 |
Overview
The Penn State Nanofabrication facility (Nanofab) is a completely open
access national NNIN user facility containing over $32 million dollars
of state-of-the-art 6” and 8” compatible micro and nanofabrication
equipment in class 10 and 1 clean rooms. The facility is supported by
14 technical staff on the associate to Ph.D. level with
cross-disciplinary expertise in the areas of spectroscopy, biology,
chemistry, physics, optics, electrical engineering and engineering
science. The Nanofab was established to enable advanced
interdisciplinary academic and industrial research and development in
the semiconductor electronic and optoelectronic, micro and
nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), materials, biological and
pharmaceutical fields. It also has a designated NNIN focus on materials
and chemical and molecular scale technologies with unique strengths
that include surface chemistry, self-assembly, and the fabrication and
processing of novel, nontraditional materials such as porous silicon,
a-Si:H, deposited low-K and high-K dielectrics, deposited polymer films
and novel optoelectronic and piezoelectric ceramics. Operating for over
12 years, the Nanofab has an established performance record of
proactively identifying and engaging non-traditional users of
nanotechnology and of bringing nanoscience and engineering to new
disciplines. The experienced technical staff supports academic and
industrial users through comprehensive education and training on
instrument operation, process development and integration, and the
application of micro and nanofabrication techniques to device, system
and process development. The Nanofab staff teaches users to use the
facility themselves or provides remote access services to the
facility’s extensive established process base.
The Penn State Nanofabrication Facility also supports the Center for
Nanotechnology Education and Utilization (CNEU) and the nation’s
leading nanotechnology education and workforce development program,
known as the Pennsylvania NMT (Nanofabrication Manufacturing
Technology) Partnership. The NMT Partnership, which was
established in 1998, provides semester-long, hands-on undergraduate and
graduate education to students enrolled at more than 30 different
institutions across Pennsylvania. It also supports professional
development workshops for educators and industry personnel, along with
numerous outreach programs targeting pre-college school students. For
example, the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI)
organization enlisted Penn State personnel to create a nanotechnology
module for their educational outreach program “High Tech U” aimed at
reaching 33,000 high school students. Moreover, a series of
Nanotechnology Education Modules were produced in 2005, which are
intended to be used by institutions for introductory and orientation
course work. The 4 modules focus on what nanotechnology is, the impact
it has on today’s world of industrial products and services, how
nanotechnology influences multiple scientific disciplines, how current
advancements in nanotechnology will be influencing our lives in the
future, and highlights career and educational opportunities available
through the NMT Partnership. For more information on the capabilities of the Penn State Nanofabrication Facility and the CNEU, please visit our website at http://www.mri.psu.edu/facilities/NNIN/.
For information and access to the Nanofabrication Facility contact:
Prof. Theresa S. Mayer
Site Director Penn State NNIN
(814) 865-3303
Email
|
 |