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Overview

The MicroNanoFabrication Laboratory (MicroNanoFab Lab) at ×î´ó×ÊÔ´²É¼¯Íø is designed to provide Biomedical Engineering students with hands-on training in the fabrication, characterization, and application of microscale biomedical devices. The laboratory expands the instructional and research capacity of the FAU BME program by introducing students to cleanroom practice, photolithography, thin-film deposition, microelectrode fabrication, plasma etching, surface characterization, and micro-device inspection. The laboratory is led by Myeongsub (Mike) Kim, Ph.D., Director of the MicroNanoFabrication Laboratory.

The MicroNanoFab Lab supports emerging areas of biomedical engineering, including biosensors, BioMEMS, lab-on-a-chip systems, Organ-on-a-chip devices, microfluidics, wearable and implantable devices, neural interfaces, and diagnostic platforms. By integrating microfabrication tools into the BME curriculum, the laboratory will help students connect engineering design principles with practical device development for healthcare applications.

The facility includes a modular cleanroom, gowning room, air shower, fume hood, spin coating and hot plate systems, an OAI mask aligner, reactive ion etching system, ion sputter coater, Angstrom Covap physical vapor deposition (PVD) platform, surface profilometer, visible-light microscope with filters, chemical processing supplies, and supporting infrastructure. Together, these resources provide a modern instructional environment for microfabrication education and biomedical device prototyping.

A. Instrumentation Capabilities and Technical Functions

The FAU MicroNanoFab Lab houses instrumentation that supports controlled microfabrication, thin-film processing, device patterning, and microscale characterization.

Cleanroom Environment and Safety Infrastructure

The laboratory includes a modular cleanroom, air shower, and gowning room to provide a controlled environment for contamination-sensitive microfabrication processes. Students will learn cleanroom entry procedures, gowning protocols, particle control, process documentation, and safe handling of chemicals and materials.

A fume hood supports chemical processing and solvent use, including work with photoresists, developers, acetone, ethanol, and other fabrication-related chemicals. The laboratory is also supported by personal protective equipment (PPE, e.g., cleanroom gowns, hoods, masks, gloves and boot covers), storage cabinets, sinks, air lines, vacuum lines, power connections, and gas tank holders. This infrastructure enables safe and reproducible fabrication workflows while reinforcing laboratory safety and engineering professionalism.

Photolithography and Pattern Transfer

The laboratory includes an OAI mask aligner, spin coater, and hot plates, which together support standard photolithography processes. The spin coater allows students to apply uniform layers of photoresist, while the hot plates are used for soft baking, post-exposure baking, and curing steps. The mask aligner enables precise transfer of microscale patterns from photomasks onto substrates.

These tools are central to the fabrication of microfluidic channels, biosensor patterns, microelectrode arrays, cell-patterning substrates, and BioMEMS structures. Students will learn the relationship between computer-aided mask design, lithographic exposure, development, and final device geometry.

Thin-Film Deposition and Microelectrode Fabrication

The laboratory includes an Angstrom Covap PVD platform, which supports thin-film deposition for microelectrodes and biomedical device structures. This capability allows students to fabricate conductive layers used in biosensors, neural electrodes, electrochemical sensing platforms, and implantable or wearable biomedical devices.

An ion sputter coater provides additional coating capability, including sample preparation for scanning electron microscopy and surface modification. Together, these tools introduce students to the role of thin films in biomedical sensing, electrical interfacing, and surface engineering.

Plasma Etching and Microstructure Definition

A reactive ion etching system, or RIE, provides plasma-based etching capability for pattern transfer and microstructure definition. This system allows students to explore how selected materials can be removed with precision to create biomedical microdevices.

RIE processes are important in the development of microfluidic systems, BioMEMS structures, cell culture platforms, patterned surfaces, and microscale biomedical sensors. Students will gain exposure to process variables such as plasma conditions, etch rate, material selectivity, and feature resolution.

Surface and Device Characterization

The laboratory includes a surface profilometer for measuring step height, film thickness, surface topography, and patterned device features. This tool allows students to quantitatively evaluate whether fabrication outcomes match design specifications.

A visible-light microscope with filters supports inspection of patterned substrates, alignment quality, surface defects, channel structures, and device geometry. These characterization tools help students connect fabrication steps with data analysis, quality control, and engineering validation.

B. Curricular Integration

The MicroNanoFab Lab will be systematically integrated into the FAU Biomedical Engineering curriculum to support progressive skill development from introductory laboratory exposure to advanced design and research.

Undergraduate Courses

At the undergraduate level, the laboratory can support structured modules in courses such as biomaterials, bioinstrumentation, biomedical device design, tissue engineering, and senior design.

Biomaterials Laboratory: Students can fabricate and characterize patterned polymer films, SU-8 structures, and surface-modified substrates. The spin coater, hot plates, profilometer, and microscope can be used to study film thickness, surface uniformity, and material behavior after processing.

Bioinstrumentation Laboratory: Students can examine how microelectrodes and patterned conductive films are fabricated for biomedical sensing. The Denton evaporator and mask aligner can support demonstrations or projects involving electrode design, signal acquisition, and sensing interfaces.

Biomedical Device Design: Students can use the lab to understand how medical device concepts move from design drawings to physical prototypes. Topics may include mask layout, fabrication process planning, device packaging, testing, and design constraints for manufacturability.

Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory: Microfabricated substrates and patterned surfaces can be used to study cell adhesion, cell guidance, microenvironment control, and tissue organization. Students can learn how microscale geometry influences biological behavior.

Microfabrication Technology: This course provides a comprehensive introduction to microfabrication and MEMS technologies, focusing on the techniques and processes used to create micro- and nanodevices. Students will learn the fundamental principles of microfabrication, including lithography, etching, deposition, and bonding methods, and their applications in the development of a wide range of micro- and nanostructures.

Senior Capstone Design: Capstone teams can use the laboratory to prototype microfluidic chips, biosensors, diagnostic devices, microelectrode systems, wearable sensor components, or organ-on-chip concepts. This will allow students to build more sophisticated biomedical devices and validate them through quantitative testing.

Graduate Courses

At the graduate level, the MicroNanoFab Lab will support advanced experimentation and independent inquiry in areas such as BioMEMS, biosensors, microfluidics, neural engineering, tissue engineering, and translational medical device development.

BioMEMS and Microfluidics: Graduate students can design, fabricate, and test microscale channels, valves, sensing regions, and device architectures for biomedical applications.

Advanced Biosensors: Students can fabricate microelectrode-based sensing platforms and investigate how electrode geometry, surface coatings, and material selection influence device performance.

Neural Engineering and Interfaces: The lab can support fabrication of microelectrodes and patterned conductive structures relevant to neural stimulation, recording, and implantable biomedical systems.

Advanced Biomedical Device Development: Students can integrate fabrication, characterization, and testing to develop prototypes that address clinical or research needs.

Graduate instruction will emphasize experimental rigor, reproducibility, process optimization, quantitative characterization, and translation of microfabricated technologies toward biomedical use.

C. Undergraduate Research and Experiential Learning

The MicroNanoFab Lab will play an important role in supporting undergraduate research and experiential learning. Students will be able to participate in faculty-mentored projects involving biomedical sensors, microfluidic devices, cell-patterning systems, microelectrode fabrication, and diagnostic platforms.

Examples of undergraduate research applications include:

· Fabrication of microfluidic channels for controlled fluid transport and biological assays. · Development of microelectrode patterns for biosensing and bioinstrumentation projects. · Surface patterning to study cell attachment, alignment, and growth. · Characterization of thin films using profilometry and optical microscopy. · Fabrication of prototype lab-on-a-chip devices for biomedical diagnostics. · Preparation of coated samples for advanced imaging and surface analysis.

Through these experiences, students will gain practical skills in experimental planning, cleanroom procedures, device fabrication, troubleshooting, data analysis, technical reporting, and research communication. These activities can lead to senior design projects, conference presentations, undergraduate publications, and stronger preparation for graduate study or industry positions.

D. Alignment with ABET Outcomes

The MicroNanoFab Lab directly supports ABET student outcomes by giving students access to modern engineering tools and authentic design experiences.

Experimentation and Data Analysis: Students will design fabrication processes, collect measurement data, evaluate device dimensions, and compare results with design specifications.

Engineering Design: Students will develop biomedical device concepts that consider constraints such as material selection, fabrication limits, biocompatibility, safety, cost, and intended clinical application.

Problem Solving: Microfabrication requires students to apply principles from engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science to solve open-ended technical problems.

Communication: Students will document fabrication procedures, analyze process results, prepare laboratory reports, and present design outcomes.

Ethics and Safety: Training in cleanroom behavior, chemical safety, contamination control, and responsible device development will be embedded into laboratory instruction.

Teamwork and Multidisciplinary Practice: Projects in the lab will require collaboration among students with interests in biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, materials science, biology, and medicine.

The MicroNanoFabrication Laboratory provides FAU’s Biomedical Engineering program with a distinctive instructional and research environment for microscale biomedical device development. Its cleanroom infrastructure and fabrication tools will allow students to move beyond theoretical instruction and gain direct experience designing, fabricating, and characterizing biomedical technologies.

By integrating the MicroNanoFab Lab into undergraduate and graduate education, FAU will prepare students for careers in medical devices, biotechnology, diagnostics, microelectronics, healthcare technology, and biomedical research. The laboratory will strengthen the program’s capacity to support hands-on learning, senior design, faculty-student research, and interdisciplinary innovation.

The MicroNanoFab Lab represents an important investment in FAU’s ability to educate biomedical engineers who can design and build the next generation of biomedical sensors, BioMEMS devices, lab-on-a-chip systems, Organ-on-a-chip devices, neural interfaces, and microfabricated healthcare technologies. 

For questions about the Department of Biomedical Engineering or the MicroNanoFabrication Laboratory, please contact the department at bme@eng.fau.edu.