W. M. Keck Smart Materials Integration Laboratory
The W. M. Keck Smart Materials Integration Laboratory is designed to allow Penn State University scientists to create a new generation of smart integrated components that combine electrical, mechanical and optical functions. "Smart" materials sense a change in the environment and respond to that change in a useful way. The laboratory will enable the integration and miniaturization of "smart" materials and the fabrication of components that go beyond conventional semiconductor-based materials. This is done by utilizing both semiconductor and low temperature co-fire ceramic technologies.
The Laboratory Enables:
- Thin film deposition and patterning
- Thick film patterning and lay-up facilities (including direct write and ceramic tape technologies)
- Electrical and optical characterization facilities to study the properties of smart materials.
The laboratory includes a class 100 cleanroom, photolithography and patterning capabilities, a 3 target magnetron sputtering tool, a complete suite of tools for low temperature co-fire ceramic technology, a micropen for direct writing of complex circuitry, a nonlinear near field scanning optical microscope, a probe station, and some electrical characterization equipment.
The laboratory was primarily supported by a generous grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation, along with a major equipment donation from Motorola, Inc., and support from Penn State University.
Vision Statement:
To realize a new generation of integrated devices that combine diverse functionalities on a smart material chip.
- Smart piezoelectric sensors and actuators
- Miniature biomedical devices for surgery and blood tests
- All-optical circuits than can process light at >GigaHertz
- Tunable dielectrics for microwave communication
- Photostrictive robots on a chip
Current Research Areas:
- Vision for Device Integration
- Integrated Device
- Smart Materials for Integrated Optics
- Applications of Integrated Piezoelectric Devices
Equipment Listing:
- Micropen
- Clean Room
- Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics
- Near Field Scanning Optical Microscopy
- Lesker Sputtering Tool
- Dielectric Characterization
Other Dielectric Characterization Facilities can be found at: http://www.mri.psu.edu/mcl
Contact Information:
Susan Trolier-McKinstry
151 MRL Bldg
Email: Validate to view contact info
Phone: 814-863-8348
The dedication of the W. M. Keck Smart Materials Integration Laboratory (SMIL) at the Pennsylvania State University was held on March 21, 2002 on the University Park Campus.
