Shared Facilities

The MFF is a self-contained user facility administered by the CAF. It consists of several deposition and etch units, as well as capabilities for photolithography, enclosed in a Class 100/1000 clean room. A full-time research scientist oversees the facility on a daily basis, with the assistance of post-doctoral, graduate and undergraduate researchers. Together they train users and help with maintenance of the equipment. Research projects conducted by REU students in the MFF contribute significantly to our efforts. The photolithography capabilities include a Karl Suss MA6 mask aligner capable of aligning up to five-inch masks onto four-inch wafers, a Solitec photoresist spinner, several Blue M ovens for soft and hard bakes, and a Yield Enhancement System plasma asher. The Focused Ion Beam, electron beam lithography capabilities in the CAF with the advanced electron microscopes can be used in conjunction with the equipment in the MFF to achieve nanosized features. Etch equipment includes an Intelvac ion mill, and STS deep reactive ion etchers (DRIE) for silicon (Advanced Silicon Etcher) and oxides (Advanced Oxide Etcher). A Plasmatherm dual-chamber reactive ion etcher, utilizing both Cl and F chemistries, has just been acquired, greatly enhancing our capabilities for etching various magnetic and non-magnetic metals