The proposed center's goal is to develop state of the art techniques for micro and nanoscale contamination control, removal and characterization in manufacturing and fabrication processes. The center will contribute to the competitiveness of the semiconductor, information technology, pharmaceutical, imaging, aerospace and other industries affected by particulate and ionic contamination. The center will especially focus on surface cleaning of patterned, structured and flat substrates. Faculty in the center have identified mechanisms to effectively clean ionic contamination from patterned wafers.