Brandi Klingerman | August 27, 2017
Notre Dame’s nanotechnology research efforts date back to the 1980s, when the studies were mostly simulation-based and focused on computation advancements. In the three decades since, research at the University’s Center for Nano Science and Technology (NDnano) has grown and evolved in a forward-thinking and distinctive way.
To differentiate and accelerate their work, Wolfgang Porod, the Frank M. Freimann Professor of Electrical Engineering and Director of NDnano, and his colleagues turned to Moore’s Law – an observation that states the number of components per integrated circuit, or a microchip, doubles approximately every two years – as their strategy for standing apart in a competitive and fast-paced discipline. In explaining this, Porod said, “My colleague, Gary Bernstein, the Frank M. Freimann Professor of Electrical Engineering, wanted to carve out our own area of expertise and we knew that wherever the current technological capabilities were, the more crowded the field would be. So instead, we looked beyond the popular topics and focused not just on device physics, but also on how our advancements could be applied to a variety of technologies.”
This strategy allowed Notre Dame researchers like Porod, Bernstein, and Craig Lent, the Frank M. Freimann Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering, and others to leverage developments to not only attract new faculty, but also to fund research centers, including the Midwest Institute for Nanoelectronics Discovery (MIND) and the Center for Low Energy Systems Technology (LEAST), which were both directed by Alan Seabaugh, the Frank M. Freimann Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering. This growth of nanotechnology also supported the eventual construction of the Notre Dame Nanofabrication Facility (NDNF), a 9,000 square foot cleanroom that opened in 2010 and allows researchers to use a wide range of materials and a variety of processes and techniques.
“Not only has our state-of-the-art cleanroom advanced the kind of research we can do on campus, but it is also a great benefit to all levels of students,” said Porod. “Currently, undergraduate engineering students have the option to take a fabrication course with Greg Snider, professor of electrical engineering, in the NDNF. In the class, the students begin with blank silicon wafers and ultimately create integrated circuits that contain thousands of individual devices. This course focuses on repeatability and yield, which is essential for real-world applications when these students enter the workforce.”
Originally published by at dailydomer.nd.edu on August 27, 2017.