McGill Nanotools Microfab Facility: MCRF Site Visit

Peter GrutterAcademic Director

September 2011

McGill Nanotools Microfab Facility

• 3300sq.ft. facility, 1000 sq.ft. clean room space.

• $13 million capital investment, $615K/year operating budget

• In 2010:– 87 individual projects– 42 principal investigators – 38% users external to McGill– Internal users from 5 faculties– 10 corporate users– 91 students/PDFs trained– At least 63 peer reviewed papers, 6 patents, 52

thesis

0.7um features

Outline - Selection Criteria • Accreditation:

1.Character of the facility2.Efficient use of the facility3.Quality of the nanotechnology research program

• Accessibility:4.Users5.Benefits for Quebec6. Integration and promotion7.Development plan

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1. Characteristics of the Facility

• Facility: over the past 10 years over 13M$ capital equipment invested by Quebec, CFI and NSERC

• Equipment enables R&D and training in:1. Nanoelectronics2. Nanobiology3. NEMS/MEMS 4. Nanophotonics

• Providing leadership within QNI: – integrating fabs of 4 major universities in Quebec: – Training: NSERC CREATE ISS (2009)– Infrastructure support: NSERC MRS (2011, in prep.) 4

1. Characteristics of the Facility

Equipment: • Complete NEMS/MEMS fab facility (see section F for details).• Complementarity with the global QNI offer (see Section C of

application).Unique character of McGill Nanotools Microfab:• Ecosphere of integrated training and world-class R&D in

terms of processing know-how and established collaborations along 2 major axes: – fundamental – industrial – interdisciplinary (medicine – biology – chemistry –

physics – ECE – materials science – tissue eng.)

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Unique Ecosphere: Green Technology

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Growing, understanding, processing and integrating InN for energy and sensing applications

University:Z. Mi (ECE), G. Gervais (Physics), P. Kambhampati (Chemistry), T. Szkopek (ECE), A. Kirk (ECE), Lennox (Chemistry), R. Sladek (Genomics)

Companies:ICP Solar Technologies, Future Lightning Solutions, Silonex Inc. DNA Landmarks (St. Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC), BASF

Government and Crown Corporations:IREQ (Hydro Quebec), DRDC (Val Cartier, QC), Canadian Space Agency (Brossard, QC)

Unique Ecosphere: Green Technology

MBE growth of GaN nanowires (Z. Mi)

Closed loop growth-fabrication-characterization-application Proximity to fab crucial!

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World’s most efficient phosphor-free white light LEDs: Devices grown in McGill MBE lab and fabricated in McGill Nanotools Microfab. 17.8.2011: $ 667,500 MDEIE for commercialization (wafer scale demonstration)!

McGill leads the pack in nanoscale nitride semiconductors. Only nitride MBE system in Canada.

Vol. 11, 1919 (2011).

GaAs Substrate

Zetian Mi, ECE, McGill

Integrated tube lasers waveguides on Si

OSA Optics Express 19, 12164 (2011)

Fabrication of Optical Ring Resonators

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Unique Ecosphere: SiC

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SiC Micromachining compatible with CMOS technologies

University:Mourad el-Gamal (ECE, McGill), Srikar Vengallatore (Mechanical, McGill) Companies:MEMS-Vision (Montreal), Thales Inc., Boston Microsystems

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The Vision

•Very small, for portable devices …•Batch fabrication, for very low cost•Endless functionalities•Much less battery consumption

+

MicroMechanical Sensors &Actuators

=

MEMS(Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems)

State-of-the-Art in MEMS Integration

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MEMS Technology

Connections

IC Technology

MEMS

Connections

IC

At least three manufacturing or assembly facilities are needed

Objective: “Growing” the mechanical devices “on top of” the electronics using IC compatible technologies

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Challenges: Incompatible temperatures, materials, and chemicals.

- High elastic modulus- High acoustic velocity - High fracture strength - Sustains higher temp.- Inert surfaces- Resists corrosion, erosion, and radiation- Biocompatible

A Breakthrough Material ?

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Before New Inventions:

- Difficult to deposit - High temp. processing - Not compatible with IC manufacturing - High residual stresses - Difficult & slow etching and deposition

SiC is routinely used in the manufacturing of CMOS electronics, for example in some of today’s state-of-the-art and very high-end microprocessors.

Metals

IC & MEMS

Problems Solved - MoSiC™ MEMS (El-Gamal, McGill)patented, published, commercialization venture started – MEMS Vision Inc.

Harp-like Vibration SensorsMicro Beam ResonatorsPressure Sensors

Input

Isolation

Micro Switches

Input Output

ActuationIsolation

Output

Input

Square Resonators Tunable Capacitors

Input

Output 14

150m

12m

220m

150m

12m

220m

Stress Control

< 50 MPa of stress

- Small gaps (high sensitivity) - High initial sensors accuracies

High Yield

Problems Solved - MoSiC™ MEMS Processing and materials know-how key! Many have tried, all others have failed!

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Unique Ecosphere: Nanobiotech & Health

Nanofluidics Microfluidic systems

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3D microfluidic probe:Shear free gradient at the stagnation point for cell chemotaxis studies.

Juncker et al.,Nature Commun. 2 465 (2011)

nano

chan

nel

100 nm

Reisner et al., PNAS (2010)

Sculpting the energy landscape of polymers and DNA.

DNA melting assay.

Si pins for multi-spotting proteins.System used to identify 6 relevant markers for breast cancer. Developing protein chip.

Pla-Roca et al. Mol. Cell. Prot. (under review)

Myoblast response to RGD Peptide Gradient (MNI)

nanopore in 20nm thick SiNx membrane (made via TEM milling)

Conventional Nanopore Nanopore Nanochannel

Concept: Nanopore-Nanochannel Device

reservoirs

nanopore

nanochannel

Reisner (Physics, McGill) 17

Nanopore-Nanochannel: Device Fabrication

loadingmicrochannel

Membrane(50x50μm)

nanochannel

10μm

nanopore

TEM image of nanoporeembedded in nanochannel

100nm

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Other concrete example of interdisciplinary interactions

Plasmonic Micro-array BiosensorLow cost 24,000 element plasmonic sensing array based on patterned, functionalized self assembled gold nano rods. Read-out: absorption spectrum shift. Integrated system demonstrated. Currently being tested with leishmania (protozoan infection common in northern Asia), in collaboration with B. Ward (Fac. of Medicine) Kirk (ECE), Lennox (Chem.) and Reven (Chem.)

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Gold nanorods100 nm

Read-out

cartridge

Completed chip

Cantilever based biochemical sensingFunctionalized microfabricated cantilevers transduct electrochemical signal (Lennox (Chem.), Sladek (Genomics) & Grutter (Physics)). Systems integration in collaboration with A. Boisen (DTU) and M. Roukes (Cal Tech). Transfer of fundamental insights to nanowire sensors: Si nanowires (M. Reed, Yale) and InN nanowires (Z. Mi (ECE) and DNA Landmarks Inc.).

Unique Ecosphere Micro/NanoSystems

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10 nm

Grutter (Physics, McGill), Guo (Physics, McGill), Silva (Chemistry UdM), Beerens (ECE, Sherbrooke)

Microelectronic Engineering 87, 652 (2010)Advanced Materials 21, 2029 (2009) (including cover page)J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 21, 423101 (2009) (invited topical review)Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 186104 (2008)

Light off Light on

CuPc:PTCDI deposited on KBr PTCDA on KBr(001)

Unique Ecosphere Micro/NanoSystems

Molecular electronics, OPV, CNT, graphene, nanowires for topological quantum computing, ...

21graphene FET memory cells

T. Szkopek (ECE, McGill), R. Martel (Chem., UdM)M. Siaj, (Chem. UQAM)

A. Champagne (Concordia)

SNS Z. Mi (ECE), T. Szkopek (ECE, McGill), G. Gervais (Physics, McGill)

Suspended bridge CNT device

3. Quality of Nanotechnology Research Programs

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From NanoQuebec’s website:

http://w

ww

.nanoquebec.ca/en/nano-in-quebec.php

Unique Ecosphere

Training:• New type of students:

– Sébastien Ricoult: neuroengineering PhD with extensive fab experience. Industry needs such people!

– Michael Ménard: ECE McGill -> Cornell -> UQAM – Frédéric Nabki: ECE McGill -> UQAM (NanoQAM)

• NSERC CREATEs: ($900k p.a. total)– Integrated Sensor systems (2009); PI Kirk– Neuroengineering (2010); PI Lennox – Nanobiomachines (2010); PI Gehring

• Nanobiotechnology Microfab Course:Hands-on course, organized by D. Juncker4th year in 2011, attracted 26 participants (national, international and industry). 23

2. Efficient operation

• Our guiding principle is to fund operating costs (including maintenance/repairs) from user fees.

• Keeping the Microfab ‘ready for use’ requires dedicated and highly trained personnel – which is financed by a combination of other contributions.

• Responsive, transparent management structure.

• User driven

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4. Usage

25

2806

1097

265

29

135

35

Facility Hours Used - FY2008/2009

Engineering(10)

Medicine(3)

Science(9)

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences(1)

External Academic(11)

Industrial(2)

Total PIs (36)

Total Hours = 4367

Source: annual McGill Nanotools Microfab reports

4210370

314

1 415

1019

Hours Used - FY2010-2011Total PI: 42

Total Hours: 6328

Engineering(13)Medicine(5)Science(7)Agricultural Sc.(1)External Academics(13)Industrials(3)

60% incre

ase in 2

years

4. Usage

26

2806

1097

265

29

135

35

Facility Hours Used - FY2008/2009

Engineering(10)

Medicine(3)

Science(9)

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences(1)

External Academic(11)

Industrial(2)

Total PIs (36)

Total Hours = 4367

4210370

314

1 415

1019

Hours Used - FY2010-2011Total PI: 42

Total Hours: 6328

Engineering(13)Medicine(5)Science(7)Agricultural Sc.(1)External Academics(13)Industrials(3)

60% incre

ase in 2

years Expect 75% increase in total hours per year:

• Expect to be able to offer better and more services to outside users (both academic and non-academic).

• Need to run longer hours.• Expect to increase access by

bio and med. researchers.

40% of PIs hired since 2005 45% increase in processing tool capital investment: 3M$ new equipment in 2009/10 (ebeam, DRIE, spray coater, PECVD, evaporator, sputtering)

NanoQuebec funding

1. Increase capacity of McGill Nanotools Microfab• Requests by users for extended hours. This is a result of 50 new faculty

since inception and hands-on component of NSERC CREATE programs.• Customer services for the life sciences: large number of untapped

biomed users (2 CREATE, 1 CIHR Systems Biology Training grant).

2. Develop active industrial outreach • ‘From academia to industry’. Coordinate disperse academic know-how

that solves real-world problems for industry and facilitate the creation of start-ups. Complimentary to NQ outreach coordinator.

3. Enable sustainable funding model

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5. Benefits to Quebec

• Empirical observation: most companies access microfabs through collaboration with academic research groups. They value the expertise and access to world class facilities of academic researchers; very few companies have the need or interest to directly access the fab.

• In 2010, direct, funded collaborations with more than 10 companies from Quebec in key economic sectors (see p.29 of 34 for list).

• In 2010 NEW contracts/grants worth 2.7M$ p.a. were obtained (2009: 1.3M$). These grants are often multi-year and fund HQP, R&D as well as fab access.

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6. Integration and Promotion within the QNI

Integration & Leadership:• Founding member of NQ (2000)• NSERC CREATE ISS (2009)• NSERC MRS QNI (to be submitted 2011)

Increased international visibility:• In 2010 McGill nano researchers have signed MOUs and

started exchanging researchers with:– RIKEN (Japan): green chemistry, nanoelectronics– IIT Mumbai (India): micro and nanofabrication training– IoP CAS (Beijing): nanoelectronics and photonic

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Go

ogl

e ‘m

icro

fab

’: r

anks

nr.

2 !!

!

7. Development plan for the facility

• Development and upgrade plans for the McGill Nanotools Microfab are driven by its users and coordinated with other facilities.

• In upcoming CFI call VII the McGill Nanotools Microfab facility will replace, upgrade and expand equipment necessary for:– Fabrication, including material deposition and growth– Packaging and assembly– Characterization

In particular we are planning to establish a rapid prototyping facility suitable for bio/medical applications

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Summary

• Unique R&D and training ecosystem: from fundamental to applied, across all disciplines.

• Broad user base and efficient management – NanoQuebec and partners finance ‘ready for business’ status; users pay for operation.

• Close interactions of Science & Eng. with biomed R&D unique among all NanoQuebec supported fabs. By increasing fab manpower we will capitalize on this opportunity.

• New outreach and industrial coordinator to facilitate knowledge transfer and the creation of start-ups.

• NanoQuebec funding to partially replace unsustainable current bridge funding from MIAM.

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What will 300k$ from NanoQuebec enable?

• Extended operation hours needed due to usage increase.

• Incorporation of unique R&D ecosphere within NQ – from fundamental to applications.

• Grow and nurture emerging applications in bio med.• In-reach coordinator to take advantage of academic

know-how and facilitate transfer to industry.

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Budget details: Expenses

33(see p 14 of 34 for overview)

Budget details: Expenses

34

Future:

Budget details: Revenues

35

(*) CREATE: cash from McGill support of ISS, Neuroeng. and Nanobiomachines for help with facilitating internships as a result of Business Development person.

(see p. 14 of 34 for overview)

Budget details: Revenues

36

Current (past): (partial) FTE to bridge funding shortfall and establish well functioning infrastructure.

Future: Equivalent in cash, frees up the previously used manpower to support intensified R&D and training at CMP.

Note: Increased MIAM funds will directly benefit fab – training, networking, characterization facility support (e.g. SEM, TEM).

Complementarity with other microfabs

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• Toolset (in particular spray coater, wafer bonder)

• Processing know-how (SiC, nitrides, microfluidic systems)

• Leadership

• Training

Statistiques d'utilisation des QNI

38Source: RQMP annual report (2011)