Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology

NanoFab Welcome

In the NanoFab, you can use our extensive commercial, state-of-the-art tool set at economical hourly rates, and get help from a dedicated, full-time technical support staff.

• Access a comprehensive tool set, including advanced capabilities for lithography, thin-film deposition, and nanostructure characterization
• Benefit from reliable, reproducible processes maintained by a professional staff
• Make use of fabrication and characterization services provided by our expert staff
• Access the NanoFab within two weeks after submitting a simple application

 

Mercury Probe available to users

The Four Dimensions CV92A mercury probe system provides non-destructive and rapid measurement of current-voltage and capacitance-voltage curves to derive resistivity, breakdown voltage/field and film thickness of thin dielectric films without having to metallize the wafer and fabricate capacitors, as is required by traditional probe stations. The capacitor top contact (”gate”) is simply formed by a mercury contact. The accuracy of the measurements is guaranteed by the precisely defined contact area. Other parameters such as doping density profiles, trap distribution, pinhole/defect density, charge/capacitance versus time, charge versus voltage and dielectric constant can be easily derived as well. The system has a user-friendly software that offers comprehensive maps of up to 200 points per wafer.

For additional information, please contact Gerard Henein, 301-975-5645.

High Resolution EBSD Pattern Simulation software now available

The CNST has purchased a license for Bruker ESPRIT DynamicS software, which will reside on the EBSD computer of FEI FIB 2. The ESPRIT DynamicS software is designed to simulate kinematic and dynamical Kikuchi patterns for accurate EBSD materials analysis. Additional features include higher-order Laue Zone rings, pattern intensity variations due to changes in lattice parameters or chemical composition, and non-centrosymmetric crystal patterns. Image at left is a false color dynamical simulation of gallium nitride.

CNST NANOFAB EXPANDS SOFT LITHOGRAPHY LAB

The CNST NanoFab has expanded the soft lithography laboratory. This lab provides researchers with rapid access to tools and processes for fabricating devices in soft materials, with applications ranging from microfluidics and nanofluidics, to flexible electronics and optics, to devices with patterned surface chemistries.

Located in Building 216, room F102, the lab has been expanded to 50m² with the addition of a Class 10,000 cleanroom. New tools in the cleanroom include a silane vapor deposition oven and a microfluidic test station. These tools complement the existing casting station for polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coating, a plasma bonder for surface preparation, a convection oven for PDMS baking, and a laminar clean hood for final assembly and a PDMS punch for creating ports. The casting station is housed in a fume hood, which also includes a spin coater, a scale, a hot plate, and a desiccator for PDMS mixing, degassing, coating, and baking. The casting station and oven support substrates ranging from 150 mm diameter wafers down to small pieces and the plasma cleaner supports wafers as large as 75 mm in diameter.

To arrange lab access and training, or for more information, please contact Matthew Robinson, 301-975-2421.