Surrey NanoSystems has announced the first sales of its innovative new nanomaterial growth system, the NanoGrowth-Catalyst, to the École Polytechnique of Montreal, and the University of Surrey's Advanced Technology Institute (ATI), UK. These research organizations have chosen the NanoGrowth-Catalyst as a platform for their work on materials including carbon nanotubes, silicon nanowires, graphene and nanoparticles for semiconductor, optical device and other applications.
One NanoGrowth-Catalyst system will be installed in Montreal, where it will support a wide range of research groups from the École Polytechnique and the University of Montreal studying topics including microelectronics, optoelectronics and thin film physics. This system will be populated with every major processing facility available including three processing chambers served by an automated handling system, and growth techniques including CVD, PECVD, nanoparticle deposition, sputtering, thermal annealing, and rapid thermal processing. It will also incorporate a unique form of rapid thermal growth for nanomaterials developed to prevent the agglomeration of catalyst particles.
Pierre Levesque of the University of Montreal's chemistry department said, “We were looking for a very capable system that could support wide-ranging research, and which is easy to use. The very high-level software-controlled automation of nanomaterial processing offered by NanoGrowth-Catalyst gives us this versatility.”
The University of Surrey's Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) is a partner of Surrey NanoSystems and has already been using an earlier version of the NanoGrowth system for around four years to support its research into next-generation semiconductor and photonic device technologies. ATI is the first customer to receive the new NanoGrowth-Catalyst, and the system's advanced processing resources are now starting to play a role in its work. Facilities including the rapid infrared heating process and a water-cooled chuck are helping ATI to grow ordered carbon nanotube (CNT) structures while maintaining the substrate below 350°C. Low temperature processing is critical as CNTs are typically grown at around 700°C - a level that is incompatible with CMOS semiconductor fabrication.
“The top-down infrared heating technique provided by this tool allows us to localize energy delivery very accurately”, said Professor Ravi Silva, Head of the Nano-Electronics Centre at ATI. “The system provides unparalleled control of processing parameters, giving the required flexibility to support research into nanoelectronic materials - including carbon nanotubes, graphene and silicon nanowires - enabling us to overcome roadblocks to ongoing semiconductor development.”
