Cleanroom Capabilities: Understanding Limitations & Adapting Techniques for Novel Device Fabrication

The drive towards smaller, more energy efficient components for technological applications requires significant research and development. University cleanrooms are an invaluable asset which allow for the creation of devices that we hope may one day become ubiquitous in our everyday technology. However, taking the step from design to functional device can often be less straightforward that we may assume. Standard processes may be insufficient for prototype fabrication, and while fabrication processes are highlighted in publications, they may not be the main focus, resulting in small but important details being lost or withheld. As a result, cleanroom users often find themselves reinventing the wheel, with optimisation of processes and changes to standard procedures being overlooked due to time constraints, or simply finding themselves hampered by a lack of equipment. But the ability to adapt and adjust process flows to work within the constraints of the materials and equipment available is vital in producing reliable, repeatable devices. Producing high-quality devices with high throughput in a research cleanroom can be a daunting task but understanding the Chemistry and Physics that underpin fabrication is key.

This talk will look a number of standard cleanroom capabilities, from lithography to deposition and etching, alongside their limitations and workarounds that routinely appear in standard device fabrication It will also include at the general overview of device processing as well as case studies where simple but invaluable process design changes facilitate the production of high-performance devices.

Short Bio

Dr Rory Gilroy received their MSci in Physics from the University of Glasgow and their PhD in Condensed Matter Physics from the University of Bristol. Following their PhD, they were a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sheffield working on Acoustic Metamaterial devices, with a focus on fabrication and materials engineering. In 2024 they moved to the University of Leeds to work an Experimental Officer in the Leeds Nanotechnology Cleanroom.

The Leeds Nanotechnology Cleanroom spans 800m2 and is home to a wide array of
technological capabilities. In this position, they focus on providing support to users from a wide range of research areas, along with the day-to-day running of the facility