The Nanofabrication Laboratory is a world-class university cleanroom for research into and fabrication of micro and nanotechnology. It is managed by the Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, MC2, at Chalmers, but is an open facility for the entire university as well as external academic and commercial interests.
Cleanroom operation in its current form was started in 2001. The Laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility with 1240 m2 of cleanroom classified area with process and measurement tools providing a broad platform for the development and testing of new ideas in micro and nano technology.
The Laboratory is also a member of Myfab, the Swedish Research Infrastructure for Micro and Nano Fabrication, www.myfab.se. Myfab is supported by The Swedish Research Council, SSF, Vinnova and Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. This gives access to a larger infrastructure through the Microstructure Laboratory at Uppsala University and the Electrum Laboratory at KTH in Stockholm.
Equipment
Tool List: Pictures and specifications of our equipment
Electron Beam Lithography
Chalmers and MC2 have many years of experience and are extremely competent in the use of electron beam lithography. Chalmers is the clear leader in EBL in Scandinavia. Currently two EBL systems are in operation in the cleanroom, one JEOL JBX-9300FS and one Raith EBPG-5200, currently writing features down to 8 nm. EBL is one of the most popular processing services that the Laboratory provides to commercial and academic clients, patterning a wide variety of substrates for diverse applications.”
Thin Film Deposition
A wide variety of metal and insulating thin films can be deposited by a number of evaporation and sputter systems.
Plasma Processing
The Laboratory has a wide assortment of plasma tools for dry etching and deposition.
Thermal Processing
Chalmers has the ability to thermally process Si wafers up to 150 mm in diameter in its 4 four-stack Centrotherm E2000 furnaces capable of LPCVD, oxidation, drive-in, and annealing.
MBE of III-V materials
An EPI 930 MBE system is used in the Laboratory predominantly to grow III-V based heterostructures for microwave device applications. The following material combinations are possible: Ga, Al, In / N, P, As
Cleanroom Classes
| Lab 1 | 1 000 m² | 10–100 | 4–5 |
| Lab 2 | 240 m² | 1 000–10 000 | 6–7 |
Microwave and Photonic Processing Line
The microwave and photonic processing line consists of a complete set of process tools for the fabrication of microwave and photonic devices and components. Process tools which make up the line are either strictly limited to microwave/photonic devices, or have a limited number of approved processes which have been demonstrated to not have any adverse effects on microwave/photonic processing. The line has resulted in improved stability, quality, and yield in the complicated process flows used in wide bandgap, low-noise, photonic, and terahertz devices. These are finding use in, for example, space applications for projects run through the European Space Agency. The materials processed on this line are predominantly SiC, GaN, and InP based MMICs as well as GaAs based VCSELs.
Nano and Quantum Technology Line
The nano & quantum technology line serves to increase the Laboratory’s ability to produce state-of-the-art superconducting and quantum devices and novel nano components in higher yield. The line is anchored around Chalmers’ long history and competence within electron beam lithography. Particular focus is being laid on attaining high yield on structures smaller than 20nm. With research and development in nanotechnology booming, this process line positions Chalmers to continue to be innovative for years to come. A very broad range of applications is served by this line, from bioelectronics to single electron devices.