The Grainger College of Engineering
Materials Research Laboratory

MRL Microfab Clean Room

 

The MicroFab cleanroom is used for a wide range of micro and nano-fabrication projects. In addition to UIUC researchers, the cleanroom allows outside academic users as well as users from industry.

The cleanroom is divided into 4 separate bays, each dedicated to a set of related fabrication processes:

  • Optical lithography bay (MRL 388) consisting of two spin coaters, three hot plates, HMDS oven, three MJB-3 mask aligners, one MJB-4 mask aligner and Heidelberg MLA 150 Maskless Writer. Electron beam lithography is provided in a separate cleanroom with two systems: a 100-kV Raith EBPG system and a 30-kV Raith Eline system.
  • Sample cleaning and developing bay (MRL 384) consisting of solvent fume hood, developer fume hood and microscope.
  • Metal etching bay (MRL 387) consisting of metal etchant fume hood, Deep UV exposure, UV flood exposure unit and microscope.
  • Acid etching bay (MRL 359) consisting of HF/BOE fume hood, Nano-strip fume hood, other acids fume hood and microscope.

Also available in our cleanroom is a Panthera TEC Materials Microscope with trinocular brightfield, darkfield and polarized light under transmitted and reflected illumination. These are the details of this microscope:

  • 6” x 4” XY motorized stage.
  • Brightfield/Darkfield 5X/0.13 (working distance WD 17.3mm), BD 10X/0.25 (WD 16.3mm), BD 20X/0.40 (WD 7.3mm), S-APO BD, 50X/0.80 (WD 1mm), S-APO BD LM Plan BD 50X/.55, WD 7.2mm, 100X/0.80, WD 1.7mm objectives.
  • EPI Darkfield; 5X, 10X, 20X, 50X, 100X Transmitted Darkfield; 5X, 10X, 20X.
  • Infinity8-8C 8.3 megapixels color Sony Pregius IMX334 CMOS digital camera.
  • Infinity Analyze software on PC.

Below is the list of Micro/NanoFab cleanroom supplied chemicals:

PR and Developer

  • AZ 5214-E image reveral resist (buy from the storeroom)
  • AZ 917 MIF developer
  • AZ 400K developer

Solvents

  • Acetone
  • IPA
  • NMP-based stripper: AZ 400T
  • SU-8 developer

Etchants and Acids

  • Chromium etchant
  • Iron oxide etchant
  • Copper etchant
  • Gold etchant
  • Hydrofluoric Acid (HF)
  • Buffered Oxide Etch (BOE)
  • Hydrochloric Acid (HCl)
  • Nitric Acid (HNO3)
  • Phosphoric Acid (H3PO4)
  • Nanostrip

The cleanroom management team is committed to providing an efficient and safe working environment for its users. Users' suggestions and feedback on any aspect of the cleanroom, staff, operation, or equipment are welcome and highly encouraged.

Location:  MRL 313, 384, 388, 387 and 359
Hours of Operation: 24-hour access
Contact:  
Xiaoli Wang, Ph.D.
Research Engineer, MRL 380
(217) 244-0392

Useful Links:

Click Here for Current Cleanroom Layout

 

If you have already left the Cleanroom and forgotten to sign out, you can do so remotely from your own device by accessing the following webpage (select cleanroom from the dropdown menu: https://cmmserv.mrl.illinois.edu/schedule/preproom/PrepRoomSelect.asp  

 

MicroFab supplied chemicals:
https://mrl.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/pdfs/Microfab-supplied%20chemicals.pdf

Chemical request system:
https://cmmserv.mrl.illinois.edu/schedule/ChemRequest/ChemRequestLogin.asp

Report any incidents to microFab staff (microfabstaff@mrl.illinois.edu) immediately. In case of emergency, evacuate and call 911.