UC Berkeley Nanofabrication
Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory
The University of California, Berkeley Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory (The NanoLab) is a 15,000 ft2 state-of-the-art clean room facility with a wide range of micro and nanofabrication capabilities. The NanoLab is open to any academic researcher and has members from across campus as well as visiting scientists from other universities, national laboratories, and local industry. Inn FY24, the Nanolab had over 350 active members.
The research thrusts addressed by lab capabilities are interdisciplinary and include next generation device electronics, optoelectronics, super-conducting devices, micro and nano electromechanical systems, and miniaturized integrated sensor platforms. Among the laboratory's major features are a computer area for device and circuit layout; a lithography center, which includes two e-beam nanolithography writers (50kV and 130 kV), two step-and-repeat reduction cameras (365nm i-line and 248nm deep-UV), a 375nm direct write laser patterning system, two multi-substrate backside capable contact aligners, and a mask-making facility with an optical pattern generator; six evaporation and six sputter thin-film systems; a 4"/6" silicon wafer processing area equipped with eighteen LPCVD and atmospheric furnaces, fourteen process-specific plasma etchers, wet processing stations, a wide range of metrology equipment for in-line testing and specialized analytical diagnostics; and a planarization laboratory with metal and oxide chemical-mechanical polish systems. Unique processing capabilities include silicon carbide deposition for harsh environment encapsulation; thin diamond deposition via hot wire CVD; aluminum nitride reactive sputter deposition for piezoelectric thin film applications; atomic layer deposition for formation of sub 5nm high-k gate dielectrics; and, molecular vapor deposition for chemical derivatization of released nanostructures.
Safety orientation and equipment training are provided to all members. Operations are supported by a staff of 25 FTEs. In addition, the laboratory is supported by a custom Machine Shop. Laboratory access is controlled, but open to active lab members 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. In FY24, the NanoLab supported >60,000 use hours. Laboratory use by active industrial members is available via the Berkeley Nanofabrication Laboratory Affiliates (BNLA) program. Currently the NanoLab has 26 such participating companies, a majority of them start-ups.