NFL – Nano Fabrication Lab

The NanoFabrication Lab (NFL) at ICFO is a transversal facility devoted to the fabrication and characterization of nanostructured photonic devices. The laboratory premises, comprising a 200 m2 ISO6/ISO7 cleanroom and other controlled environment spaces, include a complete set of state of the art nanofabrication tools and techniques for a wide range of optical applications, from biosensing to optical communications, and spanning a broad range of materials, such as polymers, semiconductors, metals or crystals. The laboratory also includes tools for advanced materials and device characterization.

Facility

Electron Beam Lithography

Electron Beam Lithography

EBL CRESTEC CABL AP50E/RD

The CABL-AP50E/RD Electron Beam Lithography system is designed for high-resolution applications in academic research and development. It supports multiple scanning modes, including vector and raster, for precise and flexible pattern creation. The system has advanced stitching capabilities and a stable environment control system.

EBL CRESTEC CABL-9510C

This Electron Beam Lithography system employs both vector and raster scanning techniques, where the electron beam follows specific patterns to define intricate structures on a substrate. The Gaussian-distributed electron beam ensures a focused and precise energy distribution, allowing for highly accurate and fine resolution patterning

SEM FEI InspectF50 + EBL Raith Elphy Plus attachment

The FEI Inspect F50 SEM is a high-resolution scanning electron microscope designed for advanced imaging and analysis of materials at the nanoscale. When equipped with the Raith Elphy Plus attachment and laser interferometric stage, it enhances its capabilities for Electron Beam Lithography (EBL), allowing for precise patterning and fabrication of micro and nanoscale structures.

Optical Lithography

Optical Lithography

Maskless Aligner Heidelberg MLA150

The MLA150 is a high-speed direct-write lithography tool that eliminates the need for mask fabrication, greatly reducing prototyping time. It features both topside and backside alignment with high precision, and a powerful light source capable of exposing thick and less sensitive resists. The system works with substrates of all sizes and shapes, offering flexible pattern adjustments, distortion correction and other software features to enhance accuracy.

Laser Writer Microtech LW405B

The Laser Writer is an advanced optical lithography tool that utilizes focused laser beams to directly expose photosensitive materials on a substrate, enabling high-resolution patterning without the need for photomasks. This system allows for rapid design changes and efficiently creates intricate patterns at varying scales, making it particularly useful for prototyping.

Mask Aligner Quintel Q400

The mask aligner is a tool used in photolithography to transfer patterns from a photomask onto a coated substrate by aligning and exposing it to UV light. It provides precise alignment between the mask and substrate, enabling high-resolution patterning for microfabrication while allowing for fast processing times.

Reactive Ion Etching

Reactive Ion Etching

RIE Sentech Plasma System SI 500

The RIE system with Inductively Coupled Plasma features a Planar Triple Spiral Antenna (PTSA), which enhances plasma uniformity and etching precision. It includes a dynamic temperature control system for the substrate, ensuring optimal etching conditions and improved material processing. Additionally, the system is equipped with an endpoint detector that monitors the etching process in real-time, allowing for precise control and improved etching accuracy.

RIE Oxford Instruments Plasmalab System 100 ICP 180

This Reactive Ion Etching system with Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) technology offers precise etching for microfabrication applications. It uses reactive gases and plasma to achieve high etching rates and excellent selectivity, enabling intricate structures with high aspect ratios. The ICP capability ensures uniform plasma distribution, enhancing process control and efficiency.

RIE SAMCO 10N

The RIE-10NR is a high-performance, fully automatic Reactive Ion Etching system using fluorine chemistry for selective anisotropic etching. It delivers precise etching with minimal sidewall deterioration and high selectivity between materials, making it ideal for advanced process requirement

Thin Film Deposition

Thin Film Deposition

Evaporator Kurt J. Lesker PVD200 Pro line

The evaporator features both an electron beam source and a thermal evaporation source, capable of handling samples up to 200 mm in diameter. It also includes adjustable deposition height controls, providing flexibility for precise and high-quality film deposition.

Evaporator Kurt J. Lesker LAB18

The evaporator features a thermal evaporation source, an electron beam source, and an ion-assisted deposition system, providing a comprehensive solution for versatile deposition techniques and ensuring superior film quality and adhesion.

Evaporator Leybold Univex 350

The evaporator is equipped with a thermal evaporation source and an electron beam source, offering a versatile setup for various deposition techniques. It accommodates a wide range of sample mounts and materials, ensuring flexible and high-quality film deposition.

Sputtering AJA Orion 8 HV

The sputtering system generates plasma to accelerate ions towards a target material, which is then bombarded to release atoms. These ejected atoms deposit onto a substrate, forming a thin film with precise control over thickness and composition.

Coater Leica EM ACE600

The Leica EM ACE600 is a versatile coating system designed for precise sample preparation for subsequent examination with electron microscopy. It is capable of both sputter and carbon coating and has integrated thickness measurement.

ALD Veeco Fiji G2

This ALD system provides both thermal and plasma-enhanced deposition capabilities, functioning under high vacuum for precise thin film growth, making it versatile for various material deposition applications. It also includes a load lock chamber for easy substrate handling.

ALD Veeco Fij

This thermal ALD system deposits thin films with atomic precision by alternating between a material-specific precursor and water on a heated substrate. The process relies on surface-limited reactions, ensuring uniform and conformal layer growth.

Surface Activation and Chemical Processing

Surface Activation and Chemical Processing

O2 plasma asher PVA Plasma GIGAbatch 310M

This plasma reactor is a device used for photoresist stripping, surface cleaning and surface activation. It generates a low-pressure plasma by applying radiofrequency energy to a reactive gas such as O2, effectively removing organic residues and improving surface properties.

UVO-Cleaner Jelight 42-220

The UVO cleaner is a system that generates UV radiation that interacts with oxygen, producing ozone, which is a powerful oxidizing agent. It is used to remove organic contaminants, residues, and photoresist materials from substrates, ensuring high surface cleanliness and improved adhesion for subsequent processing steps.

Wet benches Quimipol

Multiple wet benches equipped with deionized water, nitrogen, and compressed air used to perform cleaning, sample preparation, coating, and general chemical processes. These benches provide a controlled environment for handling sensitive materials and incorporate small equipment for tasks such as rinsing, drying, baking and applying coatings.

Spin coaters SPS

The spin coater is a device used to apply thin, uniform layers of liquid materials, such as photoresists or coatings, onto substrates by spinning them at high speeds. During the spinning process, centrifugal force spreads the liquid evenly across the surface, allowing for precise control over layer thickness and uniformity

Ovens JP Selecta Digitheat

An oven for samples that operates up to 250°C is designed for drying, curing, or baking various materials and samples in a controlled environment. This oven provides precise temperature control, ensuring consistent heating across its chamber, which is essential for processes such as sample preparation, polymer curing, or removing moisture from sensitive materials.

Hot plates Präzitherm

Hot plates with a temperature range of 20-300°C, versatile heating devices utilized for tasks such as heating, stirring, and temperature maintenance of samples. They offer precise temperature control and consistent heat distribution, making them suitable for applications like chemical reactions, sample preparation, and material testing.

Analysis and Metrology

Analysis and Metrology

Optical profilometer Sensofar S-Neox

This optical profilometer is a precision measurement tool that utilizes various objectives with different magnifications to obtain detailed surface topography of samples. It employs multiple techniques to capture high-resolution 2D and 3D images, enabling comprehensive analysis of surface features, flatness and surface texture as well as layer thickness.

Mechanical profilometer KLA P-7

The KLA P-7 mechanical profilometer is an advanced device designed for high-precision surface measurement and characterization. It utilizes a stylus that moves across the sample surface to measure surface roughness and topography, capturing detailed profiles of various materials. Additionally, it features a 3D mode for comprehensive surface analysis and a stress mode to evaluate residual stresses, making it a very versatile tool.

AFM Veeco Dimension 3100

This Atomic Force Microscope is a high-resolution imaging tool used to characterize the surface topography and properties of materials at the nanoscale. It operates by scanning a sharp tip attached to a cantilever across the sample surface, where interactions between the tip and the sample generate detailed topographical maps.

SEM FEI InspectF

This Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) uses a focused beam of electrons to produce detailed images of a sample by scanning its surface. This interaction generates signals that provide information about the sample’s topography and composition. This system includes Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) for elemental chemical analysis.





Ellipsometer SOPRA GES-5E

This ellipsometer is an optical instrument that measures the thickness and optical properties of thin films by analyzing changes in light polarization upon reflection from a sample surface. It provides precise data on film thickness, refractive index, and absorption, making it valuable in materials science for non-destructive characterization

Optical microscopes Olympus BX51

These optical microscopes are devices that use visible light and lenses to magnify, visualize and capture images of small objects or details not visible to the naked eye.

Institutional Contacts / Head of Facilities

Provisional Contacts

Prof. Dr. Niek van Hulst | NFL Chair |  niek.vanhulst@icfo.eu  | +34 935534036 |  ORCID 

Engineering

Paula Díaz Carreras |  Paula.Diaz@icfo.eu  | +34 935534030

Francisco Javier Pérez Díaz |  javier.perez@icfo.eu  | +34 935534030

NFL Chair

Prof. Dr. Niek van Hulst |  niek.vanhulst@icfo.eu  | +34 935534036 |  ORCID 

NFL Scientific Officer

Dr. Johann Osmond |  johann.osmond@icfo.eu  | +34 935534030 |  ORCID 

Dr. Pablo Loza-Alvarez | Facilities Coordinator |  pablo.loza@icfo.eu  | 93 553 4068 - 93 554 2259 |  ORCID 

CERCA Institutes

Owners

Centres CERCA List

Equipments & Services Offered

Lesker LAB18 Oxford Instruments Plasmalab System 100 ICP 180 Heidelberg Maskless Aligner MLA150 CRESTEC CABL-9510C ​Zeiss Auriga CrossBeam Zeiss Orion NanoFab Park NX10 / Park NX20

Available techniques Thin film deposition • Thermal and e-beam evaporation • Sputtering • Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) Imaging • Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) Dry etching • Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) Surface topography • Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) • Profilometry Lithography • E-beam lithography (EBL) • Optical lithography (Maskless aligner) Analysis and metrology • Spectroscopic ellipsometry Nanomachining and nanoanalytics • Focused Ion Beam (FIB) Surface activation and cleaning • Plasma ashing/cleaning • Ozone cleaning

Categorització

RIS3CAT domains & other

RIS3CAT Domains
CERCA GINYS Categories

GINYS-ICFO-006

Access procedure & Fares

Open. The NFL is open to external collaborations with industry, research centers and Universities and all interested parties. In order to request access, detailed information on the available equipment and fees, please contact: nflstaff@icfo.eu