NYU leadership have joined University faculty and partners in October to cut the ribbon at the newly-minted NYU Nanofabrication (NanoFab) Cleanroom.
The specialised research environment is a facility in which scientists and engineers can fabricate cutting-edge semiconductor chips to advance research on quantum science and engineering, precision medicine, neurotechnologies, next-generation communications technology and secure computing.
Located on NYU Tandon’s campus, the NYU NanoFab helps fulfil the promise of the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, signed into law by President Biden in 2022.
The CHIPS and Science Act aims to bolster US chip manufacturing to meet growing global demand, and to support related research and development and workforce cultivation.
NYU NanoFab, the only such academic facility in Brooklyn, will be available to all NYU faculty and students, and to the academic and tech communities in Brooklyn and beyond. The state-of-the-art facility will allow researchers to make semiconductors that accelerate artificial intelligence advances, power quantum computing, produce new medical devices and develop other innovations that improve people’s lives and create connected and safe communities.
The research space
NYU and this core research space are part of the NORDTECH Microelectronics Commons consortium, including NY CREATES; the University at Albany College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering; Cornell University; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; and IBM. Last month, NORDTECH received $40 million from the Department of Defense’s Microelectronic Commons Program.
NYU Tandon completed the initial construction of the NanoFab in 2018, funded in part with $1 million from the City of New York Office of the Brooklyn Borough President – a position held at the time by current New York City Mayor Eric Adams – as well as a $2.5 million grant awarded by the Higher Education Capital Matching Grants Program administered by DASNY. Today’s ribbon-cutting commemorates the facility’s upgrade to full operation under the leadership of NYU NanoFab Director Davood Shahrjerdi, and the acquisition of new next-generation fabrication and characterization equipment and other major enhancements of operational infrastructure.
The NYU NanoFab offers notable capabilities for processing emergent semiconductors and quantum materials, including:
- Plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition of high quality metal oxide and metal nitride dielectrics;
- State-of-the-art ion beam etch system to thin down exotic materials, such as magnetic materials, with nanoscale precision enabled by secondary ion mass spectroscopy end point detection;
- Atomic layer etch system for thinning quantum materials with atomic precision;
- Sputtering system for deposition of superconducting metals;
- Capability to support 200 mm substrates to facilitate collaboration with other cleanrooms, fostering innovation and advancement in materials research.
At NYU Tandon alone, the NanoFab will align with existing Centers such as NYU WIRELESS and the Center for Cybersecurity, as well as Areas of Excellence at the school ranging from Health to Urban and Sustainability. It will continue to drive university leadership in quantum computing, artificial intelligence and robotics.
Charles Schumer, US Senator: “Congratulations to NYU on the opening of its newly minted Nanofab Cleanroom. This facility will help make sure the technologies of the future are researched, developed, and manufactured right here in New York. This New York City and Upstate New York research partnership is what I envisioned when leading the charge to pass the transformational CHIPS & Science Act. I will continue to do everything to make sure CHIPS and Science delivers for New York, so we can preserve America’s lead on chips, and drive the next wave of tech jobs and prosperity.”
This nanofabrication cleanroom will allow us to continue to work across Tandon’s seven areas of research excellence. This room will not only help only spur the economy, but will ensure that Tandon researchers are creating next-gen chips right here in Brooklyn
- Jelena Kovačević, Dean of NYU Tandon and William R. Berkley Professor
Eric Adams, New York City Mayor: “New York City is the global hub for innovation and developing the industries of tomorrow — today. I am proud that, as Brooklyn borough president, I supported and invested $1 million in the initial construction of New York University’s Nanofab cleanroom. This new state-of-the-art facility represents our city’s ability to break new ground in technology, attract the best and brightest minds, and constantly look towards building a better future.”
Linda G. Mills, NYU President, said: “NYU Tandon’s new Nanofab cleanroom in Brooklyn will be a state-of-the-art laboratory where our world-class scientists, scholars and students—as well as our partners and collaborators from around the city—can harness their ingenuity and innovative prowess to advance scientific discoveries while boosting both New York’s economy and burgeoning tech sector.”
Jelena Kovačević, Dean of NYU Tandon and William R. Berkley Professor, added: “This nanofabrication cleanroom will allow us to continue to work across Tandon’s seven areas of research excellence. This room will not only help only spur the economy, but will ensure that Tandon researchers are creating next-gen chips right here in Brooklyn.”
Stacie Grossman Bloom, Vice Provost for Research and Chief Research Officer, NYU, said: “The opening of the nanofabrication cleanroom in Brooklyn is just another example of how NYU is leading the way when it comes to cutting-edge innovation. The cleanroom will allow faculty from across our university to drive innovation, tap into Chips and Science opportunities and align with industry for the benefit of society.
Davood Shahrjerdi, Director, NYU Nanofabrication Cleanroom; Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, NYU Tandon: “I am grateful for the opportunity and support to lead the effort in shaping the vision and infrastructure of the Nanofab. After two demanding years of enhancing infrastructure and experimental research capabilities, I am excited that this project came to fruition and this core research laboratory is now available to support the cutting edge research on functional materials and nanoscale devices. Nanofab's mission is to equip our community with cutting-edge experimental capabilities to advance the frontiers of semiconductors and quantum materials, while empowering us to educate the next generation of scientists and engineers equipped with critical knowledge for tackling the grand challenges of our time. Our mission aligns perfectly with the goals of the CHIPS and Science Act.”
