News

Government chief scientist praises Durham‘s new world-class research lab

(20 October 2004)

Scientists in two cutting-edge branches of ‘nanoscale’ technology are pioneering world-class developments in a unique new research lab with an ultra-clean environment at the University of Durham.

The Molecular Electronics and Microsystems Clean room which was officially opened by Sir David King, the government’s Chief Scientific Adviser on a visit to the School of Engineering. It is equipped with powerful equipment to work with materials on an extremely small scale and in a specially controlled clean atmosphere to minimise impurities.

Sir David said Britain is one of the most science research intensive countries in the world, second only to the United States in volume, but 60 per cent more productive per £ invested than anywhere else in the world.

“While we do this well, we must now have the facilities to do well such as provided in this new laboratory. The country needs to see returns for investment in science innovation and investing in the best talent and best facilities allows scientists to work at the leading edge of research”, he said.

The lab will explore the interface between the relatively new branch of organic chemistry that is producing ‘plastic electronics’ and the long-established field of silicon-based microelectronics – represented respectively by the research leaders Prof Michael Petty and Dr David Wood.

The new facility supports existing work by their teams - one producing new organic materials with electronic properties and the other developing nanoscale components and devices – where dimensions are measured in terms of a handful of atoms. They work in two ‘time-zones’: one with industry on contemporary questions about testing and problem-solving to help develop specific products, such as advanced components for mobile phones, flexible displays, food quality monitoring and smart cards', and the second is dedicated to the longer-term basic scientific advances that could lead to new devices and processes over the next 10-20 years.

The £0.5 million clean room project has been funded jointly by the Royal Society-Wolfson initiative to support science infrastructure, One NorthEast/Office of Science and Technology, and the University itself.

Prof Petty said: “Our new clean room uniquely brings together this mix of knowledge about materials and technologies. Silicon is the workhorse of microelectronics, but there are lots of new developments with plastic. Among the things we are exploring is how to integrate the new materials into the established technology or how we can adapt the properties of silicon with minute chemical changes.”

One example of the work is a joint project by Prof Petty and Dr Wood recently awarded funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to look at mechanical components (such as cantilevers, position actuators, and motors) that are built up from layers of polymers (plastics).

This ultra-clean facility, which is a unique facility in this field of nanotechnology, brings plastic electronics and silicon microelectronics together in a way which allows research to proceed in a single laboratory.

It is a Class 1000 150 sq metre workspace which has facilities for processing plastic and silicon working to microscale (one millionth of a metre) and nanoscale (one billionth of a metre).

The new MEMS clean room accommodates 23 academic and research staff, experimental officers, technicians and research students.

After officially opening the new MEMS laboratory, Sir David addressed an invited audience of academics and students on the subject of climate change. He took time afterwards to answer questions ranging from alternative sources of renewable energy, global warming effects of jet aircraft, the Kyoto Agreement, the influence of scientists on politicians, and the loss of tropical rain forests and the need to excite more young people to enter science studies.

ends

Further information

Prof Michael Petty, Co-director, Centre for Molecular & Nanoscale Electronics
T: 0191 334 42419 E: m.c.petty@durham.ac.uk web: http://www.dur.ac.uk/molecular.electronics/.

Dr David Wood, Microsystems Technology Group, Tel: 0191 334 2464.
E: david.wood@durham.ac.uk web: http://www.dur.ac.uk/microsystems.technology/.

Or : University PR Office: Tom Fennelly 0191 334 6078