The Microelectronics Laboratory building is one of the nation's largest and
most sophisticated university-based facilities for III-V compound
semiconductor research. University of Illinois faculty and students are
using the building's state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to conduct
research that may ultimately solve many of the problems facing the next
generation of telecommunications and information-processing technology.
The 50,000 square foot building houses facilities and equipment for optoelectronic materials' growth, submicron device patterning and fabrication, high-speed optical and electrical measurements, and ultra-high-purity semiconductor characterization. Among the highlights of this building are its 16 class 100 and class 1000 clean room laboratories for crystal growth and device processing and fabrication. Specific capabilities include molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), chemical beam epitaxy (CBE), electron and optical lithography, plasma-assisted deposition of oxides and nitrides, reactive ion etching, and plasma etching.
The building also houses the Center for Compound Semiconductor Microelectronics one of 21 National Science Foundation Engineering Research Centers nationwide. The CCSM has three goals: develop the engineering science and technology base required to fabricate low-cost, high-performance optoelectronic integrated circuits and apply them in optical interconnect systems; educate engineers in this field; and transfer this technology to industry. Eight of the CCSM's 19 research groups reside in the building.
Funded by the state of Illinois, the $13.5 million building was the first university facility in the world to be build in accordance with the stringent H6 fire and safety codes applicable to semiconductor laboratories.
