Microfabrication
Our research areas:
- Micro- and nanofabrication
- Microfluidics and wetting
- Coatings and surface treatments
We employ a wide range of micro- and nanofabrication tools at Aalto Nanofab to create structures, devices and surfaces for fluidic, thermal, and biological applications. We have projects on neurons-on-a-chip (MEAs, carbon microelectrodes, dopamine analysis), carbon-MEMS (pyrolytic SU-8), superhydrophobic surfaces (blood repellency, icephobicity, antifouling and oleophobicity), foam materials (thermal insulation), single cell trapping (patterned superhydrophobic surfaces), flexible devices (metallization of elastomers).
Materials we work with:
- Silicon (bulk and SOI), Pyrex, Kapton, Aluminum as substrates
- AZ positive resists (also with image reversal), SU-8 and NXT15 negative resists
- PDMS and thiolenes for replica moulding
- Plasma Teflon and spin coated CYTOP for hydrophobic coatings
- SAMs made by wet and dry techniques
- Plasma deposited carbon materials (DLC, nc-C, ta-C)
- UV-sensitive sol-gel materials (SiO2, Al2O3)
- ALD films: TiO2, SiO2, Al2O3, TiN, NbN, Pt, nanolaminates
- Metals (Al, Cr, Cu, W, Pt) by sputtering and evaporation
Our work at Micronova cleanroom
We work on silicon, glass and polymer technologies, utilizing the cleanroom. Micronova is the largest research cleanroom in northern Europe with its 2600 m2 of class 10-class 1000 space, shared between VTT and Aalto University. Micronova is equipped with a wide range of processing tools for MEMS, CMOS, III-V and polymer technologies.
Examples of our equipment:
- optical lithography with backside alignment (Süss MA-6)
- DRIE (Oxford 100 cryo and STS Bosch) and RIE (Oxford 80)
- PECVD (Oxford 80)
- ALD (Picosun R200 and Beneq TFS 500 thermal and Beneq TFS 500 plasma)
- sputtering (various tools) and evaporation (various tools)
- Centrotherm tube furnaces (thermal oxidation, LPCVD poly, LPCVD nitride)
- AML bonder/nanoimprint
For a complete list of equipment, see:
