OTHER ELECTRONICS AND
NANOTECHNOLOGY
UPDATE
May 2009
McIlvaine Company
TABLE OF CONTENTS
IBM Partners with Bulgaria on Nanotechnology Research
Bayer Begins Construction of 200-Ton Carbon Nanotube Plant in Germany
Cypress and Nitte Meenakshi Institute Plan New Lab in India
Nanotech Can Help Deliver Clean Water to the World's Poor
New Building Dedicated at SDSU
Nanoneedle from University of Illinois is Small in Size, but Huge in Applications
European-built Node 3 Starts Journey to the International Space Station
Wayne State’s Danto Engineering Development Center Jump-Starts Michigan's 'New Economy'
Saudi Arabia & Turkey Expanding Technology
Information Technology giant IBM Corp. and the Bulgarian government have announced the signing of an agreement for cooperation in the area of nanoscience. The agreement covers cooperation between IBM and the Bulgarian government and ways to encourage industry, universities and the Bulgarian Academy of Science to work together in the field of nanoscience. In a separate commercial agreement, IBM consultants will help the Bulgarian government establish a nanotechnology research facility.
The facility will make use of an IBM Blue Gene supercomputer owned by the Bulgarian State Agency for Information Technology and Communications. Due to be completed next year, the Bulgarian Nanotechnology Center will occupy nearly 500 square meters of laboratory space and will support researchers and engineers working in close collaboration with Bulgarian universities.
Once the center is created, its Bulgarian government intends to conduct applied research into: microfluidics and nanofluidics, for life science applications; nanoelectronics and nanoscale sensors and actuators for use in point-of-care, environmental and security monitoring; and nanomaterials, particularly on compound semiconductor substrates.
"We have a window of opportunity right now to transform industry to become more technology intense. This will not happen automatically, but requires dedicated effort, part of which is the current agreement with IBM," said Plamen Oresharski, finance minister for Bulgaria, in a statement.
"IBM has been a leader in nanoscale science for many years and our participation in this project will support the accelerated success of the Bulgarian Nanotechnology Center. We see this type of collaboration as an emerging model for future industry-academic partnerships," said Marcelo Lema, General Manager, IBM Central and Eastern Europe, in the same statement
Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Bayer MaterialScience AG (Leverkusen, Germany), a manufacturer of polymers and high-performance plastics, has commenced construction of a facility to produce carbon nanotubes at Chempark in Leverkusen, Germany. With a planned production capacity of 200 tons per year, the facility will be developed at an estimated investment of $30 million.
Baytubes are single- or multi-wall carbon nanotubes, consisting of hexagonal carbon rings in a tight honeycomb structure. The structure is in the form of tubes with defined diameters and may have one of more walls. Bayer produces two grades of carbon nanotubes -- Baytubes C 150 P, with a carbon purity of greater than 95%, and Baytubes C 150 HP, with greater than 99 percent of carbon purity. Baytubes C 150 P has three to 15 walls, with an average inner diameter of 4 nanometers and outer diameter of 13-16 nanometers.
Bayer produces carbon nanotubes through the catalytic chemical vapor deposition process, in which carbon-containing gas is passed through particulate catalysts at high temperatures, resulting in the growth of carbon nanotubes. The process can be used to produce single- and multi-wall carbon nanotubes of high purity and aspect ratio. For large-scale production, reactor technologies such as fluidized beds, floating catalysts and rotary kilns are employed.
In 2004, Bayer began bench-scale production of carbon nanotubes in a reactor with an inner diameter of 10 centimeters and a production capacity of 3-5 tons per year. In 2007, the firm commenced operations at a pilot plant at Laufenburg in southern Germany to produce 60 tons per year of carbon nanotubes. The pilot plant consists of two reactors, each with a capacity of 30 tons per year. The upcoming 200-ton-per-year plant at Chempark will employ the fluidized bed reactor technology. Bayer intends to commence industrial-scale production by 2011 by setting up a 3,000-ton-per-year plant based on the fluidized bed reactor technology.
In February this year, Bayer obtained regulatory approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to sell Baytubes in the U.S. The approval applies to both the C 150 P and C 150 HP grades that are manufactured at the pilot plant in Laufenburg.
Widely touted as the next major technical revolution in material sciences, the carbon nanotubes are used to produce tough, strong yet lightweight materials. The products have unique mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. With the ability to make plastics conductive, carbon nanotubes can be used to produce antistatic packaging films or plastic containers to protect computer chips and fragile integrated circuits. Battery manufacturers can use the product to modify electrodes in lithium ion batteries. In the automotive industry, addition of carbon nanotubes to plastic body parts eliminates the need to apply a conductive primer to the body part before painting, which directly translates into cost savings.
Carbon nanotubes also help to increase the resilience and stiffness, and hence the mechanical strength, of composites, resulting in more robust yet lighter components. This renders them extremely suitable for the manufacture of longer and lighter rotor blades, thereby increasing the energy efficiency of wind turbines. With the use of about 20 kilograms of Baytubes, the overall weight of rotor blades can be reduced by up to three tons. Carbon nanotubes are also used in the manufacture of lightweight transportation containers and robust sports equipment.
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Cypress Semiconductor Corp. and Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology (NMIT) of Bangalore recently have agreed to build a joint programmable system-on-chip (PSoC) laboratory in the department of Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE) ofÿNMIT.
As part of the agreement, Cypress will provide hands-on training to the faculty and students of NMIT, Bangalore, in addition to free hardware kits and software tools. NMIT, Bangalore will provide the facilities for the laboratory.
This laboratory will expose the students to the PSoC platform, a flexible family of devices with programmable analogue and digital blocks integrated with a microcontroller. With its unique architecture, PSoC provides an unrivaled learning platform for embedded design students. The lab will also be used for training the local engineering community.
A two semester course on PSoC is also being planned at NMIT. The course material will be developed by the faculty of NMIT in collaboration with Cypress. The course will include both theory and practical labs. The emphasis will be on allowing the students to use PSoC in innovative applications and in their academic projects.
"This new laboratory adds a new facet to our curriculum here at NMIT, Bangalore" said Dr. Nagaraj. "The PSoC platform provides a rich environment for our students to learn practical, real-world engineering skills which will help them immediately in their chosen careers. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Cypress."
Nanotechnology holds huge potential for supplying clean water to the world's poor, but many challenges must be overcome to realize it.
When the economist Fritz Schumacher coined the phrase "small is beautiful" more than 30 years ago, he was hoping to promote "intermediate technologies" that focus on local techniques, knowledge and materials, rather than high-tech solutions to problems facing the world's poor.
But more recently, the phrase has taken on a different meaning as scientists and engineers develop nanotechnology — processes to control matter at an atomic or molecular level — and show that this field, too, can promote sustainable development.
Nowhere is the promise of nanotechnology stronger than in water treatment. Nanofiltration techniques and nanoparticles can reduce or eliminate contaminants in water and could help deliver a key Millennium Development Goal — halving the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water by the year 2015.
The challenges are many, and not just technical. Some relate to health and safety, and the need for appropriate regulations to defend both. And some are more political, for example the need to make basic technologies both accessible to and controllable by the communities that need them most. Like any new technology, community acceptance is essential if nanotechnology is to effectively work in villages across the developing world, where water problems are often the most acute.
But there are many reasons to be optimistic that we can overcome these challenges and, by doing so, that nanotechnology can pioneer a new paradigm for applying modern technology to development needs. Its current applications show how modern science and technology can be successfully blended with concern for human and environmental health on the one hand, and a commitment to community engagement in technological innovation on the other.
They also demonstrate what can be achieved when researchers — and businesses — not only work to get their products out of developed country laboratories and into local developing world settings, but also collaborate with stakeholders in the developing world itself.
Nanotech in action
A background article provides an overview of the main issues, summarizing the hurdles the world faces to secure clean water for its poor, and how nanotechnology can help, including an overview of key initiatives underway (see 'Nanotechnology for clean water: Facts and figures').
The development of nanosponges that soak up water and trap impurities is highlighted as an example of how nanotechnology could solve water purification problems in countries like South Africa — if testing and commercializing difficulties can be overcome (see ' Nanosponges: South Africa's high hopes for clean water').
Ashok Raichur, from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India, reminds us of the challenges ahead and argues that the key lies in engineering a useable product. But this is often easier said than done and the leap to commercial applications is still a distant goal for most developing countries (see 'Nanoscale water treatment needs innovative engineering').
Malini Balakrishnan and Nidhi Srivastava from the Energy and Resources Institute in India address the potential human and environmental dangers, arguing that while these are important, regulating nanotech for clean water should be done through existing health and safety laws, rather than new legislation (see 'Nanotech for clean water: New technology, new rules?').
Two Brazilian researchers, Paulo Sergio de Paula Herrmann Jr. and José Antônio Brum illustrate how South–South collaboration is contributing to nanotech research and development in water treatment by describing a joint program between India, Brazil and South Africa (see 'Developing world advances nanotech for clean water').
Mohamed M. Abdel-Mottaleb, head of nanotechnology consultancy firm SabryCorp in Egypt, shows how research and business collaborations can help harness nanotechnology for clean water, arguing that nanotechnology offers both large and small developing world enterprises the chance to innovate, grow and "catch-up" with industrialized countries (see 'Nanotech for water can help business innovate and grow').
Finally, Thembela Hillie and Mbhuti Hlophe from South Africa emphasize the importance of strong partnerships between the scientists devising technological solutions and the local communities using them, highlighting some striking examples of how researchers in their country are making nanotechnology research relevant to local needs (see 'Community ownership is key to nanotech water projects').
One nano step at a time
When scientists first started promoting nanotechnology for development, various environmental groups issued somber warnings that, unless handled carefully, the potential health and environmental risks could create the same public backlash caused by genetically engineered crops.
Fortunately, the backlash has so far failed to materialize. One reason, perhaps, is that there are no large multinational corporations to clearly identify as villains. But another is undoubtedly that critics' warnings have sensitized governments across the world to the need to give this new technology a cautious, if warm, welcome.
As the articles in this spotlight show, many challenges remain to effectively use nanotechnology to improve water supplies. But if the challenges are large, so is the gain to be made by tackling them successfully. A few years ago, the organization that Schumacher founded, the Intermediate Technology Development Group, changed its name to Practical Action, signaling a new willingness to blend modern technology with traditional practices. In so doing, it has allowed nanotechnology, despite its origins in the research laboratories of the developed world, to sit squarely on the shoulders of "small is beautiful" campaigners.
The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH) at Texas Tech University introduced a new state-of-the-art fabric laboratory to help researchers continue creating products that can protect both military and civilian populations.
The 4000-square-foot facility, named the Nonwovens and Advanced Materials Laboratory, was unveiled April 6. The new lab’s air conditioning and humidification system, contoured needlezone needlepunching technology and thermal bonding capability will allow for faster, more focused research into nonwovens technologies.
Funding for the lab’s $1.5 million cost included $125,000 from Lubbock Economic Development Alliance and nearly $1 million from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for the machinery. Overall, nonwoven research at Texas Tech has received $2.5 million in DoD funding.
TechConnect World, in association with the Nano Science and Technology Institute (NSTI), and the Clean Technology and Sustainable Industries Organization (CTSI), was held in May. Hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of expo attendees made TechConnect World the largest Clean, Bio and Nanotech event in the nation. Dozens of new products and technologies were unveiled on the show floor.
A sampling of these include:
Clean Technology '09 News Announcements:
1. Enhanced Biofuels: is announcing and showcasing a novel, breakthrough Biodiesel conversion technology called the HS Reactor System(TM)
2. Houston Electric Cars: The makers of the Zenn, the Zap, the Sky, and the Benjy Neighborhood Electric Vehicles is displaying several of its latest models. Each vehicle can save 8 to 12 tons of carbon gas per year from being released into the atmosphere.
3. Meridian Solar: is showcasing the latest solar electric designs for residential and commercial installations
4. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): is the US Department of Energy's premier laboratory for energy efficiency and renewable energy. NREL is discussing several initiatives in solar, wind, biomass and geothermal energy.
5. Natural State Research Inc.: are presenting its recently announced formula and process for taking waste plastic and converting it into liquid fuel.
6. SmartCool Systems: is showcasing new technology that makes refrigeration and air conditioning systems more efficient.
7. And Continental Airlines' Chairman and CEO Larry Kellner discussed Continental's use of sustainable bio-fuel to power commercial aircraft.
Nanotech '09 News Announcements:
1. Angstron Materials: is announcing the development of new nano graphene platelets (NGPs), which are cost effective, high performance alternatives to carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Angstron is the first company to isolate single-layer and multi-layer graphene structures and produce nano graphene sheets in large quantities.
2. Brookhaven Instruments Corporation (BIC): is showcasing its new Automatic Continuous Online Sizing (ACOS) system for online particle sizing using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS).
3. Nanobiomatters: is demonstrating newly developed additives that are based on nanotechnology, which make plastics and bio-plastics "greener" and more cost effective.
4. NanoScape AG: is showcasing recently developed adsorbers for dehumidification systems & heat pumps; new additives for water purification membranes and selective air filters; and coatings for gas separation membranes.
5. NanoTox: is discussing recent policies, and impending regulations surrounding nanotech product safety.
6. Parabon Computation & NanoLabs: is showcasing recently developed nano-scale sensors for therapeutics, diagnostics and other molecular detection systems
7. Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies RUSNANO: CEO Anatoly Chubais discussed a number of nanotechnology projects that RUSNANO is currently working on.
8. Spectrum Labs: is announcing an expansion of its Tangential Flow Filtration Systems, which are predominantly used for developing and manufacturing biomedical products.
9. Swissnanotech: organizers of the Swiss Pavilion, which features a dozen Swiss Nanotech companies, is hosting a reception on Tuesday May 5, at 5:00pm, (in Booth 311), to discuss how IBM and ETH Zurich have created a $90M program for joint research and a new nanotech lab.
10. Vorbeck Materials: is showcasing its newest Vor-ink line of conductive inks for printed electronic applications. With sinter-free processing, Vor-ink displays exceptional conductivity and flexibility on a variety of substrates.
Almost 100 journalists attended and covered the news at TechConnect World, Clean Technology '09 and Nanotech '09 events.
Clean Technology '09 assembles the entire clean technology ecosystem - including industry, academia and government - to examine the policy issues and future measures needed to promote sustainability and accelerate the flow of energy, water and environmental technologies.
Nanotech '09, now in its 12th year, is the largest and most prominent nanotechnology event in the world, attracting thousands of nano, micro and bio technology executives, to bring nanotechnology from the laboratory to the marketplace.
The TechConnect Summit ties these events together, through presentations and networking opportunities designed to connect Fortune 500 companies with the academic and research communities. For more information on these three events, please visit: www.techconnectworld.com
South Dakota State University dedicated its new Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building, the first new instructional building on campus since 1993.
Engineering Dean Lewis Brown said the building is a significant milestone for that college, and Gov. Mike Rounds commended donors for their vision.
The building is the first project completed as part of SDSU's $175 million to $190 million comprehensive campaign and features a state-of-the-art micro- and nano-electronics cleanroom laboratory, nine classrooms, three study rooms, a study corridor and 33 offices for faculty, researchers and graduate assistants.
So far, $5.4 million has been committed to the building project with a total of $6.5 million needed to finish it. A fundraising effort is under way to raise money for the structure's second phase.
Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a membrane-penetrating nanoneedle for the targeted delivery of one or more molecules into the cytoplasm or the nucleus of living cells. In addition to ferrying tiny amounts of cargo, the nanoneedle can also be used as an electrochemical probe and as an optical biosensor.
"Nanoneedle-based delivery is a powerful new tool for studying biological processes and biophysical properties at the molecular level inside living cells," said Min-Feng Yu, a professor of mechanical science and engineering and corresponding author of a paper accepted for publication in Nano Letters, and posted on the journal's Web site.
In the paper, Yu and collaborators describe how they deliver, detect and track individual fluorescent quantum dots in a cell's cytoplasm and nucleus. The quantum dots can be used for studying molecular mechanics and physical properties inside cells.
To create a nanoneedle, the researchers begin with a rigid but resilient boron-nitride nanotube. The nanotube is then attached to one end of a glass pipette for easy handling, and coated with a thin layer of gold. Molecular cargo is then attached to the gold surface via "linker" molecules. When placed in a cell's cytoplasm or nucleus, the bonds with the linker molecules break, freeing the cargo.
With a diameter of approximately 50 nanometers, the nanoneedle introduces minimal intrusiveness in penetrating cell membranes and accessing the interiors of live cells.
The delivery process can be precisely controlled, monitored and recorded – goals that have not been achieved in prior studies.
"The nanoneedle provides a mechanism by which we can quantitatively examine biological processes occurring within a cell's nucleus or cytoplasm," said Yang Xiang, a professor of molecular and integrative physiology and a co-author of the paper. "By studying how individual proteins and molecules of DNA or RNA mobilize, we can better understand how the system functions as a whole."
The ability to deliver a small number of molecules or nanoparticles into living cells with spatial and temporal precision may make feasible numerous new strategies for biological studies at the single-molecule level, which would otherwise be technically challenging or even impossible, the researchers report.
"Combined with molecular targeting strategies using quantum dots and magnetic nanoparticles as molecular probes, the nanoneedle delivery method can potentially enable the simultaneous observation and manipulation of individual molecules," said Ning Wang, a professor of mechanical science and engineering and a co-author of the paper.
Beyond delivery, the nanoneedle-based approach can also be extended in many ways for single-cell studies, said Yu, who also is a researcher at the Center for Nanoscale Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Systems. "Nanoneedles can be used as electrochemical probes and as optical biosensors to study cellular environments, stimulate certain types of biological sequences, and examine the effect of nanoparticles on cellular physiology."
Node 3 module is under construction at Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy. Once in space, Node 3 will connect to the port side of the Unity Node and will provide room for eight refrigerator-sized racks, two of the locations being used for the avionics racks controlling Node 3. It will house many of the Station's Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS), including an air revitalization system, an oxygen generator system, a water recycling facility, a waste and hygiene compartment and a treadmill for crew exercise, which are currently stored in various places around the Station. The European-built Node 3 module for the International Space Station will be shipped to NASA's Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, on 17 May.
The Node 3 connecting module, built by prime contractor Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, is the last element of a barter agreement by which ESA supplied NASA with International Space Station (ISS) hardware, including the Cupola and two Node modules (Node 2 and 3). In return, NASA ferried the European Columbus laboratory to the ISS in February 2008.
Following the tradition to name the ISS modules, NASA has chosen to name Node 3 'Tranquility' after the Sea of Tranquility, the lunar landing site of Apollo 11 in 1969, highlighting the link between the ISS, exploration and the Moon.
Once in space, Node 3 connects to the port side of the Unity Node and provides room for eight refrigerator-sized racks, two of the locations being used for the avionics racks controlling Node 3.
Node 3 is also the home of the European-built observation post Cupola. Cupola allows for a 360 degrees view of the Station and Earth to monitor robotics operations and to observe our home planet.
Also under construction in the cleanroom at Thales Alenia Space in Turin is the Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC) for ATV Johannes Kepler, the second Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). The ATV cargo carrier, Node 2 and 3 and the European Columbus laboratory all share the same structural heritage stemming from the Italian-built Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules. Interested media will be able to visit both Node 3 and ATV ICC.
Node 3 will be transported by an Airbus Beluga aircraft to NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, on 17 May. At KSC, Thales Alenia Space will add the final touches before ownership is officially transferred to NASA at the end of September.
Space Shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to deliver Node 3 and Cupola to the ISS on flight STS-130, targeted for launch on 10 December 2009.
Wayne State University's College of Engineering announced the official opening of the Marvin I. Danto Engineering Development Center (EDC). The $28 million, 82,500-square-foot facility for traditional university research also will provide engineering services to help companies accelerate their own R&D activities. Detroit philanthropist and Wayne State College of Engineering alumnus Marvin Danto donated $3 million to augment state funds that made construction of the center possible.
According to Wayne State College of Engineering Dean Ralph Kummler, the EDC's opening is timely given that recent advances in alternative energy, nanotechnology, biotechnology, smart sensors, advanced propulsion and other "translational" research areas are emerging as potential antidotes to a faltering state economy.
"The Danto EDC represents the first interactive, academic-business model that has emerged to promote economic development in Michigan," said Kummler. "Given Wayne State's unique specialization in automotive engineering, we are confident in the EDC's ability to become a major part of Detroit's natural transition from a predominantly manufacturing-based to a new knowledge-based economy that leverages our automotive expertise into emergent sector technologies and applications."
Kummler added that the EDC is a training ground for Michigan's future engineering workforce. At the EDC, graduate and undergraduate engineering students will work directly with chemists, engineers, physicians, physicists and a broad spectrum of scientists on multidisciplinary research intended to translate into job creation and economic development.
"The center focuses our energies on high-promise industry growth sectors and gives the business community a tangible way to accelerate its current R&D activities as well as create new, high-tech companies," he said. "Through the EDC, the College of Engineering has a renewed sense of purpose as it strives to build an indigenous skilled workforce and the jobs that will support it."
Industrial research and development activity at the College of Engineering has exploded over the past decade, but space constraints limited the College's R&D potential, Kummler says. The Danto EDC will house several of Wayne State's top-ranked research programs in emergent sector technologies including:
Smart Sensors and Integrated Microsystems (SSIM) — SSIM is a leader in the research and development of biotechnology applications that include micro-systems for artificial vision, real-time cancer detection and other biological and neurological implants and smart sensors.
Advanced Propulsion Alternative Energy (APAE) — The APAE labs seek to advance research in biofuels and diesel fuels, fuel cells, emissions and vehicle wear automotive systems. The APAE lab is partnering with the College's National Biofuels Energy Lab at NextEnergy to develop the best formulation for a standard "B-20" biofuel that consists of 20 percent biomass. B-20 biofuel has been hailed as one solution for reducing America's dependence on foreign oil. NextEnergy, a state-sponsored nonprofit created to forge academic and industry partnerships in alternative energy, is headquartered at Wayne State's TechTown business incubator.
Nanotechnology — The EDC's new Nanotechnology Lab will conduct advanced research in surface science, tissue engineering, drug delivery and biomaterials.
WSU Transportation Research Group — The EDC is ground central for 25 faculty and student researchers investigating ways to reduce traffic congestion and improve traffic and pedestrian safety.
Partnership for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE) Student Teaming Center -- PACE, a consortium of industry partners and universities, supports Wayne State's College of Engineering with more than $408 million in computer-based engineering tools. The EDC's PACE Student Teaming Center is a hub for education-focused interdisciplinary research. In the EDC, students will have their own studios to design, build and test entries for engineering competitions. The current Formula SAE racecar team will soon take over this area, but it will be available for all future student design competition projects.
A sleek, modern window into the world of advanced research and technology, the three-story EDC facility features modular labs, "teaming" spaces and display areas. Architects used a large courtyard outside the College of Engineering to integrate the new building into the college's existing space, and sophisticated engineering research labs are visible to passersby on Warren Avenue. "The open windows into the Danto EDC are intended to intrigue, excite and invite the curiosity of the campus community," said Michele Grimm, associate dean of academic affairs in the College of Engineering.
The facility's design, intended to facilitate collaboration among multiple engineering disciplines, is expected to earn a "silver" certification, the second-highest rating a building can receive for sustainable energy and environmental design, from the U.S. Green Council.
"As Michigan's only urban research university, Wayne State is at the epicenter of Detroit's economic transformation," said Wayne State University President Jay Noren. "The Danto Center substantially increases our ability to help restore Michigan's reputation as a hub of research and development, train a technologically savvy workforce and make Detroit an example of renewal for America's other great cities to follow."
Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students.
New Saudi and Turkish institutions are gearing up with high-end kit, including MOCVD systems, for III-V device development and processing.
Compound semiconductor research looks set to receive a boost in the unlikely Middle Eastern locations of Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), located in Jeddah and backed to the tune of $10 billion by the Arab state's leading crude oil producer Aramco, is investing heavily in semiconductor equipment.
KAUST is still under construction, and due to open in time for the new academic year on September 5, 2009.
Meanwhile, cleanrooms at Turkey's $120 million Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology (UNAM), located at Bilkent University in Ankara, are scheduled to be “fully functional” by June.
Tony Eastham, director of laboratories at KAUST, told compoundsemiconductor.net that among the many areas of cutting-edge research under investigation at the new institution's Advanced NanoFabrication Center will be “nanoelectronics, photonics, LEDs and functional materials”.
“We are establishing leading-edge facilities,” Eastham added.
Already set up with Class 1000 (ISO Class 6) and Class 100 (ISO Class 5) cleanroom capability, and instrumentation including nanoimprint lithography and an electron-beam writer, KAUST last week ordered more high-end equipment from Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology (OIPT).
OIPT says that the order comprised “multiple plasma etch, deposition & growth systems”, including several reactive-ion-etch PlasmaLab systems, PECVD equipment, and a FlexAL tool for atomic layer deposition (ALD).
Eastham confirmed with laboratory manager Xixiang Zhang that MOCVD equipment is also set to be installed, although there are no current plans to purchase an MBE system.
At UNAM in Turkey, researcher Necmi Biyikli confirmed that two inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etch tools from Surface Technology Systems (STS) were on order.
Biyikli told compoundsemiconductor.net that one of the tools would use chlorine-based process gases to etch III-V materials, with the second using fluorine for work on silicon.
“Combining the STS tools with other deposition/etching systems, as well as e-beam lithography, nano-imprint lithography and focused ion beam systems, we will have the ability to fabricate novel, proof-of-concept nano-scale devices,” Biyikli added.
UNAM's 400 m2 (4,304 sq. ft.) cleanroom is part of the first such national user facility for III-V work in Turkey.
Users will have access to a range of epitaxy equipment, including MOCVD, MBE and low-pressure CVD tools, as well as the latest STS kit, which Biyikli says will be one of the “workhorses” of the UNAM cleanroom.
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