At the heart of Ohio State's West Campus stands Nanotech West Lab (NTW), the largest nanotechnology user facility in Ohio. This cutting-edge research center powers innovation through its world-class facilities and expert engineering team, serving as a vital resource for both academic researchers and industry partners throughout the region. Equipped for advanced semiconductor processing, NTW handles everything from standard 100mm (4") wafers down to precision small parts (>5mm), supporting over 100 research and development projects annually.
Capabilities
Nanotech West: Ohio's premier nanotechnology innovation hub.
Capabilities and Equipment
Nanotech’s electron beam lithography capabilities support a wide range of research including wide bandgap high speed and power electronics, photonics, quantum computing, metamaterials, focal plane arrays, and other nanostructures. NTW has expertise in patterning challenging materials such as piezoelectric, insulating, and transparent samples. In addition to resist processes, NTW offers solutions for anti-charging layers. NTW supports and stocks the following resist processes:
Positive resists
- PMMA 950k (2% and 4%) and PMMA/MAA copolymer
- CSAR
Negative resists
- HSQ for high resolution, 2% and 4% solids
- maN2403 easily removable negative resist
Many other resists provided by the user are allowed, inquire with EBL staff.
Raith EBPG 5150 plus (EBL02)
NTW has installed a new Raith EBPG 5150 plus field-emission electron beam lithography tool. Highlights include the following:
- 100kV and 50kV
- Resolution better than 8nm
- Better than 8nm stitching accuracy
- Better than 5nm overlay accuracy
- 125MHz Clock Frequency
- 50pA to 350nA beam currents
- 2nm to 200nm beam diameters
- Genisys Beamer/Tracer software for advanced data preparation and proximity effect correction
Nanotech’s optical lithography capability includes a Heidelberg MLA150, an EVG 620 Contact Aligner, and a Karl Suss MJB-3 Contact Aligner. Processes available include the following:
- 375 nm and 405 nm photolithography (MLA01) to linewidths of ~0.60 microns
- Contact photolithography to ~2 microns (ALN02, ALN03)
- Standard Shipley s1813, SPR220, AZ MIR701 positive tone resist processes
- nLOF 2020 and nLOF 2070 negative tone resist processes for liftoff
- Shipley LOR2A and LOR5A bilayer processes for liftoff
- Standard SU-8 negative resist processes
For other photoresists, contact a staff member.
Nanotech West has an extensive set of material growth and deposition processes and tools available. They include the following:
- Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) of III-V materials, in the form of an Aixtron 3×2″ close-coupled showerhead tool (CVD01) capable of growing (In, Al, Ga) (As, P, Sb) compound semiconductors on substrates up to 100mm
- GaOx and AlGaOx MOCVD on substrates up to 50mm in Agnitron Agilis system (CVD04)
- GaN and novel II-IV-Nitride MOCVD on substrates up to 50mm in dual-chamber Agnitron Agilis system (CVD03)
- Electron gun evaporation of a wide variety of standard metals and some dielectrics (EVP01, EVP03)
- RF and DC sputter deposition of a wide variety of metals and some dielectrics using a five-gun AJA Orion RF/DC load-locked sputter tool (PVD03)
- Atomic layer deposition of dielectrics including HfO2, Al2O3, Ta2O5, and ZnO (other films possible with appropriate precursors) using a Picosun R-150B ALE ALD tool (ALD01), VEECO Fiji Gen. 2 Plasma ALD (ALD 02)
- Thermal evaporator configured for thick indium ball bump deposition (EVP05)
- Two LPCVD silicon nitride processes, stoichiometric and low-stress (TUB02)
- PE-CVD silicon nitride and silicon oxide using a Plasma-Therm 790 tool (CVD02)
Nanotech West has extensive capabilities in dry and wet etching. They include the following:
- Inductively coupled reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE) using a Plasma-Therm SLR770 tool (ETC04)
- Plasma-Therm SLR770 ICP DRIE deep silicon etcher (ETC05)
- Plasma-Therm Takachi ICP-RIE with high temperature and low temperature etching capability and end-point detection (ETC06)
- Reactive ion etching with a Technics Micro-RIE tool (ETC01)
- Low-damage oxygen plasma ashing using a Diener Oxygen Plasma Pico Asher (ASH01)
- Wet etching supported by three cleanroom wet benches (HOD07, HOD08, HOD09)
- Spin rinse dryers for 100mm wafer processing
Thermal processing capabilities at Nanotech West include:
- Rapid thermal annealing in various process gases (RTA02)
- Dry and wet silicon oxidations in a shared furnace tube (TUB04)
- Two boron solid-source diffusion processes for silicon (TUB03)
- Furnace tube annealing up to 1100° C (TUB06)
- Nitrogen-purged BlueM oven (OVN01)
- HMDS priming oven, YESIII HMDS Vapor Prime (OVN03)
- Low temperature (< 650° C) baking and annealing in
nitrogen and forming gas (TUB01) - Various other ovens and hotplates that support lithography and other processes
The metrology and materials analysis capabilities at Nanotech West Lab include:
- Carl Zeiss Ultra 55 Plus field-emission scanning electron microscope capable of high resolution on conductive and insulating substrates (SEM02)
- Hitachi S-3000 scanning electron microscope (SEM01)
- Bruker D8 high resolution x-ray diffractometer with large area 2D Eiger detector (XRD01)
- Extensive optical microscopy and photomicroscopy capabilities
- Electrical probe stations including two light sources for solar simulation
- Woollam alphaSE spectroscopic ellipsometer (ELP03)
- Thin film reflectometry (NMX01)
- Bruker DekTak XT-A stylus profilometry (CPRF02)
- Jandel Four-point probe (PRB04)
- Sinton WCT-120 photoconductance lifetime tester (PRB03)
- Bruker Icon 3 atomic force microscopy (AFM04)
- Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDAX on SEM01, EDS01)
- RTEC UP-3000 optical profilometry with white light interferometry, confocal, dark field, and bright field options (INS11)
Other significant process capabilities at Nanotech West include the following:
- Wedge wire bonding using a Kulicke and Soffa 4123 Wire Bonder (BND03) – 1.0 mil Au and 1.0 mil Al wire
- West-Bond 7700E Thermosonic Ball Bonder (BND05)
- Logitech PM4 Lapper (POL01) and Logitech PM5 Polisher (POL02)
- SET FC150 Flip Chip Bonder (BND04)
- Cincinnati SubZero ZPHS-32-6-SCT/AC temperature and humidity environmental chamber (ENV01)
- Advanced Dicing Technologies 7122 Dicing Saw (SAW02)
- Xceleprint MTP-1003 Microtransfer Printer (XFR01)