Immersive Curriculum

Students are introduced to graphene, a 2D material with applications from flexible electronics to water filtration. Following classroom discussions of 2D material fabrication and characterization methods, students have 6.5 hours of hands-on experiences with graphene in VINSE in the Cleanroom, Analytical Lab, and Advanced Imaging.

In the Cleanroom, each student fabricates graphene using mechanical exfoliation, liquid exfoliation, and chemical vapor deposition and observes with optical microscopy how the graphene size and color changes based on fabrication method. In the Analytical Lab, each student uses confocal Raman spectroscopy to compare the thickness and amount of defects in graphene made with each method. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), students directly measure graphene thickness and grain size of their highest quality graphene and compare results with those in research papers and lectures. This immersive experience gives students practical knowledge of the tradeoffs between graphene fabrication methods, which complements theoretical classroom content on 2D material fabrication, characterization, and applications.

Students are introduced to common fabrication processes used in the semiconductor industry, which have applications in microelectronics, flat panel displays, and solar energy harvesting. Following lectures on topics such as vacuum system technology, thin film deposition and etching, photolithography, and material characterization, students gain hands-on experience in the VINSE cleanroom and Analytical Lab to complement lecture material.

In the cleanroom, students use the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and sputter deposition systems to deposit metal and silicon-based thin films. Fluorine- and chlorine-based reactive ion tools in conjunction with chemical benches are used to demonstrate dry and wet etching processes. Spin coaters, hotplates, and the mask aligner are used for photolithography processes. The electrical probe station is used to test electrical characteristics of fabricated electronic devices. In the Analytical Lab, spectroscopic ellipsometry and stylus profilometry are used to characterize film thickness and understand the effect of varying process parameters used in the Cleanroom fabrication tools.

The hands-on part of this course covers the practical aspects of materials spectroscopic characterization techniques. This practicum also provides an in-depth introduction to the principles, instrumentation, and applications of materials optical characterization techniques. A variety of material samples systems is characterized using Absorption, Fluorescence, Raman and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The VINSE Analytical laboratory experiments provide practical experience with the optimization of instrumental conditions for characterization and data analysis and interpretation. Analytical and quantitative applications of these techniques for investigating different types of materials are also described.

Students are introduced to nanofabrication and applications of nanofabrication, with applications from medical testing devices to energy collection. Following classroom discussions on deposition (putting down materials), etching (removing materials), and lithography (making patterns), students have 8 hours of hands-on experiences with these techniques which are the building block methods of nanofabrication in the VINSE Cleanroom and Specimen Preparation.

The students make and test solar cells, water repellant and attractive coatings, artificial organs, and chemical sensors to gain practical knowledge of nanofabrication as a tool for solving problems. The students identify problems they want to solve with nanotechnology and spend an additional 10 hours in VINSE in the Cleanroom, Analytical Lab, and Advanced Imaging, to develop and test prototype devices to solve these problems. These immersive experiences give students practice knowledge of nanoscale fabrication and, with the other course content, cover applications of nanotechnology from concept and first principles through commercialization culminating in a product pitch. This course, which is team-taught with instructors from VINSE, the Wond’ry, Center for Technology Transfer & Commercialization, and Engineering Management, was launched with funding from VentureWell.

Students are introduced to quantum dots, which have a multitude of applications ranging from display technology to biological labels to quantum information systems. Following a short presentation to explain basic properties of quantum dots and how they are being investigated as potential single photon sources for quantum computing, students have hands-on experiences with quantum dots in the VINSE Analytical Lab and the transmission electron microscope (TEM) in Advanced Imaging.

In the Analytical Lab, students observe quantum dot fluorescence and absorption and how they change as a function of quantum dot size. Using the TEM, students image individual quantum dots and investigate their composition with elemental analysis. This immersive experience gives the students more intuition and practical knowledge about quantum dot size, properties, and applications, which complements the more theoretical discussion of quantum engineering taught in the class.

In this introductory seminar, students are introduced to the field of nanotechnology. In the first half of the course, students are visited by guest lecturers with specializations in various fields including nano-electronics, nano-optics, nano-bio and nano-energy. In the second half of the course, students visit the VINSE cleanroom and learn the key processes behind the development and fabrication of nano-devices including photolithography, deposition, etching and electrical testing.

In this course, students are introduced to the concepts and chemistry behind modern batteries. In the VINSE cleanroom, students follow a literature procedure to build a stretchable battery on a polyimide/ poly methylmethacrylate substrate. Techniques used include photolithography, electron beam evaporation and wet etching

Students are introduced to device fabrication and testing through the lens of one device - a Schottky junction solar cell. Following a pre-lab presentation on patterning metal with photolithography (stenciling tiny features with light) and how this and other processes are used to create a solar cell, students have three hours of hands-on experience making and testing solar cells in the VINSE Cleanroom.

In the Cleanroom, students observe chemical etching (removal) of material from a chip, create the "stencil pattern" for a solar cell electrode on a chip with lithography, observe metal deposited onto a stenciled chip, and chemically remove a stencil to reveal patterned metal on the chip forming part of the solar cell, thus directly experiencing all the main parts of nanofabrication. After making their devices, the students test the solar cells they make and connect the properties of the data they measure with theoretical device behavior taught in the class. This immersive experience gives students firsthand knowledge of the complexity and variety of steps involved in creating a device and testing device functionality, which builds on theoretical discussions of the properties of materials and device operation.

This advanced course introduces the techniques behind the fabrication of microfluidic devices. It includes an overview of microfabrication and microfluidics, photolithography, soft lithography, polymers, paper-based microfluidics, microfluidic device design, fluid dynamics, microfluidic device applications and case studies of literature examples. Lectures alternate with hands-on laboratories in the VINSE cleanroom. The course culminates in the fabrication of a microfluidic device of the students’ own design (based on a literature example) using one of the techniques learned earlier in the semester.

Nano 3000 and IMS5300 is a blended undergraduate and graduate level course that introduces students to electron microscopy. This course emphasizes extensive hands-on experience with the Scanning Electron Microscope, the Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscope and the Transmission Electron Microscope located in the VINSE imaging suite. These labs provide approximately 10 hours of experience operating the microscopes under various conditions to understand image formation and how to correctly interpret their images. Further, each student is required to design their own electron microscopy experiment and then apply what they’ve learned in the class to acquire informative images.

Students are introduced to 2D materials such as graphene, which have great potential for next-generation microelectronics and membrane applications.

In the VINSE Cleanroom, students perform mechanical exfoliation of graphite to produce graphene flakes. Chemical vapor deposition of graphene is also demonstrated using a thermal tube furnace. Characterization of the graphene is performed on optical microscopes in the Cleanroom and Analytical Labs, as well as through Raman microscopy in the Analytical Lab.