Press Release

IIT Mandi unveils state-of-the-art class 100 clean laboratory for device fabrication

Institute develops ’s first maskless nanopatterning and imaging tool, “Helium Ion Microscope”, also unveiled at IWNEBD-2018 today

MANDI, 31stOctober 2018: Indian (IIT) Mandi is hosting the International Workshop on Nano/Micro 2D & 3D fabrication and manufacturing of Electronic & Biomedical Devices and Applications (IWNEBD-2018) at the institute campus between October 31st and November 2nd, 2018. This event seeks to provide an opportunity for networking and research collaborations. Leading engineers, industrialists, scientists and student researchers from all over the world are at IIT Mandi to discuss the progress and future trends in Nano/Micro 2D- and 3D- fabrication technology used in the manufacture of electronics and biomedical devices. The international workshop, conceived by Prof. Timothy A Gonsalves, Director of IIT Mandi, will be presided by Mr. Subrhamanyam, Secretary – Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Govt. of India and will feature talks by some of the pioneers in the field of advanced lithography, electronics and 2D-3D manufacturing from academia and industry.

The event was inaugurated by Shri R. Subrahmanyam, Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Development. Some of the many other luminaries who are sharing their ideas and knowledge at the workshop include Dr. Vivek Singh from Intel Corporation USA, Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Director of IIT Delhi, Prof. B. R. Mehta, also of IIT Delhi, Prof. Enakshi Bhattacharya and Prof. Nandita Dasgupta from IIT Madras, Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar, VC of JNU, Delhi, Prof.Habil. Jörg Schulze from Germany, Prof. Kuen-Yu Tai from Taiwan, Dr. M. S. M. Saifullah from Singapore, and Prof. Ashok Srivastava, LSU, USA and Dr. Patrick Naulleau from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory USA.

Some of the invited talks at the workshop were on topics such as Computational Imaging, Technology for Sustainable Development, 2D-3D Interfaces for Thermoelectric Applications, Metal Additive Manufacturing of Medical Devices, next generation EUV Lithography, and more.

Electronics devices are ubiquitous in the modern world and range from the mundane mobile phone to AI devices that rival science fiction. “Lithography is the core foundation in the sequence for all electronic device fabrication” says Prof. Kenneth Gonsalves, an international expert in advanced lithography resist technology. Lithography (Greek: Lithos– stone, graph – write) has been routinely used to fabricate integrated circuits, information storage devices, sensors, photonics devices, biochips and biomedical devices. Fifty two years after Moore’s law that states that computer power doubles every two years at the same cost, continued miniaturization has extended lithography into micrometre (10-6 m) and nanometre (10-9m) scales, giving rise to micro and nano-lithographic techniques, proving Richard Feynman belief that there’s plenty of room at the bottom.

Helium Ion Microscope IIT Mandi is best suited for this workshop because it is the first in India to develop a maskless nanopatterning and imaging tool, called “Helium Ion Microscope” or HIM, in which, a positively charged beam of helium gas (helium ion/plasma) is used to produce patterns without a mask or resist. A positive charge is created on the semiconductor surface, at the spot hit by the positively charged helium ions, which results in a sharp pattern with high resolution. This method, commonly referred to in scientific circles as “sputtering” can produce patterns as small as 5-10 nm, with excellent precision. These ions/charged particle-based instruments offer incredible flexibility and the highest throughput for prototyping customized devices for research and development as well as industrial applications. The helium ion beam based new technology can also be used to generate high resolution images of the samples in the same instrument.

Centre for Design and Fabrication of Electronic Devices (C4DFED) The HIM is being unveiled at the international workshop, along with a state-of-the-art class 100 clean room facility for device fabrication. This clean room facility, which will be part of the Centre for Design & Fabrication of Electronic Devices, is the first-of-its-kind in India. The world-class clean room will be capable of handling research projects like Development and Application of Nanoelectronics, Development of Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUL) resists materials for the next generation technology node, IC design and fabrication and Nano-Micro (NEMS & MEMS) systems and designs etc. This Centre is set to provide latest infrastructure, while fulfilling the research needs of the research community at IIT Mandi, while creating a network of faculties and researchers working in the field of electronic device design and fabrication, as well as foster growth.

Scientists at IIT Mandi have also developed advanced resists for multiple lithography applications. A resist is a chemical coating that is made on a semiconductor (e.g. silicon) surface to develop patterns either using solvents or by exposure to light of various wavelengths. With financial support from Intel in 2012, IIT Mandi developed resists for Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography to produce patterns that are 20 nm in dimension and have recently reported hybrid resist materials for sub-10 nm patterning. The advantage with extreme ultraviolet lithography is the possibility of high volume manufacturing of nano-dimensional components with great precision. Such developments would help the semiconductor industry in India comply with and support the Government’s ‘Make in India’ initiatives.

The workshop at IIT Mandi will pave the way for universal idea exchange and collaboration. “This will be the first workshop in India on advanced lithography with industry and academic leaders from the US, Taiwan and Singapore”, says Dr.Gonsalves. “Focus will be on writing nanoscale 2D- and 3D- patterns using photons, electrons and ions, for advanced silicon chip devices” he adds, about the miniaturization of lithographic techniques.

India’s foray into micro- and nano-lithography will benefit from IIT Mandi’s international workshop, which will not only help in exchange of ideas and know-how among researchers, but also bring together academia, industry, public sector and the Government of India. Such collaboration will serve to identify and develop a "silicon mountain valley" in and around Mandi, to benefit from the research at the institute.

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About IIT Mandi (http://www.iitmandi.ac.in/) Nestled in Sivalik Range of the Himalayas, IIT Mandi is fast emerging as a leader in science and technology education, knowledge creation and innovation, in an India marching towards a just, inclusive and sustainable society. Since the first batch of students took place in July 2009, IIT Mandi has grown to host 1,276 students including 274 PhD, 46 MS and 17 I-Ph.D. research scholars, 104 Faculty, 150 staff, and attracted funding to the tune of over Rs.70 crore for Research Projects. A growing body of alumni, nearly 850 in number, will surely, in future, become the champions of this institute as they assume leadership positions in industry, academia and administration.

From 586 students in 2013, the institute aims to grow to 5,000 B.Tech, M.Tech/M.Sc. and M.S./Ph.D. by 2029. Currently, the campus has completed about 80,000 sq.m. of construction. Another 1,50,000 sq.m. is currently under construction. IIT Mandi will be a fully residential campus with all students and 95 percent of the faculty residing within it.

Since 2010, IIT Mandi’s faculty have bagged nearly 180 projects worth more than Rs. 77 Crore. IIT Mandi, in just 9 years of its existence, has been able to develop several labs and facilities on its campus here at Kamand, creating an extraordinary research ambiance. The Advanced Materials Research Centre (AMRC), created with an investment of about Rs. 50 crore, houses advanced instruments for the characterization of materials with scope for drug delivery, electrical, electronics and biological applications. Since its inception in 2013, the AMRC has contributed to more than 200 research publications.

The institute has an Interdisciplinary Academic Culture which is Design-oriented. The B.Tech. curriculum focuses on Real-World team projects from the Year One to Four A strong humanities component as well makes the IIT Mandi curriculum even more relevant to the society at large. There are many active MoUs with TU9 in Germany since May 2011.

Launched in 2016, IIT Mandi's very own technology-business incubator Catalyst is the first Technology Business Incubator (TBI) in . It aims to incubate technology-based startups focused on economic and/or social impacts. EWOK (Enabling Women of Kamand Valley) is another very innovative program being run by IIT Mandi which focuses on Skills training village-scale businesses by village women using Internet and pervasive mobile network and Serving local and global customers.

Media contact for IIT Mandi:

IIT Mandi Media Cell - [email protected] Vijay Thakur – Media Cell at IIT Mandi Cell: 9459278227 / Email ID: [email protected] SamriddhiBhal - Footprint Global Communications Cell: 7905887524 / Email: [email protected] Palak Sakhuja - Footprint Global Communications Cell: 9582338333 / Email: [email protected] Bhavani Giddu - Footprint Global Communications Cell: 9999500262 / Email: [email protected]