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UCD Bionanoscience Research Group
Principal Investigator: Prof. Gil U. Lee
 
Facilities:
 
The Lee Bionanoscience Laboratory is located in School of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, University College Dublin, Ireland and is opened since November 2011.

 
Bionanoscience Cleanroom:
 


It is a class 100-10000 cleanroom, approximately 50 metres square, and is equipped to conduct the MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical systems) based research. It has been designed to operate a wide range of applications including: micro-fabrication on wafers up to 150mm in diameter, photolithography, metal and dielectric deposition, dry and wet etching, hot embossing, dicing and 3D device profile characterisation. The cleanroom is suitable for applications such as, bio-MEMS devices, physical deposition and annealing of metal and dielectric thin films, silicon, glass, PDMS micro-fluidics. Key technologies available:
Photolithography
Positive photoresist(PR) process and SU-8 thick photoresist process on up to 150mm wafers; minimum resolution is 2.m.
Installed equipment
  • ABM mask aligner: up to 150mm wafer, 350W i-line UV, submicron resolution, double-side alignment available.
  • Sistem wet bench for development
  • Cee 1300x hotplates: 0.1°C resolution, up to 400°C contact, vacuum, and proximimity baking
  • OPTIspinSpin dryer: up to 150mm wafer
  • LaurellWS650 spin coater: up to 150mm wafer, auto and manual dispense

Film deposition, dry etching and characterization
Deposit metal or dielectric thin films on up to 150mm wafer;reactive-ion etching (RIE) dry etching of silicon, glassand photoresist; reactive gases modification of surfaces; oxygen plasma cleaning; thermal annealing up to 1000°C; 3D profile characterisation.
Installed Equipment
  • Lesker PVD75 E-beam evaporator: 10-7 torr, 4-pocket E-beam guns, 5kW solide state power supply, rotating substrate fixture up to 150mm wafer, 350°C subtrate heating. Equipped with Chromium and Cobalt, suitable for metal and dielectrics
  • Plasma etch PE100 RIE system: 300W RF plasma generator, 8CFM, 2 processing gases (SF6 or CF4), oxygen plasma
  • Tube furnace: up to 200 mm wafer, up to 1000°C
  • Bruker Contour GT-K1 optical profiler: 0.1nm vertical resolution, 2x and 50 x objectives; 0.1nm-22mm vertical range; up to 5x7 mm field of view

Wet etching and lift-off area
Chemical wet etching of metals, glass, and silicon; wet bench for standard lift-off process to pattern multiple metal layers.
Installed equipment
  • Sistem wet benches for lift-off and wet etching

Chase area
Dicing saw for precise cutting and separation of fragile substrate; Ultrapure water plant.
Installed equipment
  • DISCO 3220 dicing saw: up to 150 mm wafer; 30mm thick; position accuracy up to 5um; repeatability 1.m
  • Deionised water plant: ASTM type 2, up to 5000 liters/day usage, up to 30 litters/min flow rate

Future features
Laser milling for micromachining and hot embossing for plastic

 
Science Center South Laboratory:
 

A 1000 ft2 lab configured for organic chemistry, surface chemistry, and molecular biology (shown below). This laboratory also contains a 200 ft2 room configured for optical imaging and microfluidics.

 
Engineering Build Laboratory:
 
A 200 ft2 lab designed for single molecule scanning probe (i.e., controlled temperature and ambient vibration).

 
Conway Institute Core Technologies:
 
 
School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology NMR and Mass Spec Facilities:
 
http://www.ucd.ie/cscb/main_pages/facilities.htm

 
Nano Imaging and Material Analysis Centre:
 
http://www.ucd.ie/nimac/index.html
  • Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM)
  • Focused Ion Beam (FIB)
  • Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with Electron Diffraction spectroscopy (EDS) and Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD)
  • Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS)
  • Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (WDS)
 
Electron Microscopy Laboratory:
 
Agriculture & Food Science Centre, UCD. Dr. David Cottell, Tel: +353-1-716 7133 or 7347

 
Instrumentation:
 
  • 1. Asylum Research, Molecular Force Probe. This AFM is equipped with either a Nikon TE300 inverted optical microscope or modified with home made optical rig for near field scanning optical microscopy. Independent digital data acquisition (i.e., Agilent technologies 54624A digital oscilloscope) and sample biase are being integrated with this system.
  • 2. Nikon TE-200 inverted optical microscope with DIC/phase/fluorescence imaging, long-working distance objectives, cooled CCD camera (Roper), and associated image acquisition equipment. This instrument is also equipped with magnetic tweezers capability, which includes a Narashegi XYZ micromanipulator, motorized XYZ stage, and Hall effect magnetometer.
  • 3. Zeiss upright optical microscopes equipped for bright field reflected light imaging.
  • 4. Zeiss upright optical microscopes equipped for bright field reflected light imaging.
  • 5. Zeiss A1 inverted optical microscopes equipped for TIRF, DIC, and phase imaging, with Eppendorf microinjector.
 
Microfluidics:
 
Microfab 4 head inkjet arrayer

 
Bio/Chemical Equipment:
 
Surface chemistry: Kruss contact angle and surface tension system, Q-sense QCM, spin coater; controlled atmosphere glove box, ozone cleaner, digitally controlled hot pate/stirrer, stainless steel drying oven, ultrasonic cleaner, and Milli-Q water source. Standard laboratory: Analytical balance, Cary UV spectrophotometer (with temperature control), microcentrifuge, refrigerator, -80oC freezer, PCR thermocycler, pH meter, ultrasonic disrupter, incubators, and temperature baths.