The Stanford Site of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) at Stanford University will provide open, cost-effective access to state-of-the-art nanofabrication and nanocharacterization facilities for scientists and engineers from academia, small and large companies, and government laboratories. Stanford will open the Stanford Nano Shared Facilities (SNSF), the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility (SNF), the Mineral Analysis Facility (MAF), and the Environmental Measurement Facility (EMF) more fully to external users. Open access to these facilities will not only promote the progress of science but also accelerate the commercialization of nanotechnologies that can solve a broad array of societal problems related to energy, communication, water resources, agriculture, computing, clinical medicine, and environmental remediation. Stanford will create and assemble a comprehensive online library of just-in-time educational materials that will enable users of shared nanofacilities at Stanford and elsewhere to acquire foundational knowledge independently and expeditiously before they receive personalized training from an expert staff member. Stanford staff members will also collaborate with two minority-serving institutions (California State University Los Angeles and California State University East Bay) to provide coursework, hands-on training, and nanofacility access to their students.
The Stanford Site's shared nanofacilities will offer a comprehensive array of advanced nanofabrication and nanocharacterization tools, including resources that are not routinely available, such as an MOCVD laboratory that can deposit films of GaAs or GaN, a JEOL e-beam lithography tool that can inscribe 8-nm features on 200-mm wafers, a NanoSIMS, and a unique scanning SQUID microscope that detects magnetic fields with greater sensitivity than any other instrument. The facilities occupy ~30,000 ft2 of space, including 16,000 ft2 of cleanrooms, 6,000 ft2 of which meet stringent specifications on the control of vibration, acoustics, light, cleanliness, and electromagnetic interference. The staff members who will support external users have acquired specialized expertise in fabricating photonic crystals, lasers, photodetectors, optical MEMS, inertial sensors, optical biosensors, electronic biosensors, cantilever probles, nano-FETs, new memories, batteries, and photovoltaics. Stanford will endeavor to increase the number of users from non-traditional fields of nanoscience (e.g., life science, medicine, and earth and environmental science) by creating a targeted formal curriculum, fabricating experimental nanostructures as a service, providing seed grants, and leading seminars and webinars.
