Quattrone Nanofabrication Facility

Quattrone Nanofabrication Facility. It is a state-of-the-art academic cleanroom and research center dedicated to advancing nanoscale science and engineering. Opened in 2015, the facility provides critical infrastructure for fabricating and characterizing devices at the atomic and molecular scale. It serves as a core resource for the University of Pennsylvania and collaborates extensively with industry and government partners.

History and establishment

The facility was conceived in the early 2010s to address a growing need for advanced nanofabrication resources within the Ivy League and the broader Mid-Atlantic research corridor. A landmark gift from financier Frank Quattrone and his family provided the foundational support for its construction. The design and planning phase involved close consultation with leading institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. Its official opening coincided with a major push in National Nanotechnology Initiative funding, positioning it as a key node in the nation's research infrastructure. The first director, appointed from the faculty of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, oversaw the installation of its initial suite of electron-beam lithography and physical vapor deposition tools.

Facilities and capabilities

Housed within the Levine Hall complex, the facility occupies a multi-story, vibration-damped structure with over 10,000 square feet of Class 100 and Class 1000 cleanroom space. Core capabilities include advanced lithography systems such as deep ultraviolet lithography and nanoimprint lithography. A comprehensive suite of tools for thin-film deposition encompasses atomic layer deposition, sputter deposition, and chemical vapor deposition. For patterning and etching, it offers reactive-ion etching and focused ion beam milling. Metrology and characterization are supported by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and ellipsometry. The infrastructure includes specialized labs for bioMEMS fabrication and quantum device processing, with stringent environmental controls for temperature and humidity.

Research and applications

Research at the facility spans a transformative range of fields, enabling breakthroughs in next-generation electronics and photonics. Teams are pioneering work on two-dimensional materials like graphene and molybdenum disulfide for ultra-low-power transistors. In the realm of biomedical engineering, projects focus on lab-on-a-chip diagnostics and neural interfaces for studying Parkinson's disease. The facility is instrumental in developing novel platforms for quantum computing, including superconducting qubits and topological insulators. Energy-related work advances perovskite solar cells and solid-state battery architectures. Collaborative programs with the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Arts and Sciences foster highly interdisciplinary projects, from nanophotonics for sensing to engineered scaffolds for tissue regeneration.

Governance and access

The facility operates under the executive direction of the University of Pennsylvania's Provost's Office and the Vice Provost for Research. Day-to-day management is handled by a technical director and a staff of PhD-level scientists and engineers. Access is governed by a tiered model: internal academic users from the University of Pennsylvania undergo standardized training on safety protocols and tool operation. External access is available to researchers from other academic institutions, Fortune 500 companies, and Department of Defense affiliates through formal partnership agreements. Project proposals are reviewed by an internal committee, and usage is allocated based on scientific merit and alignment with the facility's strategic focus areas. Training programs are certified in accordance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines and International Organization for Standardization cleanroom standards.

Notable achievements and impact

The facility has underpinned research published in high-impact journals such as *Science* and *Nature*, including pioneering demonstrations of Majorana fermion devices. It has been central to multiple projects funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Science Foundation. Work originating here has led to several startup companies, particularly in the fields of flexible electronics and point-of-care testing. The facility's training programs have educated hundreds of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, many of whom have taken positions at leading SEMI member companies and national laboratories like Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Its open-access model is frequently cited in reports by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology as a benchmark for accelerating innovation from basic discovery to technological application.

Category:University of Pennsylvania Category:Research institutes in Pennsylvania Category:Nanotechnology organizations Category:Buildings and structures in Philadelphia