Access to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Equipment at Cardiff

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This programme for free access to nanotechnology facilities, some of which unique in the UK, will be coordinated by the Manufacturing Engineering Centre (MEC) at Cardiff University (CU). The Centre is part of the CU Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre (CUIMRC) funded by the EPSRC, and has been a Centre of Excellence for Technology and Industrial Collaboration (CETIC) in Wales in the last six years and was a Centre for Manufacturing Excellence in Phase 1 of the DTI Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS). In 2001, the MEC initiated a Micro and Nano Manufacturing (MNM) R&D programme with a focus on advanced manufacturing research for micro and nano-systems, one of the priority areas in the UK Technology Strategy. In 2005, in recognition of its research achievements and state-of-the-art facilities in Micro and Nano Technology the Centre became one of the main nodes within the UK MNT Network with the award of a 3.5M capital grant from the DTI and Welsh Assembly Government. Currently, the MEC MNM programme includes a portfolio of two National and eight EC funded research projects with a total budget in excess of 11M. The state-of-the-art nanoscience and nanotechnology equipment that underpins the MEC MNM programme will be made available through this programme to the academic community in the UK.The R&D services offered under this programme will focus on fabrication, processing and characterisation processes which were identified to have the greatest demand in NanoEquip2007, a recently conducted survey by the EPSRC.. In particular, the following services will be made available to the UK academic community through this programme.- Zeiss XB1540 (50% spare capacity): 2D and 3D FIB nanostructuring/lithography; FIB milling with simultaneous SEM; FIB assisted material deposition; prototyping and small batch fabrication of nanodevices, NEMS and nanoelectronics; preparation of microscopy samples; preparation of specimens for atom probe analysis; preparation of TEM lamellae; advanced imaging and compositional analysis (EDX, EBSD and STEM); fabrication of 2D and 3D replication masters; failure analysis and repair of semiconductor devices; high resolution SEM with FE emitter.- Imprio 55 (60%): UV imprinting of nanostructures on 4'' and 8'' wafers; batch fabrication of planner nanodevices, e.g. FETs, sensors and optical components; development of new UV curable functional materials, e.g. organic semiconductors.- XE-100 (60%): nanolithography for fabrication of nanodevices; AFM/STM imaging for characterisation of nanostructures and nanoparticles; structure and morphology characterisation of nanomaterials.- MicroXAM-100-HR (60%): 3D profiling measurements with nanometre resolution in the vertical range; failure analysis of materials; measurements of step heights from 1 nm to 3 mm.- SA/1m (60%): fabrication of nanodevices in nickel from UV imprinted masters; fabrication of masters for thermal imprinting.- Mikrotechnik HEX03 (60%): thermal imprinting of nanostructures on organic thin sheets; batch fabrication of planar nanodevices, e.g. FETs, sensors and optical components; characterisation of new functional organic materials, e.g. organic semiconductors.- Microsystem 50 (60%): replication of nanostructures in thermoplastics; characterisation of new functional thermoplastics for serial manufacture of nanostructures/nanodevices.