World Class Nanotechnology Research Center Opens

Eh-Wire writes "The University of Alberta and Edmonton are mighty proud to be home to the new National Institute of Nanotechnology. The $52.2-million(Canadian) facility is designed to provide the optimal conditions for nano-scale research and to foster collaboration between researchers. Apparently it is Canada's quietest space and engineered that way to minimize vibration and acoustical noise. Even the electrical wiring has been twisted to reduce electro-magnetic interference. Curiously enough the head project architect, Donna Clare of architectural firm, Cohos Evamy was also the head project architect for Edmonton's highly acclaimed Winspear Centre, a concert hall designed specifically to enhance acoustics. There's likely going to be some big things coming from this state-of-the-art research facility for the really really small."

Sorry but this is not new

[karvind]

Even the electrical wiring has been twisted to reduce electro-magnetic interference.

This is done in all the high precision instruments and the facility in which they are installed. TEM [wikipedia.org]s and electron beam lithography [wikipedia.org] tools often have a separate foundation isolated from the rest of the building to minimize vibration issues.

Probably they should mention about the tight control over temperature, humidity and airflow as well.

Minatec

[GrAfFiT]

You might be interested by the recently launched european equivalent : Minatec [minatec.com].

Re:This makes me worry

[Pulse_Instance]

The University of Alberta has their own nano tech lab called the NanoFab [ualberta.ca] and it is good for what it did. However it is an open access research facility and the space inside of it was almost all used up by the time I finished working there 2 years ago. This new lab is huge and has tons of room for more equipment and has taken advantage of new construction techniques in order to allow for more sensitive equipment. There is a lot of research in nano-tech happening in Alberta and this will allow it to continue.

UMass has one in progress..

[not-admin]

The University of Massachusetts in Lowell is building a new $23 million dollar nanotechnology center, with area for corporations to rent for use as assembly systems:
http://www.uml.edu/Media/News%20Articles/article34 6.html [uml.edu]

Georgia Tech has a center under construction

[boredandblogging.com]

Its 160,000 sq ft with 30,000 sq ft of clean rooms. Of course it won't be done till the summer of 2008 and cost $80M. The biggest private contribution has been from Bernie Marcus, one of the founders of Home Depot, for $15M.

Georgia Tech Nanotechnology Research Center [gatech.edu]
Nanotech @ Tech [gatech.edu]

Re:Nanoscience requires low vibration environs

[Teclis]

FYI:

requires very low vibration so that the ultra fine tip does not drift with time

The vibrations have absolutely NOTHING to do with drift. The drift is caused by temperature gradients in the microscope. One part of the microscope thermally expands/contracts more than another part and the tip and sample will drift. The vibration issue is another matter related to image noise. The feedback used to maintain a tunneling junction has limited bandwidth and excessive vibrations will show up in images as noise. Minimizing vibrations does nothing more than make quieter images allowing smaller features to be observed.

Relevant Links, and some insight as to why

[geerbox]

I had a chance to tour the original NINT facility (not the new one), and I recall a few interesting facts from it. Perhaps most interesting is that the original facility resides at a higher level (read: not basement or 1st floor), and while that means little to most of us, apparently the vibration of a building at that height - in MICROmeters - does effect NANO-research. I suppose that when you do research that's so intensive, factors you've never considered become critical in design, and the essential need for shielding from vibration and electrical interference is partially the reason for the cost of the building.

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Institute_fo r_Nanotechnology [wikipedia.org]

Press Release:
http://www.engineering.ualberta.ca/news.cfm?story= 47344 [ualberta.ca]