Cleanrooms
The EPFL Center of MicroNanoTechnology is a complex of clean rooms and processing equipment for the training and scientific experimentation devoted to the users of microtechnologies.
History
The first cleanroom at CMi opened to the public in 1999, featuring basic microelectronics and MEMS processes, such as deep silicon etching and SU-8.
Since then, the CMi has undergone several evolutionary transformations, expanding its available working area to satisfy the increasing demand from external users and investing in new infrastructure to broaden the capabilities of its cleanrooms, branching out into nanofabrication, biology and materials and most recently, taking its step into quantum science and engineering.
| Type | Floor | Year | Added surface |
| Initial surface | BM-1 | 1998 | 1000 m² |
| Extension | BM+1 | 2010 | 300 m² |
| Extension | BM0 | 2017 | 100 m² |
| Extension | BM0 | 2022 | 350 m² |
| Total | 1750 m² |
Equipment
The EPFL Center of MicroNanoTechnology is continually expanding the range of equipment and instruments that it makes available to its scientific users, providing the possibility to diversify research and the opportunity to explore domains, paving the way for future research in biology and quantum science.
CMi recently introduced a DUV stepper, the ASML PAS 5500/350C, into its cleanroom environment. Its high throughput (over 100 wafers/hour) made it very popular in major semiconductor fabs (such as Intel, Samsung, TSMC, etc.) for producing integrated circuit chips. As the size of transistors gets smaller, more advanced technologies are necessary to push back the physical limitations of existing equipment, and DUV steppers, such as this one, are retired from large-scale manufacturing. The units are often refurbished by the original manufacturers and given a second life on the market, as well as for R&D and academic platforms.
A full list of the equipment available at CMi, including in-depth technical documentation, can be found on the scientific user facility website.