Northeastern University’s Center for Nano and Microcontamination Control (CMC) develops state of the art techniques for contaminant control, mitigation, removal and characterization in manufacturing and fabrication processes. The CMC’s ongoing research and industrial collaboration creates and translates knowledge on contaminant transport on the micro and nano scale, and it explores the limitations and promise of contaminant control for commercial and research applications.
Contamination is an issue because aggressive miniaturization of products and processes is reducing feature sizes to less than 20 nm. Since 2002, the CMC has addressed particulate and chemical contamination and defects that directly affect semiconductor fabrication and the manufacture of nano and microscale devices. Contamination also affects MEMS and NEMS devices with micro and nanoscale channels, and hard disk head fabrication.
Among its activities, the CMC developed metrology techniques for nanoparticles, and novel techniques for removing nanoparticles from surfaces and nanoscale trenches. The Center also offers customized educational programs to industry in terms of tutorials and workshops for companies active in the area of contamination control.