The National Nanofabrication Users Network (NNUN) was established by NSF in 1994 as a partnership of advanced user facilities providing the national research and development community with access to state-of-the-art micro- and nanofabrication facilities, instrumentation, processes, and expertise. The Network is composed of a consortium of five universities: Cornell University, Stanford University, University of California at Santa Barbara, Howard University, and Pennsylvania State University. The NNUN is supported by the Directorates for Engineering (ENG ), Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), Biological Sciences (BIO), and Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE).
The NNUN's mission is to provide opportunities for the nation's scientists, engineers and educators to move innovative ideas in nano-scale science and technology to the laboratory to develop prototype structures, devices and systems. The network serves a broad and diverse engineering and scientific community in academia, industry and government, and is committed to education, training and technical outreach.
The experimental activities carried out at the NNUN facilities impact a wide range of scientific and technical fields including biology, chemistry, physics, electronics, magnetics, superconductivity, materials, MEMS, nanostructures, and optics.
The NNUN facilities are hands-on user facilities where researchers, with minimal training, can perform individual state-of-the-art projects with tools otherwise inaccessible to them. Research activities undertaken at NNUN may range in duration from a day or so, to an extended period of time. In some cases, research projects can be undertaken remotely, with NNUN personnel assisting with fabrication processes for network users.
Under new 5-year Cooperative Agreements, NNUN will continue to operate as five university nodes and will enhance the capability and infrastructure to support an increasing number of external users in traditional and in emerging new fields that are impacted by micro- and nanofabrication. The NNUN will continue to support and enhance its mission in the integration of research and education through the training of students, outreach activities and topical workshops.
The URL is www.nnun.org/ to obtain information about the National Nanofabrication Users Network. ***
