Nanoscale Physics

• Nanocontacts and nanoconstrictions
• Quantum dots
• Break junctions
• Superconduction nanostructures

Electronics

• Advanced silicon device structure
• Process integration
• Microwave and mm wave devices

Optics and Optoelectronics

Nanotechnology makes possible a variety of new optical and optoelectronic structures.  These include lasers and waveguides, diffraction gratings, optical switches and modulators, photodetectors, and photonic crystals.   Materials include silicon, quartz, compound semiconductors, and plastic.  NNIN facilities has extensive experience and appropriate technologies for fabrication of optical structures.

• Gratings
• Couplers
• Waveguides
• Lasers
• Detectors
• Photonic crystals
• Semiconductor LEDs
• Organic LEDs

Materials Science

• Organic semiconductors
• Ohmic contacts
• Thin film reactions
• Diffusion barriers
• Mechanical properties of nanostructured materials
• Photoresist and ebeam resist development
• Elemental, structural, crystalline, and chemical characterization

Biology and Life Sciences

Applications of  nanotechnology to the life sciences continue to expand at a rapid rate. Nanoscale structures and devices can be used to simulate biological structures, sort or detect cells or moleculase, manipulate fluids, or control cell growth , for example.  On the other hand, the power of microelectronics and MEMS can be harnessed to fabricate specialized electrical probes for in-vivo studies. Also, surfaces can be modified by patterning or adsorption to change bioactivity, promoting cell growth, attachment, or specialization.

 

Many nanostructures for biology are fabricated in common silicon and silicon dioxide, while others use plastic and glass substrates. At other times, actual biological material must be deposited or patterned, processes which raise materials compatibility issues.   Some NNIN nodes have special facilities and staff expertise for addressing these issues.

• Integrated electronic sensors for biological applications
• Lab on a chip
• Patterned biological films via soft lithography
• Microfluidic separation of cells and molecules
• Biocompatible surfaces
• Structured surfaces
• Instrumentation

Mems and Microfluidics

Micro- and Nano- mechanical Systems make use of the full range of NNIN processing capabilities,  including advance lithography, thin film etching, and thin film deposition. Applications include both sensors and actuators, both stand alone and integrated with electronics. The material and process demands of MEMS, however, are often different than for microelectronics. Many NNIN sites have a critical mass of MEMS users and are well positioned to support this technology, however.  Mechanical structures are routinely fabricated in single crystal silicon, oxide, nitride, and polysilicon, as well as less commonly  glass, silicon carbide, metal,  and plastic. Microfluidics is a rapidly growing subfield, often bridging MEMS, biology and chemistry.   NNIN facilities provide all the necessary tools for the fabrication of mechanical devices and structures.

• Sensors
• Actuators
• Relays and Switches
• Lab on a chip

Particles and nanomaterials

• Characterization of nanophase materials
• Preparation of nanophase materials
• Preparation of nanosized particle materials
• Catalysts

Chemistry and chemical nanotechnology

• Self assembled films
• Quantum dots
• Soft lithography
• Patterned functionalized surfaces