OTHER ELECTRONICS & NANOTECHNOLOGY
INDUSTRY UPDATE
June 2013
McIlvaine Company
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Inkjet Company Opens Cleanroom Facility
Chip Companies Give CNSE $8.3M for Research
Wikoff Color Corp. has converted a space in its Fort Mill, S.C. manufacturing plant into an energy-cure inkjet ink manufacturing facility and cleanroom. The facility houses manufacturing and test equipment used for manufacturing inkjet inks.
The facility includes an HVAC system that uses sophisticated airflow control to prevent potential airborne contaminates from entering clean zones, and cleanroom rated ceiling tiles that do not shed or produce contaminates. Employees are required to dress out in non-shedding cleanroom attire with hairnets and gloves, and the cleanroom features ground and polished floors to minimize dust and debris providing smooth cleaning surfaces.
The inks will be filtered and packaged in a cleanroom environment into cleaned and sealed containers to eliminate any chance of outside contamination. The inks are manufactured and tested under tight process controls to meet every key product parameter to meet each customer’s specific requirements.
An $8.3 million public/private grant that the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering is getting for its role in what is known as the Nanoelectronics Research Initiative will likely mean an additional $50 million in spending at the school by computer-chip manufacturing suppliers.
Started in 2005, the Nanoelectronics Research Initiative is a joint program of the federal National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Semiconductor Research Corp., a consortium of chip companies that support cutting-edge academic research for the industry. The initiative, also known as the NRI, was designed to support the nation's top researchers and students in their quest to invent the next generation of computer chips.
In 2006, the NanoCollege created a research center known as the Institute for Nanoelectronics Discovery and Exploration, or INDEX, that became one of the lead schools for the NRI. Other universities include Purdue, Virginia, Cornell, and Columbia.
The $8.3 million grant to the NanoCollege is part of what is known as NRI 2.0, a second round of funding for the Nanoelectronics Research Initiative totaling $25 million over five years. Half of the money is coming from the federal government, the other half from industry firms such as IBM, Intel, and GlobalFoundries, which each have research operations at the NanoCollege.
The Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (JSNN) began with a simple but powerful idea: to create a facility where nanoscience and nanoengineering could be accessible to everyone. In addition to the scientists, engineers, and post-docs already working in the field, this facility would allow undergraduate and K-12 students access to advanced knowledge emanating from exciting research activities in this emerging field of science and technology. Additionally, this facility would serve as a community and industry outreach center.
The envisioned facility was realized with the construction of Gateway University Research Park’s JSNN, a product of the combined vision and resources of two academic institutions: North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University (NCA&T) and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). The JSNN is one of only ten universities in the country to offer advanced degrees (M.S. and Ph.D.) in the field of Nanoscience and one of only four universities in the country to offer M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Nanoengineering.
“The JSNN Facility is a critical part of our strategy, enabling our mission of nano-based education, research, and outreach,” said Dr. James G. Ryan, Founding Dean of JSNN. “The laboratory and gathering space design encourages discovery through collaboration and helps to educate our students and visitors alike.” JSNN is designed to promote collaboration among industries such as pharmacology, biotechnology, aerospace, and manufacturing. Bringing academic research together with industry will help move programs beyond theory and into practice, better preparing students for success in the working world.
The equipment and instrumentation required by nanoscience and nanoengineering programs is exorbitantly expensive; and it often requires highly-controlled environments which represents an additional steep expense. “Collaboration is a way to help reduce costs and speed up the research process. It brings in new problem sets and new perspectives that promote innovation,” said Ryan. “JSNN’s collaborative model is already paying dividends by producing scientific insight in areas from signal propagation in nerves to high resolution observation of biological structures to new methods to build aircraft.”
“For two universities to collaborate on a project like this is unique. This joint project will advance entrepreneurial activities and create an environment that allows for the enhanced transfer of research innovation into practical applications, which should produce positive economic effects,” said John Merrill, Executive Director of Gateway University Research Park in Greensboro where the JSNN is located. Both the collaborative nature of the facility and the positive economic potential has allowed JSNN to garner wide community support. When determining what disciplines to include within JSNN, Dr. Ryan focused on local industries such as pharmaceutical, biotech, aerospace, and manufacturing, making sure the programs at JSNN support local industry.
JSNN resources include:
Nanoelectronics and nanobioelectronics cleanroom
Nanofabrication facility with nanoparticle synthesis, characterization, mixing, and scale-up facilities
Characterization suite, including NMR, analytical, and microscopy labs
Nanoscience labs, including nanobiology, BSL-3, genomics, nanophysics, and nanochemistry
Biomass laboratory
Visualization and computing facility
Auditorium
Faculty, staff, graduate student, and unassigned offices
Collaborative spaces including small conference rooms and huddle spaces
To celebrate this unprecedented experiment in collaboration, and to kick off development of the Gateway University Research Park, it was important to create an iconic image for JSNN. The “public side” of the building, facing Lee Street, is designed to be warm and inviting, a welcome member of the community of Greensboro. The focal point of JSNN—a cone-shaped auditorium visible to the public through a glass enclosure— creates an unexpected, playful image for the building, inviting researchers, students, and the community to take another look at nanotechnology.
The building is designed to facilitate collaboration and to create connections among students, researchers, and the scientific endeavors taking place in the building. In addition to 7,000 square feet of cleanroom space, JSNN features 80,000 square feet of primarily open laboratory and office space, along with 14,000 square feet of classroom and research support space, including a Visualization Facility classroom that immerses students in the design of nanomaterials with a 3-dimensional video screen. Modular laboratories are designed with a minimum of internal walls for flexibility and increased visibility throughout. The design encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, and acts as a catalyst for the development of a “nano-community” that supports and encourages job creation and entrepreneurial spirit.
One of the goals of the building is to create an open forum for communication with the public, especially children and students, sparking curiosity and creating awareness of this important emerging field. Open public spaces, such as the lobby and the double-height, light-filled auditorium, are designed to foster outreach. Cleanrooms and labs featuring state-of-the-art equipment are purposely located to be visible from the lobby, with windows located low to the floor so that children can see into the science on display. The design establishes a connection among researchers and students, and also creates an image that invites the public to share in the celebration of the exceptional science conducted here.
As an important component of the Gateway University Research Park, JSNN will be an economic engine in both the short- and long-term. JSNN is expected to attract nano-related businesses to locate in the area. These new businesses and the research produced at JSNN will create jobs. Greensboro is home to seven colleges and universities. A highly educated, highly motivated workforce will further propel Greensboro and the rest of North Carolina into the knowledge economy.
JSNN is a true mix of teaching, research, and service to the community, offering opportunities for collaboration at all levels. Its fruition was also the result of a collaborative effort, involving Gateway executive director John Merrill and his team; Dr. Ryan and his faculty, staff, and students; the leadership of UNC Greensboro and NCA&T; the team of architects and engineers of HDR Architecture, Inc.; and the Joint Venture construction team of Barton Malow/Samet/SRS.
Ahmad Soueid, AIA, LEED AP, serves as HDR CUH2A’s National Director for the Advanced S+T Research program. He is an architect that provides creative design solutions and leadership on projects requiring critical environments. He has over two decades of focused experience on the design of technically challenging facilities and is a frequently invited speaker at international technical conferences. Mr. Soueid is considered a global leader in planning, design, and construction of facilities established for nano-scale research.
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