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Contact: John Wood, 272-7150 |
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August 15, 2002 Video and Photo Opportunity: Demonstrations of UNM’s cleanroom
will include processing of semiconductors. Open House Showcases UNM’s Cleanroom The University of New Mexico School of Engineering has scheduled an
open house for the Manufacturing Training and Technology Center (MTTC)
cleanroom Wednesday, Aug. 28, from This event, co-hosted by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), will feature
presentations, demonstrations and tours of the multi-million dollar semiconductor
cleanroom. Speakers will include Brian Foster, UNM provost; Joseph Cecchi, School
of Engineering dean; Lenny Martinez, SNL vice president; Danice Picraux,
state representative; Cisco McSorley, state senator; and Paul McWhorter,
chief technical officer of MEMX, a microsystems company. The MTTC cleanroom, in addition to training UNM engineers and Albuquerque
Technical Vocational Institute (TVI) technician students, is now open
for small companies to prototype microelectronic and microsystem devices. Although some research will be conducted there, the MTTC cleanroom is
primarily a teaching tool distinguishing it from such facilities at other
universities. The cleanroom is also intended to support co-training of
engineers and technicians by simulating an actual manufacturing facility. John Wood, director of UNM’s manufacturing program, said the cleanroom,
once complete, positions UNM to be competitive for federal grants in a
variety of fields requiring microsystems, as well as providing a venue
for start-up companies to prototype devices prior to large-scale production.
The cleanroom, in its first phase configuration, uses silicon wafers
(such as those used to create computer chips) and can run photolithography
processes. This is the first step to creating the multiple metal and oxide
layers that are patterned to make up microelectronic circuits or micro
electromechanical systems (MEMS). Major equipment, donated from Intel Corporation and Philips Semiconductor, are used on the process line. AT&T and SNL have also provided equipment for the facility. ### |
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Please let us know what you thought of this article. Comments to: paaffair@unm.edu |
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