[an NSF Graduated Center] MNTL Mission: To create, support, and sustain an environment to facilitate advanced research in photonics, microelectronics, biotechnology and nanotechnology for the benefit of the University community, the State of Illinois, and society as a whole. MNTL faculty and students are conducting research that advances a broad range of applications, including high-speed data communications, high-efficiency lighting, solar power, flexible electronics, biosensors for drug discovery, biomedical imaging, disease diagnostics, vaccine delivery strategies, environmental monitoring, and novel microelectronics/photonics concepts for next-generation computing architectures. Our researchers are part of an historic semiconductor legacy that began with engineering giants John Bardeen, Nick Holonyak Jr., and Chih-Tang Sah, whose groundbreaking work helped launch and advance today’s information technology revolution. They and their electrical engineering colleagues from the storied Electrical Engineering Research Lab—the precursor to the Micro & Nanotechnology Lab—set a standard of excellence that today’s faculty strive to meet.
Research Areas
MICRO & NANOELECTRONICS
The Micro and Nanoelectronics area includes the design and fabrication of 'end-of-the-roadmap' electronic devices such as two-dimensional materials for flexible electronics, GHz analog-to-digital converters for advanced wireless communication systems, and THz transistors.
OPTOELECTRONICS & NANOPHOTONICS
The Optoelectronics and Nanophotonics area is focused on the conceptualization, design, fabrication, and testing of optoelectronic devices, integrated photonics systems, components, and systems for lightwave communications, solid-state lighting, infrared imaging, video display, solar power, and optical interconnects.
M/NEMS INTEGRATED SYSTEMS
The Micro and Nanoelectromechanical M/NEMS Integrated Systems area is developing micromachining methods for a variety of materials such as silicon, compound semiconductors, silicon carbide, piezoelectric films, and polymers to enable applications in many interdisciplinary areas, including wireless communications (VHF to sub-THz frequencies), optoelectronics, imaging, and biomedical engineering.
NANOMEDICINE & BIONANOTECHNOLOGY
The Nanomedicine and Bionanotechnology area uses the various technologies developed in materials, nanofabrication, devices, and M/NEMS to study and solve biological and medical problems. High sensitivity disease diagnostics using optical/electronic “chips”; development of new tools for understanding the function of cancer cells, stem cells and neurons; photonic crystals for label-free biological detection; integrated biochips for label-free electrical detection of DNA and proteins; semiconductor quantum dot nanoparticles for quantitative biomedical imaging; engineered systems built with live cells; and integration of biosensing with mobile communications platforms are examples of research activities being carried out.
Facilities & Resources
MNTL is one of the country's largest and most sophisticated university facilities for conducting photonics, microelectronics, biotechnology, and nanotechnology research. Our 15 class 100 and 1000 cleanrooms, 46 general purpose labs, and 2,500 square foot biosafety level-2 bionanotechnology complex contain all the tools researchers need to conduct their work. A user facility, MNTL is a crown jewel of the University of Illinois College of Engineering. MNTL is the place where campus researchers and visiting scientists come to design, build, and test innovative nanoscale technologies with feature sizes that span the range of atoms to entire systems. DEVICE CHARACTERIZATION LABS Located in room 1371, the Device Characterization Lab offers a variety of ultra-high-speed optical and electrical measurement and test equipment that is accessible to all MNTL users. Accent HL5500PC Hall Effect Measurement System Renishaw Raman/PL Micro-spectroscopy System Room Temperature Probe Station Kulicke & Soffa 4524AD Ball Bonder MDC802 Mercury probe Metricon Model 2010/M Prism Coupler Agilent 4155B Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer MNTL CLEANROOM LABS The cleanroom facilities within the Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory are comprised of fifteen separate 500-square-foot laboratories. Seven of the labs are class 100. Eight are class 1000. Being designed to have less than ten microinches of floor vibration insures optimum performance from sensitive processes e.g. electron-beam lithography and SEM imaging. Being the first university laboratory to conform to the "H6" semiconductor fire and safety codes allows us to offer a safe world-class multi-user environment. In addition to smoke and heat sensors, an IST hydrogen detection system monitors the complete facility, while a DOD ChemLogic continuous gas monitor provides coverage in the materials growth labs. Safety systems are continuously monitored by the University Campus Safety group. Local fire departments are updated on specific new hazards or changes in laboratory operating procedures. The MNTL professional engineering staff provides maintenance, repair, training and “best practices” to enhance resident and guest researchers laboratory experience. Lithography - EVG Mask Aligner - JEOL JBX-6000FS Electron Beam Lithography System - Karl Suss MJB3 Contact Mask Aligners - Fusion Deep-UV Photostabilizer - Olympus, Nikon Inspection Microscopes - Olympus Inspection Microscope w/Video Camera & Monitor - Wet Bench w/Digital Hotplates - Bake Ovens - Headway Spinner Scanning Electron Microscopy - Hitachi S-4800 Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope Etching - Idonus HF Vapor Etch System - Oxford Instruments Chlorine base ICP RIE - Oxford Instruments Freon ICP RIE - PlasmaTherm SLR-770 Inductively Coupled Plasma Reactive Ion Etcher - PlasmaLab Freon/O2 Reactive Ion Etch (RIE) System - Planar Plasma Etch System (Descum/Ash) - STS Advanced Silicon Etcher - XACTIX XeF2 etching system Evaporation / Sputtering Deposition - CHA SEC-600 E-Beam/Thermal Evaporator - Cooke E-Beam/Thermal Evaporator - Cooke Dual-Gun Sputter System - Denton Optical Coater - Lesker Sputter System - SPI Au Sputter Coater for SEM Sample Prep Chemical Vapor Deposition - Atomate Carbon Nanotube CVD Growth System - Cambridge NanoTech Atomic Layer Deposition System - CVD / Firstnano Low-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition System - PlasmaLab Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition System - SCS Parylene Deposition System - STS Mixed-Frequency Nitride PECVD System - Trion Minilock-Orion PECVD E-Beam Chemistry - Headway Spinner - CEE Digital Hotplates - Bake Ovens - Solvent Hood General Chemistry - Wet Benches (east) - Wet Benches (west) - Nikon Inspection Microscope w/Video Camera Diffusion/Oxidation/Anneal - Lindberg/Tempress Model 8500 Dual-Stack Diffusion/Oxidation Furnaces - Jipelec Rapid Thermal Processor (RTP) - AG Rapid Thermal Processor (RTP) - Verteq Wafer Rinser/Dryer Other - Disco DAD-6TM Wafer Dicing Saw CLEANROOM LABS: CRYSTAL GROWTH CAPABILITIES Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) Chemical Beam Epitaxy (CBE) Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) CLEAN ROOM LABS: SEMICONDUCTOR FABRICATION TOOLS E-beam & optical lithography Plasma-enhanced deposition of oxides and nitrides Sputter deposition Thermal and electron-beam metallization Reactive ion etching BIONANOTECH LABS A shared user facility at MNTL, the BioNanotechnology Laboratory (BNL) provides engineering researchers 24/7 access to a Biosafety Level 2 facility with all the tools to conduct research experiments at the interface of biology and micro and nanotechnology. The facility is also suitable for research with infectious agents or biological research classified at BSL2. Cell Culture Facility - Multiple BioSafety cabinets - NAPCO series 8000 WJ CO2 incubator - Thermo Scientific Heracell VIOS CO2 Incubators - CO2 Incubators Eppendorf New Brunswick S41i Incubator Shaker with 5% CO2 - Water bath - Eppendorf centrifuge 5810R (temperature control) - Guava Technologies EasyCyte Plus Flow Cytometer Microscope - Olympus BX51 Upright Fluorescence - Olympus IX81 Inverted Fluroscoence Microscope for live cell imaging - Zeiss Primovert Cell Culture Microscope - Leica Fluorescence Microscope Instrumentation - Beckman Coulter DelsaMax light scattering analyser for Particle sizing and Zeta potential measurement - Nanodrop Absorption Spectroscopy - GeSIM Nano-Plotter for printing protein/DNA/RNA microarray- noncontact mode micro dispensing system Lithography - Specialty Coating System Spin Coater - Pico Diener Oxygen Plasma System - Stereolithographic 3D printer - Karl Suss MJB3 Mask Aligner Electrical Measurement System - Impedance/capacitance/resistance measurement system - Agilent 4284A 20 - 1M Hz Precision LCR meter - Agilent 34970A Data Acquisition/Switch Unit - Micromanipulators - The micromanipulator co., model 450/550 device I-V characteristic measurement system - Ultra low distortion function generator Stanford research systems, model DS360 - DSP lock-in amplifier, Stanford research systems, model SR850 Genomic - Eppendorf Realplex 4S Real-time PCR system - Applied Biosystems™ QuantStudio™ 3 Real-Time PCR System, 96-well - Labnet Gel XL Ultra V-2, Labnet international Inc, gel electrophoresis system - Visi-Blue trans illuminator, UVP, gel documentation system - BioTek Synergy HT Fluorescent Microplate Reader - Biorad Gel Documenta - Gel electrophoresis General Purpose Equipment - Eppendorf 5415D Centrifuge - Eppendorf 5415R Centrifuge - Eppendorf 5810R Centrifuge - Fisher Scientific Isotemp202 Heater Ultrasonic Bath - Labconco Freeze Dryer/Lypholizer system - Labconco Dishwasher - MilliQ Advantage Water Purification System - Labconco Conrolled Atmosphere Glove Box - Rotator, Vortex Mixers - Thermo Electron Orion 3 Star pH Meter, Digital Balances - Revco -80C Freezer,Thermo Scientific Touch Screen -80C Freezer - Revco 4C laboratory Refrigerator (4) - 120 L Cryogenic tank for cell line storage Safety Infrastructure - Beta Star Model N202038 Autoclave - Tuttnauer Brinkman 2340M Benchtop Autoclave - 4-foot chemical fume hoods (7) - NuAire Class 2 4-foot Biosafety Cabinet (5) - NuAire Class 2 6-foot Biosafety Cabinet - Handwashing sinks
Partner Organizations
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Abbreviation |
MNTL
|
Country |
United States
|
Region |
Americas
|
Primary Language |
English
|
Evidence of Intl Collaboration? |
|
Industry engagement required? |
Associated Funding Agencies |
Contact Name |
Xiuling Li
|
Contact Title |
Interim Director
|
Contact E-Mail |
xiuling@illinois.edu
|
Website |
|
General E-mail |
mntl@illinois.edu
|
Phone |
(217) 333-3097
|
Address |
208 North Wright Street MC 249
Urbana
IL
61801
|
[an NSF Graduated Center] MNTL Mission: To create, support, and sustain an environment to facilitate advanced research in photonics, microelectronics, biotechnology and nanotechnology for the benefit of the University community, the State of Illinois, and society as a whole. MNTL faculty and students are conducting research that advances a broad range of applications, including high-speed data communications, high-efficiency lighting, solar power, flexible electronics, biosensors for drug discovery, biomedical imaging, disease diagnostics, vaccine delivery strategies, environmental monitoring, and novel microelectronics/photonics concepts for next-generation computing architectures. Our researchers are part of an historic semiconductor legacy that began with engineering giants John Bardeen, Nick Holonyak Jr., and Chih-Tang Sah, whose groundbreaking work helped launch and advance today’s information technology revolution. They and their electrical engineering colleagues from the storied Electrical Engineering Research Lab—the precursor to the Micro & Nanotechnology Lab—set a standard of excellence that today’s faculty strive to meet.
Abbreviation |
MNTL
|
Country |
United States
|
Region |
Americas
|
Primary Language |
English
|
Evidence of Intl Collaboration? |
|
Industry engagement required? |
Associated Funding Agencies |
Contact Name |
Xiuling Li
|
Contact Title |
Interim Director
|
Contact E-Mail |
xiuling@illinois.edu
|
Website |
|
General E-mail |
mntl@illinois.edu
|
Phone |
(217) 333-3097
|
Address |
208 North Wright Street MC 249
Urbana
IL
61801
|
Research Areas
MICRO & NANOELECTRONICS
The Micro and Nanoelectronics area includes the design and fabrication of 'end-of-the-roadmap' electronic devices such as two-dimensional materials for flexible electronics, GHz analog-to-digital converters for advanced wireless communication systems, and THz transistors.
OPTOELECTRONICS & NANOPHOTONICS
The Optoelectronics and Nanophotonics area is focused on the conceptualization, design, fabrication, and testing of optoelectronic devices, integrated photonics systems, components, and systems for lightwave communications, solid-state lighting, infrared imaging, video display, solar power, and optical interconnects.
M/NEMS INTEGRATED SYSTEMS
The Micro and Nanoelectromechanical M/NEMS Integrated Systems area is developing micromachining methods for a variety of materials such as silicon, compound semiconductors, silicon carbide, piezoelectric films, and polymers to enable applications in many interdisciplinary areas, including wireless communications (VHF to sub-THz frequencies), optoelectronics, imaging, and biomedical engineering.
NANOMEDICINE & BIONANOTECHNOLOGY
The Nanomedicine and Bionanotechnology area uses the various technologies developed in materials, nanofabrication, devices, and M/NEMS to study and solve biological and medical problems. High sensitivity disease diagnostics using optical/electronic “chips”; development of new tools for understanding the function of cancer cells, stem cells and neurons; photonic crystals for label-free biological detection; integrated biochips for label-free electrical detection of DNA and proteins; semiconductor quantum dot nanoparticles for quantitative biomedical imaging; engineered systems built with live cells; and integration of biosensing with mobile communications platforms are examples of research activities being carried out.
Facilities & Resources
MNTL is one of the country's largest and most sophisticated university facilities for conducting photonics, microelectronics, biotechnology, and nanotechnology research. Our 15 class 100 and 1000 cleanrooms, 46 general purpose labs, and 2,500 square foot biosafety level-2 bionanotechnology complex contain all the tools researchers need to conduct their work. A user facility, MNTL is a crown jewel of the University of Illinois College of Engineering. MNTL is the place where campus researchers and visiting scientists come to design, build, and test innovative nanoscale technologies with feature sizes that span the range of atoms to entire systems. DEVICE CHARACTERIZATION LABS Located in room 1371, the Device Characterization Lab offers a variety of ultra-high-speed optical and electrical measurement and test equipment that is accessible to all MNTL users. Accent HL5500PC Hall Effect Measurement System Renishaw Raman/PL Micro-spectroscopy System Room Temperature Probe Station Kulicke & Soffa 4524AD Ball Bonder MDC802 Mercury probe Metricon Model 2010/M Prism Coupler Agilent 4155B Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer MNTL CLEANROOM LABS The cleanroom facilities within the Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory are comprised of fifteen separate 500-square-foot laboratories. Seven of the labs are class 100. Eight are class 1000. Being designed to have less than ten microinches of floor vibration insures optimum performance from sensitive processes e.g. electron-beam lithography and SEM imaging. Being the first university laboratory to conform to the "H6" semiconductor fire and safety codes allows us to offer a safe world-class multi-user environment. In addition to smoke and heat sensors, an IST hydrogen detection system monitors the complete facility, while a DOD ChemLogic continuous gas monitor provides coverage in the materials growth labs. Safety systems are continuously monitored by the University Campus Safety group. Local fire departments are updated on specific new hazards or changes in laboratory operating procedures. The MNTL professional engineering staff provides maintenance, repair, training and “best practices” to enhance resident and guest researchers laboratory experience. Lithography - EVG Mask Aligner - JEOL JBX-6000FS Electron Beam Lithography System - Karl Suss MJB3 Contact Mask Aligners - Fusion Deep-UV Photostabilizer - Olympus, Nikon Inspection Microscopes - Olympus Inspection Microscope w/Video Camera & Monitor - Wet Bench w/Digital Hotplates - Bake Ovens - Headway Spinner Scanning Electron Microscopy - Hitachi S-4800 Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope Etching - Idonus HF Vapor Etch System - Oxford Instruments Chlorine base ICP RIE - Oxford Instruments Freon ICP RIE - PlasmaTherm SLR-770 Inductively Coupled Plasma Reactive Ion Etcher - PlasmaLab Freon/O2 Reactive Ion Etch (RIE) System - Planar Plasma Etch System (Descum/Ash) - STS Advanced Silicon Etcher - XACTIX XeF2 etching system Evaporation / Sputtering Deposition - CHA SEC-600 E-Beam/Thermal Evaporator - Cooke E-Beam/Thermal Evaporator - Cooke Dual-Gun Sputter System - Denton Optical Coater - Lesker Sputter System - SPI Au Sputter Coater for SEM Sample Prep Chemical Vapor Deposition - Atomate Carbon Nanotube CVD Growth System - Cambridge NanoTech Atomic Layer Deposition System - CVD / Firstnano Low-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition System - PlasmaLab Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition System - SCS Parylene Deposition System - STS Mixed-Frequency Nitride PECVD System - Trion Minilock-Orion PECVD E-Beam Chemistry - Headway Spinner - CEE Digital Hotplates - Bake Ovens - Solvent Hood General Chemistry - Wet Benches (east) - Wet Benches (west) - Nikon Inspection Microscope w/Video Camera Diffusion/Oxidation/Anneal - Lindberg/Tempress Model 8500 Dual-Stack Diffusion/Oxidation Furnaces - Jipelec Rapid Thermal Processor (RTP) - AG Rapid Thermal Processor (RTP) - Verteq Wafer Rinser/Dryer Other - Disco DAD-6TM Wafer Dicing Saw CLEANROOM LABS: CRYSTAL GROWTH CAPABILITIES Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) Chemical Beam Epitaxy (CBE) Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) CLEAN ROOM LABS: SEMICONDUCTOR FABRICATION TOOLS E-beam & optical lithography Plasma-enhanced deposition of oxides and nitrides Sputter deposition Thermal and electron-beam metallization Reactive ion etching BIONANOTECH LABS A shared user facility at MNTL, the BioNanotechnology Laboratory (BNL) provides engineering researchers 24/7 access to a Biosafety Level 2 facility with all the tools to conduct research experiments at the interface of biology and micro and nanotechnology. The facility is also suitable for research with infectious agents or biological research classified at BSL2. Cell Culture Facility - Multiple BioSafety cabinets - NAPCO series 8000 WJ CO2 incubator - Thermo Scientific Heracell VIOS CO2 Incubators - CO2 Incubators Eppendorf New Brunswick S41i Incubator Shaker with 5% CO2 - Water bath - Eppendorf centrifuge 5810R (temperature control) - Guava Technologies EasyCyte Plus Flow Cytometer Microscope - Olympus BX51 Upright Fluorescence - Olympus IX81 Inverted Fluroscoence Microscope for live cell imaging - Zeiss Primovert Cell Culture Microscope - Leica Fluorescence Microscope Instrumentation - Beckman Coulter DelsaMax light scattering analyser for Particle sizing and Zeta potential measurement - Nanodrop Absorption Spectroscopy - GeSIM Nano-Plotter for printing protein/DNA/RNA microarray- noncontact mode micro dispensing system Lithography - Specialty Coating System Spin Coater - Pico Diener Oxygen Plasma System - Stereolithographic 3D printer - Karl Suss MJB3 Mask Aligner Electrical Measurement System - Impedance/capacitance/resistance measurement system - Agilent 4284A 20 - 1M Hz Precision LCR meter - Agilent 34970A Data Acquisition/Switch Unit - Micromanipulators - The micromanipulator co., model 450/550 device I-V characteristic measurement system - Ultra low distortion function generator Stanford research systems, model DS360 - DSP lock-in amplifier, Stanford research systems, model SR850 Genomic - Eppendorf Realplex 4S Real-time PCR system - Applied Biosystems™ QuantStudio™ 3 Real-Time PCR System, 96-well - Labnet Gel XL Ultra V-2, Labnet international Inc, gel electrophoresis system - Visi-Blue trans illuminator, UVP, gel documentation system - BioTek Synergy HT Fluorescent Microplate Reader - Biorad Gel Documenta - Gel electrophoresis General Purpose Equipment - Eppendorf 5415D Centrifuge - Eppendorf 5415R Centrifuge - Eppendorf 5810R Centrifuge - Fisher Scientific Isotemp202 Heater Ultrasonic Bath - Labconco Freeze Dryer/Lypholizer system - Labconco Dishwasher - MilliQ Advantage Water Purification System - Labconco Conrolled Atmosphere Glove Box - Rotator, Vortex Mixers - Thermo Electron Orion 3 Star pH Meter, Digital Balances - Revco -80C Freezer,Thermo Scientific Touch Screen -80C Freezer - Revco 4C laboratory Refrigerator (4) - 120 L Cryogenic tank for cell line storage Safety Infrastructure - Beta Star Model N202038 Autoclave - Tuttnauer Brinkman 2340M Benchtop Autoclave - 4-foot chemical fume hoods (7) - NuAire Class 2 4-foot Biosafety Cabinet (5) - NuAire Class 2 6-foot Biosafety Cabinet - Handwashing sinks
Partner Organizations
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign