Cleanroom upgraded for unclassified research

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Equipped with state-of-the-art micro- and nano-fabrication equipment, newly upgraded, unclassified, certified ISO class 3 and class 4 cleanrooms are available at the Laboratory. Operated by the Materials Physics and Applications Division (MPA), the facility caters to research and development that calls for a clean, controlled environment.

Located in Technical Area 3, SM-40, which is in the open security environment, the facility offers easy access and a variety of tools to accommodate diverse research needs, from a mask aligner to vapor deposition to a wire bonder and, soon, systems for reactive ion etching and plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition. The facility’s flexible nature and new equipment make it useful for the Lab’s programmatic needs, including prototype device fabrication at small scales.

Key to a cleanroom’s operation is the filtration system, which recirculates air, minimizing potential contaminants that could prove detrimental during device preparation. The new class 3 cleanroom has fewer than 1,000 particles larger than 0.1 µm per cubic meter, while the two ISO class 4 rooms can have a maximum of such 10,000 particles per cubic meter. In comparison, the air we breathe may have as many as 35,000,000 particles per cubic meter that are 0.5 µm or larger. The facility is not bound to a specific certification process or designed for a particular research topic, which is especially advantageous to one-off users who want to research and develop devices.

Group Leader Andrew Dattelbaum (Materials Synthesis and Integrated Devices, MPA-11) headed the facility’s refurbishment, along with Abul Azad and Jinkyoung Yoo (Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, MPA-CINT), and Chris Romero (MPA-11), who provided equipment acquisition and installation support. Romero is point of contact for daily operations, and will help organize scheduling, training, and work execution for interested users. The Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), a DOE Office of Science User Facility, is helping support the cleanroom facility. Scientists interested in using the facility can potentially get free access to its capabilities through the CINT user program. Contact A. Azad (MPA-CINT) for more information about accessing the facility through CINT.

Laboratory Institutional Support funded the cleanroom refurbishment. Technical contact: Andrew Dattelbaum

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Caption 1

Photo. A Karl Suss MJB3 mask aligner for photolithography. This system can accommodate photomasks up to four inches and create patterns with a resolution of 500 nm.