Tech Resource Seminar: The University of Washington Node of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

The University of Washington Node of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

The National Science Foundation National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) is a geographically and technically diverse group of university user facilities that provides open infrastructure resources to academic and industrial users nationwide. Researchers come to NNIN to reduce ideas into practice and to take advantage of specialized tools and unique staff knowledge with minimum barriers and at an affordable cost. NNIN provides capabilities to explore materials and structures at the nanoscale, and equipment to fabricate nano- and micro- devices and systems. Here, I will briefly describe the network and its operation, and focus on the University of Washington node of NNIN, a site that emphasizes the applications of nanotechnology in biology and life sciences. UW-NNIN houses advanced characterization (TEM, SEM, SPM, Laser Scanning Confocal and Raman microscopy, Biacore SPR) and nanofabrication (e-beam lithography, soft lithography, dip-pen and nanoimprint lithography, atomic layer deposition) tools, together with traditional microfabrication capabilities.