadership well recognizes, fully achieved its objectives, and it continues to grow
very rapidly. The CNST should be reviewed annually for progress until the rate of
change has slowed significantly from its current rate.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
The panel offers the following recommendations:
The CNST should continue aggressively to seek out and work with the best
collaborators from around the world in order to have the game-changing
impact that is its promise. The CNST should consider benchmarking itself
against other nanoscience/nanotechnology efforts around the world. The
center should also consider forming an advisory committee composed of
nanoscience/nanotechnology experts. Such a committee would provide the
CNST with more access to current industrial technology trends, for example
in information technology.
The inability to hire foreign nationals as NIST employees is a significant
impediment that is likely to be detrimental to the CNST’s efforts to remain at
the forefront of nanoscience and nanotechnology for the long term. CNST
leadership needs to convince NIST leadership of the importance of this issue.
The CNST should work harder to attract and retain a diverse workforce that
more closely represents the available pool of talent.
The CNST should consider increasing the relative proportion of theorists and
chemists in its overall staffing.
The CNST should be reviewed annually for progress until the rate of change
has slowed significantly from its current rate. Annual reviews of the Nanofab
and the Energy Research Group are especially critical.
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