Original Date: 01/27/1997
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

The Microtechnology Center, a multidisciplinary engineering and science center, partners with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) programs and external customers to solve problems by using state-of-the-art microelectronics technology. By inventing and applying new microtechnologies, the Center enables its partners and customers to achieve their goals in global security, biosciences, and global ecology. Research areas include custom microfabricated structures, micro-analytical instrumentation, microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMs), high speed electro-optic modulators, quantum electronic devices, guided wave photonics, flat panel displays, and semiconductor and MEMSs device monitoring.

As an interdisciplinary group of more than 50 people, the Center relies on physicists, chemists, biologists, chemical engineers, mechanical engineers, electronics engineers, and support personnel. By interacting and communicating across the disciplines, the diverse staff offers various experiences and approaches for solving complex problems. In addition, the Center draws upon all of LLNL’s departments and resources as needed. The result is a high degree of synergy which is reinforced by the layout of the facility. The Center is housed in an 18,000 square-foot laboratory with 7,500 square-foot, class 10 to 100 clean rooms. Each clean room is process-oriented rather than discipline- oriented which facilitates maximum interaction. This arrangement (Figure 2-11) promotes an excellent blending of staff and facilities.

The Microtechnology Center achieved an exceptional record of innovation and success. In 1996, the Center won a Federal Laboratory Consortium award for its extremely thin, high resolution CRT display which uses LLNL- developed gated nanocones. The Center also provided a major advancement in microelectronics cooling technology by developing producible silicon microchannel coolers that can achieve a heat dissipation of over 1000 watts per square centimeter. By using microfabrication technology, the Center miniaturized biomedical instruments with applications in DNA sequencing, flow cytometry, polymerase chain reaction-based diagnostics, and micro-tools for interventional therapies. The Center also developed pioneering microinstrumentation advancements with applications in chemical and biological warfare detection.

The Microtechnology Center focuses on technologies needed by its customers that are not available elsewhere. In those cases where commercial technology is available, the Center then focuses on niche applications. By using multi-disciplinary teams and pooled resources, the Center has successfully worked with industry to solve problems and develop commercial applications.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.