The NanoFab, part of
NIST’s Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology,
provides its users with state-of-the-art equipment, expert training, and a high level of flexibility. It is
able to satisfy the needs of users ranging from novice to the most advanced experts in the field. The CNST NanoFab
has successfully supported advanced research projects in polymers, biology, nanoelectromechanical systems, ceramics,
radiation physics, atomic physics, optics, and more. It also provides access to a wide variety of measurement and
characterization tools, technologies, and expertise to NIST and its partners.
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| NanoFab Equipment: The CNST’s NanoFab houses a multi-million dollar suite of state-of-the-art
nanofabrication and nanomeasurement equipment. This equipment is selected to provide our users with a high degree of flexibility
with tomorrow’s technologies . All of the tools within the CNST NanoFab are designed to accommodate a wide variety of materials and
substrate sizes from small pieces to conventional size wafers. They have been installed to facilitate upgrades and simplify modification to
accommodate rapid changes in technology. The tools and operating procedures have been selected to provide hands-on users with easy-run
operations allowing the tools to be used with minimal time investment by users ranging in experience from novice to expert. Alternatively,
the tools can be operated by one of CNST’s process engineers.
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Lithography: Tools to provide consistent and repeatable image transfers
from nanoscale to macro scale, on a variety of substrate materials and wafer sizes. Capabilities include two E-Beam lithography systems,
Nanoimprint lithography, conventional contact photolithography, i-line 5x reduction stepper lithography and laser lithography.
New Arrival: Heidelberg DWL 2000 Laser Writer Click Here for more information
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Metrology: Tools to enable researchers to inspect their samples include several microscopes,
two Atomic Force Microscopes, ellipsometry, profilometry, reflectometry, a wetting angle goniometer and film stress measurement.
New Arrival: New extended wavelength (1610 nm) automatic Spectroscopic Ellipsometer. Click Here for more information
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Furnaces/CVD: Capabilities include high temperature diffusions and rapid thermal
annealing for general and ultra clean CMOS applications. One furnace stack houses three LPCVD systems that deposit silicon nitride, low temperature oxide
and amorphous or poly silicon.
Coming soon: New high density plasma, Plasma Enhance Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) Click Here for more information
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Dry Etch: The NanoFab is equipped with a wide variety of dry etch tools including
chlorine base metal etching, deep silicon RIE (Reactive Ion Etching), several fluorine based RIE systems including cryogenic cooled etches, ion milling
and xenon fluoride etching.
New Arrival: SIMS Endpoint Detection for the Ion Mill Click Here for more information
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Metal Deposition: Tools to deposit a wide variety of pure metal films and alloys.
Capabilities include DC and RF sputter deposition, E-beam evaporation and thermal evaporation.
Coming in FY 2014: New Sputtering Cluster Tool. This two-chamber cluster system, through its cassette-to-cassette and robot wafer handling,
12 ready-to-deposit target materials and ion beam deposition technology, will afford the NanoFab a largely unattended 24/7 deposition capability
along with the densest available thin films via room temperature physical vapor deposition. It will handle from small pieces to wafers up to 200
mm in diameter, offer in-situ ion beam wafer cleaning and end-point detection. Click Here for more information
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Focused Ion Beams: The NanoFab has three focused ion beam tools capable of high resolution
nanoscale milling and ion beam deposition. These tools also contain EDS and lithographic pattern writing capability.
New Arrival: Electron BackScatter Diffraction (EBSD) added to FEI FIB Click Here for more information
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Imaging/Analysis: Imaging capabilities include an FESEM with Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS),
tabletop SEM in the cleanroom and a TEM outside the cleanroom. Of course the SEM columns on the FIB tools double as very capable SEM tools.
New Arrival: X-ray diffractometer (XRD) Click Here for more information
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Wet Chemistry: The NanoFab has several tools to provide safe chemical cleaning and
etching of various size substrates and materials. Capabilities include RCA clean baths, KOH etching, HF vapor etching, and critical point drying.
New Arrival: Automatic hot solvent spray lift-off tool Click Here for more information
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Back End Tools: Tools such as a dicing saw, wire bonder and a Chem-Mechanical Polishing (CMP) provide
some basic Back End Of Line (BEOL) capabilities.
New Arrival: Table top Flip Chip Bonder Click Here for more information
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Specialty Tools: The NanoFab also has a state-of-the-art the Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) that
has the capability depositing a single monolayer at a time of certain materials. Other specialty tools include our Parylene deposition system and the Suss SB6 Wafer Bonder tool.
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Complete Equipment Listing
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