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Facility Feature: Clean Room

by Aaron Stein

Whether producing simple metallic pads for probing exciting new nanoscale systems or structuring more complicated geometries into silicon and other materials, nanofabrication lies at the heart of much of the work at the CFN. The nanofabrication facility at the CFN is located in the extensive clean-room area at the rear of the building. Inside are three bays filled with new, state-of-the-art equipment available for use by the CFN staff, the Brookhaven community and all of our external users. The thin-film area houses physical and chemical vapor deposition systems for depositing metals, oxides and nitrides as well as plasma etch tools for removal of films. These include a deep reactive ion etcher using the Bosch process for etching of silicon up to 100 microns deep. In the lithography room users can pattern substrates with optical or nanoimprint technology. The focused ion/electron dual-beam system is the nano Swiss Army knife of the fabrication facility, featuring nanoscale patterning with electron beams and ion beams, direct beam-induced deposition of platinum wiring and high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy. A profilometer and additional microscopy provide the necessary inspection and measurement capabilities to assist in process development and sample metrology.

The CFN clean room.

We have an experienced staff to guide users and help develop the process parameters that are right for each individual project. Together, Fernando Camino, Don Elliott, John Warren and myself count several decades of fabrication experience.

The clean room is 100% operational and already has a bustle of users and scientists on the equipment every day. New proposals are welcomed and potential users should not hesitate to contact any of the clean room staff.

The major equipment in the facility includes:

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The Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) at Brookhaven National Laboratory provides state-of-the-art capabilities for the fabrication and study of nanoscale materials, with an emphasis on atomic-level tailoring to achieve desired properties and functions.The overarching scientific theme of the CFN is the development and understanding of nanoscale materials that address the Nations' challenges in energy security, consistent with the Department of Energy mission.
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