LAB14 GmbH, a corporate network based in Germany, has become a member of the MIT.nano Consortium, enhancing collaboration in nanofabrication and microfabrication technologies. This partnership aims to leverage shared resources to drive innovation and research in the field.
Vladimir Bulović, founding faculty director of MIT.nano and the Fariborz Maseeh (1990) Professor of Emerging Technologies at MIT, expressed enthusiasm about LAB14’s membership. He highlighted the consortium’s role in fostering cross-disciplinary discoveries, stating, “The addition of LAB14 to the MIT.nano Consortium reinforces the importance of collaboration to advance the next set of great ideas.”
LAB14 comprises eight high-tech companies: Heidelberg Instruments, Nanoscribe, GenISys, Notion Systems, 40-30, Amcoss, SPECSGROUP, and Nanosurf. These firms focus on developing essential products and services that support both industrial and research-driven applications in micro- and nanofabrication. Operating under a shared organizational structure, LAB14 enables closer coordination in technology development, which accelerates research progress and streamlines manufacturing workflows.
Martin Wynaendts van Resandt, CEO of LAB14, described the significance of joining the consortium. “This participation allows our network to collaborate directly with world-leading researchers, accelerating innovation in micro- and nanotechnology,” he stated.
As part of this collaboration, LAB14 plans to install two advanced pieces of equipment at MIT.nano within the coming year. The first is the VPG 300 DI maskless stepper, a cutting-edge direct-write system from Heidelberg Instruments. This tool will be housed in MIT.nano’s cleanroom, enabling users to pattern structures smaller than 500 nanometers with precision comparable to high-resolution i-line lithography. With advanced multi-layer alignment and mix-and-match capabilities, the VPG 300 facilitates a seamless connection between laser direct writing and electron-beam lithography.
The second piece of equipment, the EnviroMETROS X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS/HAXPES) tool from SPECSGROUP, will enhance the characterization capabilities at MIT.nano. This system is adept at nondestructive depth profile measurements, utilizing multiple X-ray energies to analyze thin-film samples’ thickness and chemical compositions with high precision. It supports various analyses across a wide pressure range, allowing researchers to examine thin-film materials under realistic environmental conditions.
MIT.nano serves as a collaborative platform for academia and industry, promoting research and innovation in nanoscale science and engineering. Members of the consortium benefit from unparalleled access to MIT.nano’s extensive resources and dynamic user community, fostering opportunities to share expertise and guide advancements in nanoscale technology.
The consortium continues to welcome new companies as sustaining members, enhancing its mission to drive innovation in micro- and nanotechnology. For more information and a list of current members, visit the official MIT.nano Consortium page.
