The Tulane Micro/Nanofabrication Facility (MNF) (a.k.a. the Tulane cleanroom) is a leading-edge micro/nanofabrication and characterization facility housed in Stanley Thomas Hall, Stern Hall, and Paul Hall on the Tulane uptown campus in New Orleans. This facility, founded in 2009, houses >$4M in equipment and infrastructure for advanced processing and analysis of materials and devices at the micrometer and nanometer scale. Faculty use this facility to work at the forefront of research in energy generation and storage, quantum materials, polymer science, drug development, biosensing, and more. The facility is also a critical educational resource and supports coursework and research for undergraduate and graduate students. The Tulane MNF is a leading micro/nanofab facility in the Gulf South and is open to users from institutions and companies across the region.
Stanley Thomas Hall Laboratory Space
The class 1000 cleanroom space in Stanley Thomas Hall includes the following equipment:
- Suss MJB4 mask aligner and related photolithography tools
- AJA sputtering system
- AJA ion miller
- Bruker D8 Discover X-ray diffraction (XRD) system
- Angstrom Engineering electron-beam evaporator
- Multimode atomic force microscope (AFM)
- Olympus optical microscope with camera and heated stage
- KLA Tencor stylus profilometer
- Zegage optical profilometer
- J.A. Woollam spectroscopic ellipsometer
- Sentrotech vacuum furnace
- Harrick oxygen plasma cleaner
- Heatpulse 610 rapid thermal annealer (RTA)
- Trion inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etcher (ICP-RIE), with DRIE and PECVD capabilities
- Filmetrics F20-UV Spectral Reflectance Tool
- Pelco FlexScribe
- Various chemical fume hoods, laminar flow hoods, and a glove box
Stern Hall Laboratory Space
The nanofabrication facility in Stern Hall includes the following:
- Nabity NPGS electron beam nanolithography system (on Hitachi 3400 SEM)
- Raith VOYAGER electron beam nanolithography system
Paul Hall Laboratory Space
This lab suite on the third floor of Paul Hall includes specialized environments for advanced semiconductor and materials research.
PH311 – Materials Preparation and Packaging Laboratory
A dedicated space for the preparation of materials and precision assembly/packaging of electronic devices outside of a cleanroom environment. Key equipment includes:
- iBond5000-Wedge: Manual wedge wire bonder supporting a variety of wire and ribbon materials; ideal for device packaging and process development.
- Leco PX300: Metallographic grinder/polisher used for preparing flat, high-quality specimens suitable for additional fabrication steps in the cleanroom or microstructural and materials analysis.
- Leco VC-50: Precision diamond saw for sectioning or dicing a wide range of materials prior to microscopy or other analytical and fabrication techniques.
- The lab also includes a hood, soldering station, and wafer scriber (Pelco FlexScribe).
PH313 – Auxiliary Cleanroom for Materials Synthesis and Processing
A Class 10,000 (ISO 7) cleanroom dedicated to thin film and bulk material synthesis and thermal processes. This lab supports research in areas including oxides, nitrides, and 2D materials (e.g., MXenes, transition metal chalcogenides), van der Waals heterostructures, plasmonic materials, and functional dielectrics. Key systems include:
- SentroTech Vacuum Furnace: High-temperature box furnace rated up to 1600°C, capable of operating in vacuum or with inert and reactive gases including hydrogen.
- OT-1200X: Compact single-zone split-tube furnace reaching 1200°C, with an 8-inch heating zone and support for multiple quartz tube diameters.
- OTF-1200X-II: Dual-zone split-tube furnace rated to 1200°C, featuring two independently controlled 8-inch heating zones for uniform or gradient temperature profiles.
- GSL-1500X-OTF: Single-zone split-tube furnace capable of 1500°C operation, suitable for high-temperature synthesis in vacuum or controlled gas environments.
- A cleanroom quality solvent hood with built-in ultrasonic tank.
- Optical microscopy, microbalance, and other supporting equipment.
For more information, or to gain access, please contact:
Dr. Michael Johnson | Cleanroom Manager
Email: mjohnso6@tulane.edu
Phone: (504) 232-2464
Dr. Matthew Escarra | Cleanroom Faculty Director
Email: escarra@tulane.edu
