SMMA replaced the warehouse shelving, cleaning supplies, and attic stock with clean bays for metallization, deposition and etch, lithography, wet chemistry, and metrology. The existing janitorial closet was repurposed for gas storage.
Process cooling water was fed from a hex across the hall in a vacant corner of the shipping/receiving dock, where we also relocated the acid-neutralization system, and pulled the air handler out of the space entirely, hanging it above the ceiling in the adjacent lobby space. By locating the majority of the services outside of the clean space, we were able to maximize white space within the available square footage.
The location of the cleanroom on the campus was not only opportunistic, but also strategic–it is central to the many departments that collaborate in its space. Cross-discipline research is a keystone of the program, which involves the physics, chemistry, biology, and chemical engineering departments.
The nanotechnology facility has enabled new possibilities in student and faculty research in polymer synthesis, characterization, morphology, rheology, physics, engineering, biotechnology, and green technology. They are currently developing band-aid-sized, patch-type sensors capable of gauging stress and fatigue through a chemical analysis of the wearer’s sweat.
