Stanford University Fab Resources
Overview
nano@stanford is a collection of open, shared experimental facilities on the Stanford campus, anchored by the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility (SNF), and the Stanford Nano Shared Facilities (SNSF,). Beyond the University, nano@stanford serves academic, industrial, and governmental researchers across the U.S. and around the globe. More than a lab, it's a vibrant research community. nano@stanford is part of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI), the newest incarnation of the National Science Foundation’s nanotechnology network programs. As an original and continuing member of these nanotechnology networks since 1994, Stanford has nearly 40 years of experience in providing experimental resources to extramural users.
Together, these fully-shared facilities occupy 25,000 square feet, including 15,000 square feet of cleanroom space and 6,000 square feet that meet cutting-edge specifications on the control of vibration, acoustics, light, cleanliness, and electromagnetic interference. In 2023, these facilities supported nearly 1400 users, fully 35% external to Stanford, who logged over 100K hours in billed equipment hours. With revenue of $8M/year, these facilities operate sustainably as cost centers. In tandem, these facilities enable users to build and characterize device structures with feature sizes as small as 5 nm. In particular, the ability to deposit, etch, and characterize a wide variety of oxides and metals, including 1D, 2D, and dielectric materials of special interest, make these facilities indispensable for CMOS+X work.
Stanford Nanofabrication Facility (SNF)
SNF is comprised of a 10,000 square foot cleanroom and 3,000 square feet of satellite lab spaces. Together, these spaces support deposition, patterning, and etching of thin film metals, dielectrics, and semiconductors to build devices and systems. SNF offers instruments for ALD of thin dielectrics used in gate dielectrics and RRAMs, wafer-scale CVD growth of aligned Carbon Nanotubes used in CNFETs, and dozens of options for etch processes, metallization, CVD and lithographic patterning tool sets that deliver a broad set of pathways for building Monolithic 3D systems. Other specialized capabilities include silicon and germanium epitaxy, MOCVD of III-V’s, and deposition of intrinsic diamond. Sixteen technical staff members ensure maintenance and operation of the equipment as well advise on process development and integration.
Stanford Nano Shared Facilities (SNSF)
SNSF comprises a group of service centers covering Nanofabrication, Electron & Ion Microscopy, X-ray & Surface Analysis, and Soft & Hybrid Materials.
Nanofabrication: This Center features two class 100 cleanrooms. The Nanopatterning Cleanroom features two Raith EBPG 5200+ e-beam lithography systems capable of accommodating 8” wafers. Additional tools enable nanopattern transfer with PCVD and plasma etch capabilities. The Flexible Cleanroom, a 3,000-ft2 facility, accommodates basic fabrication of materials not compatible with conventional CMOS processes.
Electron & Ion Microscopy: This Center features advanced scanning electron microscopes, transmission electron microscopes, and focused ion beam tools.
X-ray & Surface Analysis: This Center operates four X-ray diffraction systems, an Auger system, SIMS, two confocal Raman systems, four scanning probe microscopes, and a unique SQUID microscope.
Soft & Hybrid Materials Facility: This Center, supports characterization of soft materials and their integration with hard materials and devices.
The Stanford System Prototyping Facility (SPF)
SPF provides electronic sub-system design services and consultation for board-level system demonstrations (such as FPGA test boards). The SPF lab consists of workbenches and collaborative areas that provide organized spaces for system design, building, and testing. Researchers are invited use our space to design and build a system themselves, or collaborate with our engineers.