What the facility does
Designing and prototyping innovations in materials, fluidics, mechanics, electronics, and photonics technologies at the micro and nano scale.
Areas of expertise
NanoFabrication Kingston provides researchers and companies with access to leading-edge equipment, methods, and expertise for designing and prototyping microsystems and nanotechnologies, and for training next-generation innovators.
Research services
Design and prototyping, including etching, lithography, deposition, micromachining and characterization, project execution, and engineering support.
Sectors of application
- Aerospace and satellites
- Clean technology
- Information and communication technologies and media
- Life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment
- Manufacturing and processing
Specialized labs and equipment
| Equipment | Function |
|---|---|
| Raith PIONEER electron-beam lithography system | High-resolution scanning electron microscope with software and stage control capability to perform electron-beam lithography to expose resists with <20 nm resolution. |
| Intelligent Micro Patterning SF-100 XPRESS maskless photolithography system | Pattern features from < 1 micron to several cm in photoresists without the need for a mask. |
| Oxford Lasers A series picosecond laser micromachining system | Laser cut, drill, and mill a variety of materials, such as semiconductors, glass, metal, polymer, and ceramic, with a line width of 10-15 micron. |
| SonoPlot/GIX Microplotter II picoliter fluid dispensing system | Uses a capillary plotter to ultrasonically dispense liquids in a pattern onto surfaces with 5-micron resolution. |
| Thermionics 3 kW Linear e-Gun electron-beam evaporator | Deposit thin films up to 500 nm thick by electron-beam evaporation under high vacuum. Common materials include aluminum, gold, and chromium. |
| Plasmatic Systems Inc. Plasma-Preen plasma cleaning/etching system | Remove organic material from a surface. Typical for cleaning a substrate prior to, or following, fabrication steps to ensure good film adhesion, wet etching, etc. |
| ZEISS Axio Imager A1m optical microscope | Examine substrates and deposited coatings; and image designs written on a substrate by laser micromachining, photolithography, or e-beam lithography. |
| Neutronix Quintel NxQ4006 photolithography mask aligner | Pattern photoresists with sensitivity in the g, h, and i lines. |
| Lithography sample preparation equipment (laminar flow hood, spin coater, and baking plates) | Clean substrates and coat them with resist for photolithography or e-beam lithography to develop patterned substrates, and bake substrates. |
| Trion Minilock III reactive ion etch (RIE) system | Generate plasma with ICP sources to dry etch a wide range of materials including silicon-based materials (e.g., silicon, silicon oxide, silicon nitride), metal films (e.g., aluminum), and other substrate materials (e.g., gallium arsenide). |
| Lesker PVD 75 sputtering system | Deposit conductive materials for multilayer microchip fabrication, microelectronic circuits, MEMS, etc., and to deposit composites to form thin layers of functional materials. |
| Bruker DektakXT stylus profilometer | Measure step height or roughness of thin films and surfaces. |
| JA Woollam VASE spectroscopic ellipsometer | Measure properties of a thin film on a substrate, such as film thickness, index of refraction, and other optical constants. |
| Cascade Summit probe station | Configured with an in-line 4-point probe to measure sheet resistance of thin films on substrates. |
Private and public sector research partners
- CMC Microsystems
- GreenCentre Canada
- Spectra Plasmonics
Additional information
| Title | URL |
|---|---|
| Nano research yields sensing breakthrough. | https://www.cmc.ca/nano-research-yields-sensing-breakthrough/ |
| Science on a small scale. | https://nanofabkingston.ca/wp-content/uploads/Science-on-a-small-scale.pdf |
| Queen’s unveils renewed nano-tech laboratory. | https://www.queensjournal.ca/story/2017-01-20/news/queens-unveils-renewed-nano-tech-labratory/ |
| Big plans for nanotechnology. | https://www.thewhig.com/2017/01/20/big-plans-for-nanotechnology/wcm/5c43fa86-8c43-ffc3-cec7-fcdd828… |
| Thinking big on a small scale. | https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/thinking-big-small-scale |
| Exploring the promise of the quantum realm. | https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/exploring-promise-quantum-realm?utm_source=e-queens-gazette_staff |