Key Tools and Process Capabilities
The JWNC offers an extensive range of specialist equipment and processes supporting micro- and nanofabrication, from lithography and material deposition through to etching, thermal processing and characterisation. Below is a selection of our key tools and capabilities. Please get in touch with the JWNC team if you have any questions about our equipment or capabilities.
| Area and equipment | Capabilities |
|---|---|
| Lithography PG (EBL) MA8 |
Lithography tools transfer patterns onto chips or wafers. The PG electron beam lithography system enables high-resolution patterning down to 5 nm, with sub-nanometre layer-to-layer alignment. As a direct-write technique, EBL is well suited to rapid prototyping and small-volume fabrication. The MA8 uses UV photolithography for micron-scale features and larger-area processing, including full wafers. Additional lithography capabilities include nanoimprint lithography for high-resolution pattern replication. |
| Metallisation & Deposition Evap 7 Plassys IV Plassys VI |
Metal deposition capabilities include e-beam evaporation of films up to approximately 1 µm, with materials including Al, Au, NiCr, Ti, Ni, Pt, Cr, Ta, AlSi, Ge and Ag. E-beam evaporation is directional and well suited to lift-off processes, with sputtering also available. Applications include bond pads, heaters, conductive layers, plasmonic devices and sensors. |
| Metrology SU8240 SU8240 EDX SU8230 Ellipsometer AFM – Atomic Force Microscope |
Metrology capabilities enable measurement, imaging and analysis from micron to nanometre scales, including feature widths, depths and profiles. AFM enables sub-nanometre surface topography measurements and probing of electrical and magnetic material properties, while EDX supports elemental analysis and ellipsometry enables thin-film characterisation. |
| Plasma ICP 180 RIE 80+ ICP SPTS Rapier DSiE PECVD PlamaPro 100 ALD FlexAL (Cluster) |
Plasma processing capabilities include dry etching, cleaning and deposition across materials including dielectrics, silicon, III-V semiconductors and superconductors. ICP and RIE systems support controlled material etching, while PECVD and ALD provide thin-film deposition capabilities. |
| Thermal Processing | Thermal processing capabilities support a range of fabrication processes, including oxidation, diffusion and annealing, with equipment available for both research-scale and wafer-scale processing. |
Looking for additional capabilities?
Users can also access complementary facilities across the University, including III-V semiconductor epitaxy, advanced materials characterisation and packaging.