The technical ability to work at the nanoscale is now being developed. But reliable nanodevices still await an increased understanding of the physical principles that operate at this scale, which are often very different than at other scales.
That is a key focus of the $75.8 million Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), a DOE Office of Science Nanoscale Science Research Center with its Core Facility in Albuquerque and Gateway Facilities at both Sandia and Los Alamos national labs. CINT is operating as a national user facility devoted to establishing the scientific principles that govern the design, performance, and integration of nanoscale materials.
At CINT, which officially opened its doors at an August 2006 dedication, the emphasis is on exploring the path from scientific discovery to the integration of nanostructures into the micro and macro worlds. CINT research and associated outreach activities are bringing together university faculty, students, other national laboratory scientists, and industrial researchers to propose, design, and explore the integration of new nanoscale materials into novel architectures and microsystems.
The CINT Core Facility houses low-vibration laboratories with sensitive microscopes for materials characterization, chemical/biological synthesis labs, and a clean room for nanomicrodevice fabrication and integration. Success in CINT’s mission to discover, understand, and exploit novel properties of nanostructered materials requires much more than new facilities and instrumentation: It requires a scientific community of world-class experts to attract the leading external researchers as users/collaborators.
Recognizing this, CINT has established four science thrusts that will provide the knowledge foundation for integrated nano-microtechnologies: