Fabrication and Engineering

Fabrication

BeAM Design Center

The BeAM Design Center (formerly the ESE Research Design Center) functions as a research service center within the BeAM (Be A Maker) network.  Our mission is to facilitate research through consultation, innovative design, fabrication and implementation assistance.  Our project scope ranges from modest modifications and repairs to design and fabrication of complex field research installations.

Chemistry Department Electronics Facility

Chemistry Department Electronics Facility provides consultation, electronic circuit research and development and construction services, repair, maintenance, and trouble-shooting, primarily to the Chemistry Dept., but also to other UNC departments.

Chemistry Department Glass Shop

Chemistry Department Glass Shop is a full service shop primarily engaged in the design and fabrication of specialized scientific glassware as well as repairs and modifications of existing glassware.

The Glass Shop has on hand virtually all sizes of borosilicate (Pyrex and Kimax) glass tubing ranging in size from 2 mm up to 178 mm in diameter. All sizes of commonly used ground glass joints and a large selection of both glass and Teflon stopcocks are maintained in a large inventory. A smaller selection of quartz tubing and ground joints are also maintained in stock. Special items can be ordered if necessary.

Equipment in the facility includes a 8 1/4 inch bore glassblowing lathe, two smaller glass blowing lathes, drilling, cutting, and grinding equipment.We also have ultrasonic and spot welding capabilities. Annealing ovens for both borosilicate and quartz apparatus are available, as well as a vacuum system for producing evacuated glass or quartz vessels. We also have experience in the silver plating of apparatus for vacuum use.

We have experience with a large variety of materials used in glassware fabrication including glass to metal seals, fritted glass, and transition glasses.

Eligible Users: Department of Chemistry as well as other UNC departments and outside organizations.

FastTraCS Design Lab

We offer design support ranging from CAD assistance (3D modeling) to more in-depth product development and guidance services.

Depending on the project’s needs, collaboration can range from several weeks to longer term engagements. Innovators will receive a whiteboard ideation of their project, final design report, and 3D representative model of their device idea.

Nanofabrication

Chapel Hill Analytical and Nanofabrication Laboratory (CHANL)

The Chapel Hill Analytical and Nanofabrication Laboratory (CHANL) was established in 2006 as part of the Institute for Advanced Materials, Nanoscience and Technology. CHANL operates as a shared instrumentation laboratory open to UNC researchers from all departments as well as to researchers from other universities, government labs, and industry. User fees are charged for instrumentation usage to recover the cost of materials, supplies, and instrumentation maintenance.

Operation: Provide expertise and technical resources, to assist researchers in designing experimental plans, acquiring appropriate data, and interpreting data.

Research applications: Provide cost-effective access to analytical and nanofabrication instrumentation that would not otherwise be available in individual research labs.

Instrumentation available: Alcatel AMS 100 Deep Reactive Ion Etcher (DRIE), Atomic Layer Deposition: Ultratech/Cambridge Nanotech Savannah S200 (ALD), Advanced Vacuum Vision 310 Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition System, PVD 75 magnetron sputtering system, Thermionics VE-100 Electron Beam Evaporator, Mask Aligner, Hot Embosser, Resonetics Rapid X250 Laser Ablation, Scaning Electon Microscopes (SEM), P-6 Stylus Profiling System, Filmetrics F50 Thin-film Mapper, AutoGlow Oxygen Plasma System, Atmospheric Oven, Microspectrophotometry, AFM-IR (Infrared absorption spectroscopy mapping of nanoscale features. Chemical mapping resolution of 10nm.), Nanoindenter (Hardness and modulus analysis in physicological conditions. Pico-newton force resolution with micron-scale contact area.), FIB lift-out (A TEM specimen preparation add-on for a Focused Ion Beam (FIB) milling system. Enables extraction of thin foils and placement onto TEM grids.), STEM (Scanning/Transmission electron microscope with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS)).

Training resources: Promote education by working closely with students and postdocs to provide instrument training and hands on experience.

Eligible users: All UNC investigators, as well as PIs from other academic institutions and corporate/industry labs.