The Minnesota Nano Center, or MNC, is the Midwest’s premier facility for interdisciplinary research in nanoscience and applied nanotechnology. The MNC offers a comprehensive set of tools to help researchers develop new micro- and nanoscale devices, such as integrated circuits, advanced sensors, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and microfluidic systems. The MNC is also equipped to support nanotechnology research in areas as diverse as cell biology, nanomaterials, and biomedical device engineering.

The MNC maintains two Class 100 cleanrooms totaling 8000 square feet under filter. These cleanrooms offer a full suite of lithography resources, including state-of-the-art tools for fabricating structures as small as 10 nanometers in size. The two cleanrooms have over $30 million of equipment in place and operational for optical and electron beam lithography, thin film deposition, annealing, substrate oxidation and doping, wet and plasma etching, photomask making, and characterization.

The MNC offers two labs to support interdisciplinary research in bio-nanotechnology and nanoscale materials. The Nanomaterials Lab allows researchers to make, modify, and analyze small-scale materials, including nanoparticles and micron-scale powders. The Bio-Nano Lab offers facilities and equipment for cell culturing, DNA and protein analysis, fluorescence microscopy, and multiwavelength analysis of cells. The Bio-Nano Lab is designed to support interdisciplinary research and discovery between nanotechnology and the biosciences.

Users of the MNC’s cleanroom and laboratory facilities are supported by experienced process engineers and scientific staff that can assist projects and interpret results. The labs and tools of the Minnesota Nano Center are open to all qualified users. We welcome researchers from industry and other academic institutions.