The Lurie Nanofabrication Facility is the culmination of more than 50 years of steady advancement in device fabrication techniques at Michigan, beginning with the Electron Tube Laboratory (ETL) in 1946.
Now a world-class facility that serves not just the University of Michigan but researchers across the globe, the LNF annually drives approximately $55M in technology-advancing research in such a clean environment that in some cases particles are no larger than .3 microns – the approximate size of the smallest bacterial cell.
Built to facilitate next-generation research in semiconductor device and circuit fabrication, integrated microsystems and MEMS technologies, and broad areas of nanotechnology including nanoelectronics, nanophotonics, and nanobiotechnology, the LNF also enables researchers to explore new materials for applications ranging from healthcare to national security.
LNF-enabled research has led to:
- improved neural probes for treatment of Parkinson’s and other diseases;
- novel methods to uncover the mysteries of the brain;
- implantable medical devices, such as arterial stents with integrated sensors;
- nanoscale lasers;
- improved cochlear implants;
- transparent and flexible electronics;
- high-efficiency lighting;
- integrated microsystems;
- next generation solar cells;
- next generation memory devices;
- neuromorphic computing circuits;
- devices for weapons detection and medical imaging; and
- new materials such as carbon nanotube coating for cloaking
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