Swanson MEMS Laboratory:
661 Benedum Hall
Web site: JASMiN
The School of Engineering in the University of Pittsburgh has recently established the John Swanson Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) Laboratory. The microfabrication and characterization facilities in the Swanson MEMS Lab are suitable for thin and thick film, both silicon and non-silicon based MEMS processing and device characterization. The MEMS Lab is located in the 6th floor of the Benedum Engineering Hall. With a strong research team on board with expertise in the areas of microfabrication, smart materials (piezoelectric and electrostrictive materials, magnetostrictive materials and shape memory alloys), functional polymers and devices, micro power generation systems, and MEMS device design and applications, the School of Engineering is now in a unique position to establish a strong MEMS and nanotechnology program, especially in the areas of functional materials based MEMS and nano-devices and systems.
The facilities of the Swanson MEMS Lab are open for the School wide MEMS and Nanotechnology research and education activities. It will also provide a platform for MEMS related new product development for industrials. The current facilities can be utilized for the fabrication, packaging, and testing of various thin and thick film materials, microsensors and microactuators, and various functional materials based micro- and nano-scale devices and structures. Due to stringent processing requirements, the lab is designed to meet class 1000/10,000 clean room specifications throughout with certain areas and rooms in the lab satisfying class 1000 specifications. Activities that can be performed in the John Swanson MEMS Laboratory will include: DC and RF magnetron sputtering, photolithography, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), anisotropic and isotropic etching, reactive ion etching (RIE), bulk and surface micromachining, silicon-silicon bonding, electrostatic bonding, wire bonding, dicing, probe inspection, measurement and testing, etc. Figure 1 illustrates the general microfabrication processing and testing steps, which can be performed in the Swanson MEMS Lab for MEMS devices.
Dr. William W. Clark, Lab Director, wclark@engr.pitt.edu
Dr. Sandy Hu, Lab Manager, sandyhu@engr.pitt.edu
Web site: JASMiN
