Opmaak 1 - NanoLabNL

Enabling your R&D in nanotechnology
Welcome!
NanoLabNL locations
The summer of 2014 brought good news for NanoLabNL. The Netherlands Organisation for
Scientific Research (NWO) and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science announced
the allocation of seventeen million euros for investments in NanoLabNL. As a result,
NanolabNL can continue its contribution to the success of start-ups like Tide Microfluidics,
HQ Graphene and Single Quantum, as well as the research of nanoscientists like Leo
Kouwenhoven, Mireille Claessens and Erik Bakkers. All of which, and much more, you can
read about in this 3rd newspaper.
This periodical brings you all you need to know about NanoLabNL. Do you work for an
international company or want to start your own business? Are you a researcher or
interested in using NanoLabNL facilities? In this periodical you can read all about what
NanoLabNL has to offer. The NanoLabNL periodical will appear regularly. If you would like
to be kept informed, you can join the NanoLabNL group on LinkedIn, follow us on Twitter
(@nanolabnl) or visit www.nanolabnl.nl.
Guus Rijnders, Chairperson of the NanoLabNL foundation
You can find the NanoLabNL facilities at the
following locations:
About NanoLabNL
Volume 3 - october 2014
Groningen
Zernike NanoLab Groningen
Twente
MESA+ NanoLab Twente
Delft
Kavli NanoLab Delft and TNO NanoLab Delft
Eindhoven
NanoLab@TU/e and Philips Innovation Services
NanoLabNL is the Dutch facility for nanotechnology research. Since 2004, we have been offering the
use of our facilities and expertise to universities, research institutes, start-ups and industry at four
locations in the Netherlands (Delft, Eindhoven, Groningen and Twente). Our mission:
To provide a full-service and open-access infrastructure for R&D in nanotechnology.
We support scientists in their research and businesses in improving or renewing their products
and production processes and/or developing new products.
Each of the locations is tied to a university
or research institute. The six partners at the
four locations cover most of the country
and offer the widest possible spectrum of
nanotechnology facilities for researchers
and industry in the Netherlands.
Delft
Nanoscientist Leo Kouwenhoven
‘I see nanotechnology as a toolbox’
Leo Kouwenhoven is one of the best-known nanoscientists in the Netherlands. He was the first person
in the world to produce the Majorana particle, he is working with Microsoft on a quantum computer
and his colleagues at TU Delft teleport over increasingly greater distances. An interview on nano and
quantum, the benefits of regional facilities and the measures he would take if he were minister.
Nano appears to be out and quantum
in. How do you see it?
‘I see nanotechnology as a toolbox. Quantum is
one of the applications, one of the things you can
research and develop with this toolbox. I
personally use nano for quantum research.
Materials are being developed with nano tools in
Eindhoven which have controlled material
variations on a nanometre scale, while other
scientists are studying living tissues with the help
of nano tools. And in the coming years, nano tools
will be increasingly used in electrical engineering
and computer science.’
Since the successes with the Majorana
particle and with quantum
teleportation, the expectations around
you and your group are enormous. Is
that difficult?
‘It can be, yes. But at the same time, I think this
era, from 2010 to 2020, is more interesting and
more exciting than the previous decade, and again
the decade before that. This is an extremely
interesting time to be in.’
What do you think about the NanoLabs
and about nano research in the
Netherlands?
The basis of nanotechnology was established ten
years ago and earlier with NanoImpuls and
NanoNext. We now have a solid foundation with
facilities at various locations. You see that more
and more people and groups are getting involved.
You can also see the application of nano tools
emerging, such as at AMOLF, for example,
which has set up an institute for optics together
with ASML.’
Would it not be better to have just
one nano institute in the
Netherlands?
‘No. We also have more than just one hospital
in the Netherlands. And more than one bicycle
repairman. If nanotechnology was just about
scientists, it might be worth considering
establishing a central nano institute. But
nanotechnology is no longer simply a matter for
scientists alone. Just look at all the start-ups
around the University of Twente. The area has
many users of nanotechnology. It should be
possible to serve these start-ups and other
companies locally.’
And what would you change about the
innovation policy?
‘I would allocate a lot more money to science and
start-ups. I would not necessarily want to change
anything about the NWO, the top sectors, a fund
for the future or what the ministries of Education,
Culture and Science and Economic Affairs do. All
forms of policy can work well, but only when they
have a budget to match. We have an abundance
of good ideas in the Netherlands, but not enough
capital. I would therefore visit the Minister of
Finance every day. And I would also take a critical
look at all research institutes. I think that
institutes should become part of universities. Just
as the energy-research institute DIFFER is relocating from Nieuwegein to Eindhoven. Institutes
should not stand isolated. Furthermore, if you
take a critical look at the institutes and close a
few of them down, you will create space for new
ones. This space is needed for taking advantage
of opportunities whenever they arise, which is
not possible if everything is stuck in the mud.’
If you were the Minister of Education,
Culture and Science, what would you
change about education?
‘I would appoint a specialised science teacher at
primary schools. Compare it with the specialised
PE teacher. The science teacher would give
science lessons to all years. I would also make it
possible for secondary school pupils to choose a
computer language as a foreign language. In
today's society, it seems to me that in many
cases a language such as French is no more
useful or important than a programming
language.’
Leo Kouwenhoven
1
NanoLabNL
Five questions about QuEEn, the next step from NanoLabNL
NanoLabNL
is continuing
The summer of 2014 brought good news for NanoLabNL.
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research and the
Ministry of Education, Culture and Science announced the
allocation of seventeen million euros for investments in the
NanoLabs. What is going to change? What will be staying as
it is? Five questions about the next five years.
1. What does QuEEn stand for?
QuEEn is the name of the application for
investment submitted by NanoLabNL to the
government, who have awarded us seventeen
million euros as a result. It stands for Quantum
Electrical Engineering. It is an umbrella term
showing what research and what developments
the NanoLabs are seeking to facilitate in the next
five years. It involves three main pillars. The first is
aimed at discovering and developing new
materials and structures with exceptional quantum
characteristics, such as graphene and silicene. The
second pillar focuses on the transfer of
information in the nano world – this involves
quantum computers and cryptography, for
example. The third pillar relates to the formation
of images and sensors. Examples that come to
mind here are new types of microscopes and the
manufacture of sensors that detect tiny forces.
Among the areas where sensors of this kind can
be used are the inkjet industry and in diagnostic
tests in the medical sector.
2. What will be staying as it is?
NanoLabNL will continue to be the Dutch centre
for research and innovation in nanotechnology. Its
cleanrooms and advanced equipment will remain
accessible for new companies, established
industries, and universities. The labs will be
Groningen, Twente, Eindhoven and Delft, as
before. Each lab will be moving forward with the
help of its own specialists and their own specific
equipment, tailored to the research being carried
out there. The work method and cooperation in
NanoLabNL will remain the same, and the
implementation of QuEEn will continue to be
closely coordinated.
3. What will be different?
The focus in QuEEn will be widened towards new
materials, information transfer and imaging, and
sensors. Moreover, existing expertise and
equipment will continue to be available for fields
like bionanotechnology, nanomedicine,
microfluidics, photonics, and nanoelectronics.
Thanks to the reinvestment fund set up by the
partners of NanoLabNL, the current equipment
can be kept up-to-date. The board of
NanoLabNL, consisting of experienced
researchers, and the steering group of
technicians will regularly examine whether the
machinery continues to meet the needs of
scientific development and the demands of users.
4. Will there continue to be room for
companies?
Yes, of course. The doors of NanoLabNL are open
not just for scientific research. In recent years,
more and more companies have become
acquainted with the facilities there, and they are
also spending an increasing amount of time in
the cleanrooms. Until now, it was mostly
university spin-offs that used the facilities, but in
recent times an ever-greater number of
businesses from contiguous fields have been
doing so. One example is that of a company
operating in microtechnology and now seeking
to make the move to nano. In the NanoLabs, it
can test new concepts without having to
purchase expensive cleanrooms and equipment
itself. The vouchers, too, will continue in
existence. Companies may submit their proposals
at fixed times on two sides of A4. After
consultations and training, they are then given a
few days on which they can use the facilities free
of charge.
5. What will happen in five years?
In the next few years, NanoLabNL will continue
to ensure that the labs will remain available to
the nano community, including after the end of
QuEEn. This will be done in several ways. The
labs have been associated with universities and
the Netherlands Organisation for Applied
Scientific Research from the very beginning, and
their embedment has provided a natural safety
net. At the same time, NanoLabNL is looking at
partnership opportunities at European level.
Meanwhile there are more and more companies
that are discovering NanoLabs, and paying to use
it. NanoLabNL is looking forward to the next five
years and beyond with confidence.
The NanoLabNL locations and their expert techniques
Zernike NanoLab Groningen
• Soft molecular landing deposition
• Ultra high vacuum low temperature
scanning tunneling microscopy of surfaces
• High resolution photo electron spectroscopy
for elemental surface characterization
Kavli NanoLab Delft
• Nanostructuring by charged particle
beams
• Fabrication of quantum devices
• Bionano imaging and superresolution
microscopy
MESA+
NanoLab Twente
• Surface level research and
modifications
• Analysis and high resolution
nanoimaging
• Device development for
bionano and health
applications
Philips Innovation Services
TNO NanoLab Delft
• Vacuum cleaning technologies
• Ultraclean handling and particle
detection
• Specialized metrology
• Deposition of organic, magnetic and
semiconductor nanostructured material
• Processing of III-V-based integrated
nanophotonic devices
• Advanced nanoscale processing
Project managers and their research teams celebrate the award from the
National Roadmap for Large-Scale Research Facilities
NanoLabNL possesses basic and expert technologies
Each of our four locations offer a range of basic and expert technologies. The basic
technologies provide a general infrastructure suitable for common nanofabrication activities
with a low geographical threshold. The expert technologies provide unique facilities
and/or expertise unlikely to be found anywhere else in the country.
NanoLab@TU/e
Our facilities can be used for research,
development, prototyping and Small-Medium
volume production.
2
Twente
Tide Microfluidics makes
bubbles to order. Among the
purposes for which the
bubbles are used is as a
contrast medium for
echocardiograms, or for
transporting medication. In
2013, the company received
a voucher from NanoLabNL.
Founder Wim van Hoeve
explains: "There is a great
deal of interest at
international level in our
equipment, and in late 2014,
we will be supplying to
researchers and medical
researchers."
Start-up company Tide Microfluidics cannot manage without the skills and knowledge of NanoLabNL
‘NanoLabNL has the best facilities’
In early 2012, you said in an interview
that in one year's time you would like
to be able to place a bottle with
bubbles on a table in front of
someone and ask, 'how many would
you like, and in what size?' Did you
manage it?
"Yes. We have taken our prototype to
researchers and to medical researchers, and
made some bubbles. You could see the
researchers pacing up and down the room, and
then there was a brief silence before the ideas
started coming. A few sighed that they had
been trying to make bubbles for ten years and
that with our device they would finally be able
to do so."
And now?
"We have now received our first orders, which
we will be delivering at the end of 2014. We
Timeline
Tide Microfluidics has been in existence for
three years now. The timeline is as clear as it
is impressive.
2011: Wim van Hoeve founds Tide
Microfluidics
2012: Prototype of bubble machine is ready
2013: Tide Microfluidics receives voucher
from NanoLabNL
2014: First orders are received, delivery in
late 2014
2015: Development of 'Nespresso version'
for clinics
have also taken on a second employee who is
taking care of the business side of things."
ovens, the lithography machines, and the
microscopes."
In the summer 2014 you came second
in the New Venture Challenge. What
did that bring you?
Are you going to continue using the
NanoLab?
"First of all, a decent wad of money. Apart from
that, it was the day of the final that was
particularly enjoyable. We had to pitch our
business plan to a panel of twenty investors and
entrepreneurs in three minutes, who then had ten
minutes to ask us questions. It teaches you the
best way of getting your message across. The
meal after-wards was also useful. It's a completely
different world to the one we normally operate in,
and yes, we are in discussions with investors."
What are your plans for 2015 and
beyond?
"We first want to develop a version of our
machine that doctors will be able to use in
hospitals. We call it our 'Nespresso machine': it
should be as simple and logical as making coffee.
You insert a cup or chip, you press a button, and
you receive the bubbles you want. In order to get
a machine from the research stage into a clinic,
we have to meet a number of requirements, and
this is what we are now working on, as well as on
carrying out the necessary tests."
What have you done with the
NanoLabNL voucher?
"We used the time to try out new things. If a
customer asks us to produce a new type of
bubble, we will modify our chip in the NanoLab.
We use etching equipment, for example, to etch
glass, and we also work extensively with the
"Yes. We make the prototypes of our chips in the
lab. We receive help from the NanoLab specialists:
I discuss the matter at hand, they advise and carry
it out. The NanoLab and MESA+ have the best
facilities, and there are many people who work
there who have so much knowledge. The
possibilities relating to the manufacture of chips
are growing by the day. Structures are becoming
increasingly small and complex. It is a world in
itself, and as a small start-up company, that is
something we cannot keep up with."
MESA+
NanoLab Twente
MESA+ NanoLab Twente is the state-of-theart research facility that can boast an
absolutely first-rate cleanroom and advanced
analysis possibilities. The laboratory is freely
accessible to researchers and entrepreneurs.
More than 400 people use the laboratory
every year, and almost 40% of its turnover is
generated by the dozens of businesses engaged in research and development or smallscale production in the MESA+ NanoLab.
Expert technology
• Surface level research and modifications
• Analysis and high resolution
nanoimaging
• Device development for bionano and
health applications
Contact
Gerard Roelofs
Head MESA+ NanoLab
Mail: [email protected]
Tel: +31 (0)53 489 3860
Facilities within NanoLabNL
Rates
All of our equipment can be found in our database (at www.nanolabnl.nl). The database
can be searched by location, process and sub-process. If you have any questions about
our facilities, please do not hesitate to contact one of our representatives.
You can also discuss your technological issues with our technology specialists. Our
representatives will be more than happy to assist you.
We distinguish two rates related to NanoLabNL facility use:
- Public rate: Users from public research communities in the Netherlands, e.g.
FOM, STW, NWO, Universities, Research institutes, etc.
- Private rate: Other users, private parties.
For more information please visit www.nanolabnl.nl
3
Delft
TU Delft start-up Single Quantum makes detector threads in the NanoLab
Separate light particles
The TU Delft start-up Single
Quantum makes extensive use
of the Kavli NanoLab clean
room. Sander Dorenbos, cofounder of the company:
‘They have everything there
that we need: equipment,
chemicals, optics.’
‘During my doctoral research I was already being
asked by scientists whether our invention was for
sale.’ That says Sander Dorenbos of Single
Quantum. ‘No, we said at the time, but we could
work together on scientific articles. At the end of
my doctoral period in Val Zwiller's research group,
a very specific demand became apparent. We then
decided to start a company and to market our
invention. That was at the beginning of 2012. In
the meantime, we have now sold ten devices and
we hope to be making a profit next year.’
Plug and play
Dorenbos's invention is a detector that can count
individual light particles extremely accurately. To
date, the majority of clients are scientists. They use
the detector in experiments to encrypt confidential
messages, for example. They convert a message
into light particles, encrypt it and send it, and then
receive the particles some distance away using the
TU Delft detector. The trick lies in the fact that the
message is encrypted in such a way that you can
see upon receipt whether it has been
surreptitiously intercepted.
The TU Delft detector works better and is more
practical than light-particle counters of
competitors. The detector can count a hundred
million separate particles per second and has a
plug-and-play cooling system so that the liquid
helium does not have to be replenished all the
time. The principle behind the detector is
straightforward. Take a thin metal thread, cool it
to minus 270 degrees Celsius, send a constant
current through it and measure the resistance. If a
light particle falls on the thread, the resistance will
momentarily increase and a spike can be seen on
the supplied computer screen.
Sander Dorenbos
problems and the staff know how everything
works. Everything we need is available in one
place. Not only equipment, but also chemicals and
optics.’ Whether anything could be improved? ‘I
would be very happy if there were rooms adjacent
to the clean room where you could store things.
There are rooms available to university
departments, but not to companies.’
Microchip manufacturers
What does the future hold for Single Quantum?
Dorenbos: ‘We have sold ten systems in the last
two-and-a-half years. I think we can increase our
turnover in the coming year and break even. We
are also broadening our market. Microchip
manufacturers, for example, are a new target
group, because our detector enables us to detect
errors in the latest generation of microchips.’
What else would Dorenbos like to say to readers?
Dorenbos: ‘I would especially like to encourage
young researchers to start a company. It is really
great to start a company with something you have
invented yourself.’
Kavli NanoLab Delft
TNO NanoLab Delft
Kavli NanoLab Delft is part of Kavli Institute
for Nanoscience at Delft University of
Technology. Kavli Nanolab Delft enables the
fabrication of electrical, optical, mechanical
or fluidic nanodevices.
This way we support our users to achieve
excellent scientific results, especially in the
following research areas:
• Quantum Nanoscience (superconducting
detectors for astronomy, single molecule /
single photon / single spin detection,
quantum computing, nanoresonators)
• Bio Nanoscience (single cell/single
molecule biophysics, nanomedicine /
nanopore / nanoprobe devices)
• Imaging systems (particle optics,
plasmonic structures, photonic crystals)
TNO is the national organization for applied
scientific research with 4,500 employees and an
annual turnover of 600 million euros. Its mission
is to apply scientific knowledge with the aim of
strengthening the innovative power of industry
and government.
Expert technologies
• Vacuum cleaning technologies
• Ultraclean handling and particle detection
• Specialized metrology
Contact
Jan Leendert Joppe
Researchmanager
Mail: [email protected]
Tel: +31 (0)88 866 2401 / +31 (0)6 22 43 44 44
Apart from a basic infrastructure for micro
and nanofabrication we have a set of expert
technologies.
Expert technologies
One place
Start-up
The core of the detector consists of a thin metal
thread, which is made in the NanoLab. Dorenbos:
‘We sputter a thin metal film on a surface and
then etch just as much away until a thin line
remains measuring one hundred nanometres long
by five nanometres wide. We use optical
lithography, electron lithography, etchers and
electron microscopes.’
Dorenbos is pleased about the NanoLab:
‘Everything is well-organised, there are very few
Company: Single Quantum in Delft
Sells: device that detects individual light
particles
Price: between 50,000 and 100,000
euros, depending on the specifications
Established: in 2012 at TU Delft
Profit forecast: break even in 2014/2015
More information:
www.singlequantum.com
• Nanostructuring by charged particle
beams
• Fabrication of quantum devices
• Bionano imaging and superresolution
microscopy
Contact
Frank Dirne
Managing Director Kavli Nanolab Delft
Mail: [email protected]
Tel: +31 (0)15 278 2357
Background NanoLabNL
NanoLabNL has been a valued and valuable national nanotechnology infrastructure network
since 2004. The decision to utilise only a limited number of research laboratories and to make
them accessible to all researchers, both public as well as private, has proven extremely
effective. NanoLabNL creates, maintains and provides access to a coherent, high-level, state-ofthe-art infrastructure for nanotechnology research and innovation in the Netherlands.
NanoLabNL provides coherence between national infrastructure, access and pricing structure.
In addition to the various open innovation initiatives, the Netherlands offers a unique
infrastructure that needs to be kept up-to-date. NanoLabNL became a foundation in 2011.
4
Delft
Extremely clean lab
for extreme UV light
The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) can purchase a new XPS thanks to a NanoLabNL subsidy.
This X-ray photoelectron spectroscope measures impurities extremely accurately in the latest generation of microchip-making
machines. The XPS forms the beginning of the new lab for research with extreme ultraviolet light where manufacturers of
microchip machines test new components.
‘The old XPS will also continue to be used,
though,’ says Alex Deutz of TNO. He is heading
the project that will deliver the EBL2 lab in
eighteen months, which will house the new XPS.
Deutz: ‘EBL stands for EUV Beam Line, while EUV
means Extreme Ultraviolet Light. The ‘2’ has been
added because we already have a special lab for
extreme ultraviolet light. The current analysers
from lab 1 will be taken with us, because it will
take about eighteen months before lab 2 is ready.’
take it over. Everything takes place in a
vacuum, just like in the real microchip-making
machine: the irradiation, the measuring, the
analysing and replacing them in boxes. Why do
clients come to us? A test takes a hundred
hours. If the clients were to do the testing
themselves, they would have to shut down
their expensive production machines for five
days. And that would cost a lot of money.
Moreover, we possess those special analysers
such as the XPS.’
Extremely clean
TNO is one of the few institutions in the world
with a lab where the latest generation of
microchip-making machines can be tested.
Microchip manufacturers want increasingly smaller
structures on a chip. The traditional way of
imprinting structures on a chip, lithography, works
with visible light. However, it is not possible to
make the even smaller structures that are desired
Ten million euros
TNO will continue to work on equipping the
EBL2 lab in the coming eighteen months. The
analysers in lab 2 can cope with larger masks
and work with stronger radiation sources. TNO
is still looking for funding for part of lab 2.
Deutz: ‘The funds for the XPS have already
been agreed, thanks to a NanoLabNL subsidy.
"Why do clients come to us? If the clients were to do the testing
themselves, they would have to shut down their expensive production
machines for five days and that would cost a lot of money."
with visible light. Microchip manufacturers are
therefore switching to extreme ultraviolet light.
This form of UV light has two major
disadvantages. The first is that it is not affected by
lenses, which is why the latest microchip machines
use mirrors. However, a great deal of light is lost in
mirrors. The second disadvantage is that UV
machines must be extremely clean. UV light can
cause the smallest impurities to be deposited on
the mirror or on the mask, the mould of the chip.
A dirty mirror makes the machine less powerful,
whereas a dirty mask produces flaws on all the
chips that are made with that mask. It is therefore
very important for microchip manufacturers to
produce the best mirrors and the cleanest masks.
They are able to assess their mirrors and masks at
TNO (see also under ‘Companies use EUV lab’).
One hundred hours of testing
TNO conducts deterioration experiments, for
example. A mirror or mask is exposed to UV light
for one hundred hours in the analysis lab. They are
then checked for damage using special equipment
such as the XPS. All of the devices for testing and
analysing with UV light are located in a ten-by-ten
metre clean room at TU Delft. Principal scientist
Norbert Koster explains: ‘The clients' masks arrive
in hermetically sealed boxes. We put the box at
the front of the device, where robotic grippers
A number of other devices will come from lab
1 or are still awaiting funding. We need
approximately ten million euros in total. And
we expect to realise this in the coming year.
We want to recover the investment in the
future. Various clients have already told us they
can hardly wait for the lab to be ready.’
Companies use EUV lab
The analysis facilities for extreme ultraviolet
light (EUV) of TNO are in a clean room at the
Van Leeuwenhoek Laboratory for
nanotechnology at TU Delft. Clients include:
ASML: one of the largest manufacturers of
microchip machines in the world
Zeiss: develops lenses and mirrors for
microchip machines and works with TNO on
the EBL2 lab project
Bruker: German company that produces
among other things radiation sources for
extreme ultraviolet light
University of Twente: develops multilayered mirrors
Imec: Belgian research institute for
nanotechnology
Te Riele, Koster en Deutz
How to use our facilities
Given the broad range of facilities and expertise at NanoLabNL, there is no single guideline for
access and use, but the following options are possible:
• Direct access to our facilities with your own operator (once authorised after
instruction/training)
• Direct access with a dedicated operator from NanoLabNL
• Use of facilities within research projects
It is possible to use our equipment for short-, mid- and long-term research projects.
Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss your technological issues and/or the available
options for the facilities you are interested in.
5
Twente
‘As a research group, you cannot afford all the equipment in the BioNanoLab yourselves.’
Clumping together
With her research group, Mireille Claessens is a major user of the BioNanoLab at MESA+ in Twente, where she researches
proteins that clump together. We are familiar with the protein clumps associated with Parkinson's disease, but similar
clumps also have positive characteristics. They ensure that hormones are released in doses and give roe their toughness.
"I hope that we can use our knowledge about protein clumps to make new materials and carry out tests."
Her door is no longer always open. This is the most
visible change since Mireille Claessens became the
leader of the Nanobiophysics department one year
ago. "Obviously I still talk regularly with my
researchers and students, but nowadays it is more
often by appointment."
Claessens, who was born in 1975, studied
molecular sciences in Wageningen, where she also
obtained her doctorate for a project on plant
physiology. From 2003 to 2008, she was a
researcher at Technische Universität München, and
in 2008 she became an assistant professor in the
Nanobiophysics group at the University of Twente.
She has been the chair of the group since late 2013.
Super-resolution microscope
Claessens is researching how molecules organise
themselves into larger molecules. A well-known
example of this is the protein clumps associated
with Parkinson's disease, where the alpha-synuclein
protein clumps to form Lewy bodies. Claessens'
group is aiming to discover why the clumping
together of proteins is sometimes toxic, and
sometimes not, and they use the facilities of the
BioNanoLab for this purpose. Claessens: "As a
research group, you cannot afford all the
equipment yourselves. One example is the
confocal microscope with super resolution."
Thanks to smart technology, this light
microscope can show smaller structures than is
actually possible according to the laws of optics.
It enables the researchers to finally study
proteins in their natural environment.
Series of robots
The researchers are also getting to grips with
the new screening machine in the BioNanoLab.
The High Throughput Cell Analysis system is a
series of robots that researchers can use to
conduct multiple measurements successively
and simultaneously. They can investigate, for
example, whether newly created nano particles
are toxic to people and animals. The research is
carried out using cells, which are in dozens of
wells on multiwell plates. The plates are
transported by the robot arm between the
various measuring instruments of the system, so
that the absorption, luminescence, and
fluorescence of the cells can be measured.
There is also a special imager that makes 3D
images. Between measurements, meanwhile,
the plates with the cells can wait in a 'plate
hotel'. Claessens: "We are going to make
different types of Lewy bodies ourselves and
see which of them are toxic."
New tests and materials
And then? Where is all of this leading?
Claessens: "I hope that we can use our
knowledge about protein clumps to make new
materials and carry out tests." What Claessens
is considering, for example, are lab-on-a-chip
systems for testing whether someone has
many disease-inducing protein aggregates, or
new types of membrane that release
substances in doses aimed at particular
targets. The group is also working alongside
researchers seeking to cultivate tissues, for
cartilage transplants, for example. Claessens:
"What motivates me? Ultimately, it all comes
down to always wanting to know how things
work. After all, it is fascinating how one
protein clump is toxic in one location, while
another actually performs useful work
elsewhere."
Mireille Claessenss
"The facilities are excellent – that is beyond question – but what is much more important as far as I am concerned, is the ambiance."
Teamwork
Harold Zandvliet, aged 51, is a professor in the Physics of Interfaces
of Nanomaterials group. He studied in Twente, where he also
obtained his doctorate. He then worked in, among other places, the
Philips Natlab where he and his colleagues built one of the world's
first high-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopes. He has been
back at Twente since 1992. An interview about teamwork, the
NanoLab, and the world of research.
The team
"Take the research into silicene and germanene.
There are students and PhD candidates who carry
out much of the actual research, but our fellow
researchers also help. And let us not forget the
support services – the technicians, and the
secretarial offices. Research is real teamwork. I
cannot say it often enough."
The lab (2)
discovery to application is too long, but some things
simply take time. Take Einstein's theory of relativity,
for example. Nobody would have thought, a
hundred years ago, that it would lead to anything
useful, but now it is an essential part of our GPS
systems. Fundamental research is important, and
fortunately, funding organisations like the
Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter
and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific
Research take that into account."
"I am to be found regularly in the labs, in
discussion with students and doctoral candidates. I
try to build connections. You have to know what
people are like, what makes them tick. That way,
you can get the best out of them. Does it bother
them that I come to the lab? Well, they don't give
any indication of that, certainly. My feeling is that
they appreciate it."
The research (1)
The lab (1)
"We are researching low-dimensional structures. For
example, in two dimensions you have graphene, and
with one dimension you have nano-threads.
Meanwhile, with zero dimensions it is about quantum
dots. During the past year, we have carried out a
great deal of work on graphene and silicene. We
were the first in the Netherlands to be able to build
silicene, the little brother of graphene, but based on
silicon rather than on carbon. The big advantage of
silicon is that you can make transistors from it. In
other words, you can use it in chips. We are also
working on germanene, which is suitable for using in
chips as well, and on molecular electronics. In 2013,
we succeeded in making circuits based on a singular
molecule. This means we can make a molecular
circuit and a molecular transistor, for example."
"When picturing the MESA+ NanoLab, outsiders
often only think of the cleanroom, but there is
more to it than that. There are a large number of
lab rooms with stable floors around the
cleanroom. My group uses four of these rooms;
this is necessary because we work with highly
sensitive equipment. We only use the cleanroom
sporadically."
"What is sometimes overlooked is that universities
are first and foremost there to teach students. I
often say that students are our most important
product." Good research and patents and spinoffs are important of course, but let us not forget
the students."
The ambiance
The research (2)
"The facilities are excellent – that is beyond
question – but what is much more important as
far as I am concerned, is the ambiance."
Research is teamwork, and for me, MESA+ is like
a large family. You can drop by on people
without any problems."
"People regularly wonder whether universities of
technology should perform fundamental research.
I have no doubt that they should: clearly it is a
good thing to have the prospect of an application
on the horizon, but it should not be the be-all and
end-all. Some people believe that the road from
The university world
Harold Zandvliet
NanoLabNL is a foundation
The foundation's goals are:
- Realizing the micro and nano research facility ambitions.
- Facilitating and stimulating of current and future nano-related research.
- Stimulating the open-access character of the high tech NanoLabs.
- Connecting with national and international research programs.
- Increasing external use by companies.
NanoLabNL's programme office is run by the
Technology Foundation STW
6
Groningen
Groningen start-up supplies crystals from stock and devices to order
Starting with little money
The start-up HQ Graphene supplies crystals to the research community. They also build devices to order. The
Groningen NanoLab is essential to the company. Founder Niko Tombros: ‘We would never have been able to
acquire the expensive devices as a start-up company. Let alone the knowledge to operate them. That knowledge is
priceless and we are now getting it for free.’
Ever since Nobel Prize winners Andre Geim and
Konstantin Novoselov removed a layer of
graphene from a graphite crystal with sticky tape,
the floodgates have opened. The research
community got to work en masse with sticky tape
and crystals. The Groningen company HQ
"We offer the highest quality.
That's why the R&D
departments of Samsung and
Nokia come to us."
Graphene saw a gap in the market. They make
extremely high-quality crystals. Founder Niko
Tombros: ‘If a researcher has to make his own
crystals, he will be at it for months. We have
optimised the formulas and the growing process,
which enables us to guarantee high quality. This
saves researchers a lot of time and hassle.’
Collected assortment
Graphite crystals are ordered the most. Demand is
also high, for example, for crystals that can be
used for making semiconductors, such as highmobility phosphorus and tungsten sulphide. New
to the range is the collected assortment of more
than 35 crystals. This enables scientists to switch
from one crystal to another without any loss of
time. HQ Graphene also supplies customised
devices that contain a crystal layer with electrodes
attached. This means that researchers do not have
to set to work with sticky tape and nano tools
themselves and they can immediately start
experimenting with a crystal layer.
The Groningen company makes extensive use of
the Zernike NanoLab. Tombros: ‘We determine the
quality of our crystals in the NanoLab. And when
we make a device to order, we use almost all the
equipment in the lab. We create layers of gold or
titanium using vapour deposition, we etch a nice
channel for the electrons and we characterise the
device using electronic measuring equipment.’
Low start-up costs
In 2013, the company received a voucher from
NanoLabNL worth 7,500 euros. Tombros: ‘We
were given free clean-room time. This enabled us
to try things out that we would not normally dare
to undertake.’ Tombros is pleased about the
NanoLabs: ‘If we are unable to do something in
Groningen, we can turn to TU Delft, Twente or
Eindhoven, for example. Thanks to the NanoLabs,
we are also able to keep our start-up costs down.
We have access to equipment worth millions of
euros. And this for a clear hourly rate of about
170 euros. We were able, therefore, to start with
Zernike NanoLab
Groningen
Our laboratories have state-of-the-art techniques
for nanofabrication, deposition techniques,
lithography, microscopy and scanning probe
techniques. Various cleanrooms are available for
the fabrication of devices. Besides facilities for the
conventional processing of semiconductors and
metals (such as GaAs, InAs and Au, Al), organic
semiconductors are processed as well. For
measurements, we have several labs with
cryogenic setups, instrumentation for electronic
and microwave measurements, and laser setups.
Zernike NanoLab Groningen is part of Zernike
little money and we did not have to go the bank
for a huge loan.’
According to Tombros, expensive machines are
not the only reason why he is happy with the
NanoLabs. Tombros: ‘The operators have twenty
to thirty years of experience with the technology.
They know how to configure the equipment. If
you had to figure out this for yourself, it might
take months or years. Now it is often only a
matter of a week at most. That knowledge is
priceless and we are now getting it for free.’
quality. This is also one of the reasons why the
R&D departments of Samsung and Nokia come to
us. Other reasons for them are that we deliver on
time and work confidentially. For the future, we
want more scientists to realise that just like them
we are interested in R&D and that we also dare to
carry the risk. We therefore see ourselves more as
a scientific institute than a company. And the fact
that we are not earning billions in the process is
not an issue. I find enjoyment in my work much
more important.’
Samsung and Nokia
In the coming years, Tombros wants to build on
the good name of HQ Graphene. ‘Potential
clients need to know that we offer the highest
Institute of Advanced Materials in the University of
Groningen.
Expert technology
• Soft molecular landing deposition
• Ultra high vacuum low temperature scanning
tunneling microscopy of surfaces
• High resolution photo electron spectroscopy for
elemental surface characterization
Contact
Johan Holstein
Research Technician Zernike NanoLab Groningen
Mail: [email protected]
Tel: +31 (0)50 363 4780
Crystal
Supermarket
Company: HQ Graphene
Sells: fragments made up of twodimensional high-quality crystals and
devices with built in crystals.
Price: a couple of hundred euros for a
crystal fragment and a few thousand
euros for a device made to order.
Clients: from MIT in the United States to
research groups in Brazil, Russia, India and
China. The R&D departments of Samsung
and Nokia also purchase crystals.
Established: in 2012 at the University of
Groningen.
More information:
www.hqgraphene.com
NanoLabNL is included in the Dutch National Roadmap for Large-scale Research Facilities
Large-scale research facilities are of invaluable strategic importance for research and science and therefore for the Dutch knowledge-based economy.
According to the opinion of the National Roadmap for Large-scale Research Facilities Committee, NanoLabNL is one of the large-scale research facilities of
which the construction and operation are of importance to the vitality and innovative capacity of the scientific network in the Netherlands.
7
Eindhoven
Nanowire between Delft and Eindhoven
Nanowires form the common thread in the career of Erik Bakkers. He studied and obtained
a doctorate in Utrecht, worked at Philips, has several patents to his name and has been
professor at TU Delft and Eindhoven University of Technology since 2010. ‘We need both
clean rooms. We grow our wires in Eindhoven and we make our catalysts at TU Delft.’
A decade of research on nanowires is not boring
according to Bakkers. ‘New applications are
constantly being invented. First, we were involved
with transistors, then with LEDs and subsequently
with chemical sensors. Now we are working on
solar cells, Majorana particles, LEDs and the
storage of energy.’ The new solar cells make use
of the fact that nanowires, or actually nanoantennas, are able to absorb light very well and
then convert it into electricity. In the research into
Majorana particles, the nanowires trap the
Majorana particles. Microsoft is eager to
incorporate the Majorana particles in a future
quantum computer. Bakkers: ‘The problem with
quantum computers is that information dissipates
quickly. With Majorana particles, we can retain
information longer.’
Green light
In research into better LED lighting, Bakkers uses
another property of nanowires. Bakkers:
‘Nanowires that are made of gallium phosphide
crystals can be used to produce good green LED
light. Until now, producing green LED light has
continued to be an issue. However, we could solve
the problem with gallium phosphide, because
after some manipulation it emits green light.’
Gallium phosphide also plays a role in the storage
of energy. Bakkers wants to use gallium phosphide
to make a new type of fuel cell, a new battery,
that can store light. Bakkers: ‘Gallium phosphide
can be used to split water using sunlight into
oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen can be
stored and used as an energy source.’
Proud
Bakkers is pleased about the NanoLabs: ‘It is great
to have facilities at a number of locations in the
Netherlands that are complementary to each
other. The infrastructure has elevated Dutch
research to a higher level. The set-up of the clean
rooms differs. In Delft, the university and TNO
share a clean room. In Eindhoven, the clean room
belongs to the university. Whether the clean
rooms could be improved in any way? Well, many
people in Delft are unaware that there is a very
good wafer stepper in Eindhoven. Therefore, the
Back and forth
Bakkers and his researchers can often be found in
the NanoLabs of both TU Delft and TU/e.
Researchers are regularly travelling back and forth
between Eindhoven and Delft. Bakkers: ‘At TU
Delft, for example, we use the e-beam
lithographer to make our catalysts. While at TU/e,
we grow our wires using MOVPE, which stands for
Metal Organic Vapour Phase Epitaxy.’
Erik Bakkers
Philips
Innovation Services
Philips Innovation Services offers access to a
range of advanced innovation services,
expertise and high-tech facilities across the
whole innovation process. Our services extend
from concept creation support, product and
process development, prototyping and small
series production, equipment development,
quality and reliability, right through to
sustainability and industrial consulting. We
serve customers ranging from start-ups and
small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to
multinationals and collaborative knowledge
institutes.
communication about and between the clean
rooms could be improved. But in general I find the
NanoLabs extremely good. They have helped
Dutch research enormously. Thanks in part to the
NanoLabs, we have an excellent reputation in the
world of nanotechnology. That is something we
can be proud of.’
NanoLab@TU/e
The NanoLab@TU/e facilities play an important
role in the research carried out at the Eindhoven
University of Technology (TU/e). Located centrally
in the top technology region of Eindhoven
(Brainport Region Eindhoven), NanoLab@TU/e
serves Photonic and Nanotechnology research
and innovation in the Netherlands, either
through academic research activities or through
the multitude of industrial collaborations.
NanoLab@TU/e has extensive laboratory facilities
at its disposal, offering a wide spectrum of
opportunities for research and development
activities. NanoLab@TU/e is part of Eindhoven
University of Technology, which has established
leading positions in the field of nano-engineering
of functional materials and devices and Photonic
Integrated Circuits. TU/e has a strong reputation
in application-oriented fundamental research, in
close cooperation with high-tech industries
(multinationals such as Philips Research, IBM,
Siemens, FEI Company, Oxford Instruments, Intel,
Tyco Electronics, NXP, ASML, Océ and DSM).
Expert technologies
Philips Innovation Services is
associate partner of NanoLabNL, offering its
technology infrastructure and industrial
expertise to create a bridge between scientific
proof of concept and industrial
implementation.
• Deposition of organic, magnetic and
semiconductor nanostructured material
• Processing of III-V-based integrated
nanophotonic devices
• Advanced nanoscale processing
Contact
Contact
Elise Rodenburg
Group Leader Thin Film Process Integration
Mail: [email protected]
Tel: +31 (0)40 274 2627
Huub Ambrosius
Managing Director NanoLab@TU/e
Mail: [email protected]
Tel: +31 (0)40 247 5116 /+31 (0)6 42 39 71 08
Contact
General information and questions
Contact Rens Vandeberg, programme director NanoLabNL
programme office (STW): [email protected]
Location
NanoLab
Contact person
E-mail
Press information
Groningen
Zernike NanoLab Groningen
Johan Holstein
[email protected]
Contact Margit de Kok, communication officer NanoLabNL:
[email protected]
Twente
MESA+ NanoLab Twente
Gerard Roelofs
[email protected]
Colophon
Delft
Kavli NanoLab Delft
Frank Dirne
[email protected]
TNO NanoLab Delft
Jan Leendert Joppe
[email protected]
NanoLab@TU/e
Huub Ambrosius
[email protected]
Philips Innovation Services*
Elise Rodenburg
[email protected]
Eindhoven
October 2014 – volume 3 – number 1
This periodical is published by NanoLabNL
Edited by: Margit de Kok, David Redeker
Photography: Eric Brinkhorst, Tineke Dijkstra, Klapstuk
Graphic design and realisation: FOTON visuele communicatie
No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced in any form whatsoever
without the prior written permission of the publisher and other copyright holders.
This publication has been compiled with the utmost care. However, the publisher
* Philips Innovation Services is an associate partner, participating in NanoLabNL concerning content but not in financial terms.
cannot be held liable for any inaccuracies in this publication or unforeseen
consequences resulting from deficiencies.
www.nanolabnl.nl
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