National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (U.S.)

Research and Facilities

About 1,400 new users are trained each year at the NNIN, and in 2007 alone it served about 4,600 research users [Page 587]and 250 small companies. The NNIN was originally composed of 12 sites (Cornell University, Stanford University, University of Michigan, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Washington, Pennsylvania State University, University of California at Santa Barbara, University of Minnesota, University of New Mexico, University of Texas at Austin, Harvard University, and Howard University). However, as part of its 2009 funding renewal, the network expanded to 14 sites, with Arizona State University, University of Colorado at Boulder, and Washington University at St. Louis joining the network, and University of New Mexico leaving it. The NNIN is the successor to the National Nanofabrication Users Network (NNUN), which was also funded by the National Science Foundation and led by Cornell University.

The Cornell NanoScale Science & Technology Facility has state-of-the-art fabrication and characterization tools for various purposes, including advanced lithography, etching, deposition, film growth, and characterization. The Stanford Nanofabrication Facility has a variety of micro- and nanofabrication tools and techniques. The Lurie Nanofabrication Facility at the University of Michigan provides facilities and processes for the integration of Si integrated circuits and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), with emphasis on fabrication, packaging and testing of integrated devices, and shares responsibility for aquatic sciences with the University of Washington. The Nanotechnology Research Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology emphasizes the application of nanofabrication to bioengineering and biomedicine. The Center for Nanotechnology at the University of Washington emphasizes biological and life sciences, society and ethnics, and aquatic sciences. The Penn State Nanofabrication Lab has particular expertise in materials and chemical technologies at the molecular scale, including surface chemistry, self-assembly, and complex oxide materials.

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