Overview
The interdisciplinary Utah micro-and nano-scale Science and Engineering Core Laboratories support innovation, education, research, and technology transfer. The cleanroom facilities and equipment are available as a "recharge center" to researchers at Utah colleges and universities as well as to new and established companies. The teaching laboratories underpin undergraduate microfabrication curricula and train graduate students from across the UU campus.
The Colleges and University VP's combine physical and human resources to support:
Utah Microfabrication Core Lab, including deposition, photolithography, and etch equipment
Surface Analysis and nano-Imaging Core Lab, including an imaging XPS/Auger/ISS, combined with AFM, stylus profilometer, ellipsometer, optical interferometer, digital metallurgical microscope, analytical hi-res ESEM with EBSD and EDX; and microspot XRF
micro-and nano-scale Research Affiliated Labs: a government accounting approved mechanism for accessing "private" tools and instrumentation for a user fee, and channeling those funds back to offset operational, maintenance, and upgrade costs.
We have developed a system to enable PI's to obtain "preliminary data" for targeted funding solicitations by using University-sponsorship to pay for several months (as approved) of microfabrication and characterization user fees.
Research Labs
In preparation for the groundbreaking of a new, purpose-built 6,000 square foot C-1000 cleanroom as part of the new USTAR building, we train students to perform research in a ~5300 sq. ft. multi-purpose facility providing the environment necessary for micromachining and microfabrication.
The laboratories have equipment for the deposition of thin film materials (i.e., sputtering, electron beam evaporation, thermal evaporation, conformal parylene, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, low pressure chemical vapor deposition of polySi and Si-nitride); photolithography (e.g., Cr-on-glass and emulsion mask making, photoresist spinners and coaters, hot plates, ovens, mask aligners, design stations); and etch, including RIE and DRIE. The laboratory also has B & P solid state diffusion furnaces, annealing furnaces, and wet/dry oxidation furnaces. Micromachining support includes 1064nm and 248nm laser micromachining, electrodeposition, KOH etching, planarization, dicing and wirebonding. Characterization includes electrical probe stations with C/V and I/V test and characterization equipment and mechanical fatigue testing systems.
Teaching Labs
A combination of donated equipment (Fairchild Semiconductor and Micron Technology, Inc.) with new and renovated equipment provided through federal and state funds. These labs are comprised of three primary teaching spaces: Semiconductor teaching and Micromachining teaching, separated by a shared photolithography teaching lab.
The semiconductor teaching lab houses diffusion furnaces, wet and dry oxidation furnaces, wet benches and a thermal evaporator for metallization processing. Also included are characterization tools: optical inspection, ellipsometry, four-point-probe, stylus profilometry, C/V and I/V measurement in a vibration isolated probe station.
The Micromachining teaching lab houses a tube furnace, box furnace, laser patterning tool, precision polishing/planarizing tool, microscopes, a probe station, as well as wet benches for use with KOH etching and electroplating.
The shared photolithography teaching lab houses resist spin and bake stations, two contact/proximity aligners, and wet benches for develop and etch operations. An optical microscope is equipped with digital image acquisition and dimensional measurement.