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ISBN: 0-309-14501-5, 30 pages, 8.5 x 11, (2009)

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An Assessment of the National Institute of 

Standards and Technology Center for Nanoscale 

Science and Technology: Fiscal Year 2009 

Panel on Nanoscale Science and Technology; National 

Research Council 
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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AN ASSESSMENT OF THE 

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS 

AND TECHNOLOGY 

CENTER FOR NANOSCALE SCIENCE 

AND TECHNOLOGY 

FISCAL YEAR 2009

Panel on Nanoscale Science and Technology 

Laboratory Assessments Board 

Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences 

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 

Washington, D.C. 

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An Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology: Fiscal Year 2009

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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing 

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Institute of Medicine. The members of the panel responsible for the report were chosen 

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This study was supported by Contract No. SB3141-06-Z-0011, TO#6 between the 

National Academy of Sciences and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 

an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or 

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iv 

PANEL ON NANOSCALE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 

JULIA PHILLIPS, Sandia National Laboratories, Chair

SAMUEL BADER, Argonne National Laboratory 

HAROLD CRAIGHEAD, Cornell University 

ROBERT FONTANA, JR., International Business Machines 

MAX LAGALLY, University of Wisconsin, Madison 

GWO-CHING WANG, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 

KUMAR WICKRAMASINGHE, University of California, Irvine 

JOHN T. YATES, JR., University of Virginia 

Staff 

JAMES P. McGEE, Director 

CY BUTNER, Senior Program Officer 

LIZA HAMILTON, Administrative Coordinator 
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

An Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology: Fiscal Year 2009

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v 

Acknowledgment of Reviewers 

 This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse 

perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National 

Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to 

provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published 

report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for 

objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft 

manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to 

thank the following individuals for their review of this report: 

Ilesanmi Adesida, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 

Robert W. Conn, The Kavli Foundation, 

E. Ward Plummer, Louisiana State University, 

Mark Ratner, Northwestern University, and 

Heinrich Rohrer, IBM Fellow (retired). 

 Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and 

suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they 

see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by 

Alton D. Slay, Warrenton, Virginia. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was 

responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in 

accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully 

considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring 

panel and the institution. 
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

An Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology: Fiscal Year 2009

http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12766.html

vii 

Contents 

SUMMARY 1 

1 THE CHARGE TO THE PANEL AND THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS 6 

2 THE RESEARCH PROGRAM 8 

Electron Physics Group, 8 

Nanofabrication Research Group, 9 

Energy Research Group, 10 

3 THE NANOFAB PROGRAM 12 

Overview, 12 

Physical Plant and Tools, 12 

Processing Activities, 13 

Tooling Issues, 13 

Operational Strategy, 14 

Conclusions and Recommendations, 14 

4 CONCLUSIONS 16 

APPENDIXES 

A Process Activities of the Nanofab Program 19 

B Impressions Expressed by CNST Staff 21 
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

An Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology: Fiscal Year 2009

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1 

Summary 

 The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST’s) Center for 

Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) was founded on May 1, 2007, and remains 

in development with respect to projects and staffing. It aspires to be recognized both as a 

world leader in each of its research areas and as an organization providing ready access to 

unexcelled nanoscale measurement and fabrication facilities. Its mission is to (1) provide 

measurement methods, standards, and technology to support all phases of 

nanotechnology development from discovery to production; (2) develop and maintain a 

national shared-use facility, the Nanofab, with state-of-the-art nanoscale fabrication and 

measurement capabilities; (3) apply a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving that 

involves partnering with industry, academia, and other government agencies; (4) serve as 

a hub to link the external nanotechnology community to the vast measurement expertise 

that exists within NIST, including expertise in related metrology residing in other NIST 

laboratories; and (5) help to educate the next generation of nanotechnologists.

 The CNST has two components with complementary purposes―the research 

program and the Nanofab facility. The current research program consists of leading-edge 

nanoscale research directed toward exploring phenomena that may provide the basis for 

future nanoscale metrology techniques. This part of the CNST is staffed by scientific 

research staff with records of individual research accomplishment―although much of the 

output was completed before the staff joined the CNST―supported by a large number of 

postdoctoral appointees and various support staff. The Nanofab is a national shared-use 

facility that aspires to provide a state-of-the-art suite of nanoscale measurement and 

fabrication capabilities. It is largely a clean-room facility and is staffed accordingly. It is 

expected that the Nanofab will attract users from all sectors of the economy―industry, 

academia, and government―through its impressive capital equipment capabilities. 

Individuals, from elsewhere at NIST and beyond, can interact with the CNST in either or 

both of two ways: (1) through collaborations with the scientific research staff in the 

research program, and (2) through use of the Nanofab to fabricate structures or devices. 

As described to the National Research Council’s (NRC’s) Panel on Nanoscale 

Science and Technology, the CNST, with a fiscal year (FY) 2008 budget of $21 million, 

is currently staffed by 70 full-time equivalents (FTEs), including 45 technical staff. 

Several staff hiring offers are pending. There are currently 9 staff members with the title 

of Project Leader, each of whom is allocated 2 postdoctoral researchers and one sixth 

each of an electrical engineer, mechanical designer/instrument specialist, computer 

specialist, and secretary. Two group leaders and 2 CNST Fellows also serve as project 

leaders; they, too, are supported by staff and laboratory resources. There are 10 

administrative-support positions and 15 technical-support positions. The research 

program is organized in three groups―Electron Physics, Nanofabrication Research, and 

Energy Research. The first two groups are reasonably fully staffed, and searches are 

underway to staff the third group. The operation of the Nanofab is undertaken by the 

Nanofab Operations Group. Aggressive recruiting for all levels within the CNST is 

continuing, and the center is working to achieve its full complement of talent. 

The panel of experts appointed by the National Research Council assessed the 

overall CNST accomplishments and operations for FY 2009. As requested by the Deputy 
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2 

Director of NIST, the scope of the assessment included the following criteria: (1) the 

technical merit of the current laboratory programs relative to current state-of-the-art 

programs worldwide; (2) the adequacy of the laboratory budget, facilities, equipment, and 

human resources, as they affect the quality of the laboratory’s technical programs; and (3) 

the degree to which the laboratory programs in measurement science and standards 

achieve their stated objectives and desired impact. 

TECHNICAL MERIT OF THE CENTER’S PROGRAMS 

On the basis of its assessment of the CNST, conducted in February 2009, the 

NRC’s Panel on Nanoscale Science and Technology concluded that for the selected 

portion of the programs presented for review by the CNST, the staff, the projects, and the 

facilities are outstanding and, in many cases, unique. The various parts of the CNST are 

not uniformly mature. Some parts are very mature, with efforts that have evolved 

naturally from long-standing NIST programs, while others are extremely new, in some 

cases with almost no staff yet. Much of the work reviewed is scientifically outstanding; 

all of the work reviewed is scientifically very good. The panel was impressed by the 

breadth of scientific knowledge and the overall level of enthusiasm of the staff 

encountered throughout the CNST. The projects presented are clearly focused on the 

metrology mission of NIST as they seek to develop understanding that will lead to 

standards and metrology at the nanoscale. Much of the research presented is directed 

toward developing unique instrumentation. These efforts are first-rate. The quality of 

the science done with the instrumentation is more variable. Although much of the work 

reviewed is original, innovative, and among the best of its kind, some is significantly 

more pedestrian. The panel is particularly concerned about plans for the new Energy 

Research Group. Given the uniqueness of much of the CNST instrumentation, it is 

incumbent upon CNST staff to seek out the best collaborators from around the world to 

perform high-impact, game-changing experiments as programs and projects are 

developed. In addition, the CNST may find it useful to benchmark itself against other 

nanoscience/nanotechnology efforts around the world. An advisory committee composed 

of nanoscience/nanotechnology experts might also be helpful. 

The staffing of the CNST is heavily biased toward experimental work. The 

relatively small theoretical effort is outstanding and has significant impact on a wide 

variety of programs. The CNST would benefit from having a larger theoretical 

component in its staffing mix. A greater presence of talent in the realm of theory could 

act as a catalyst to bring together efforts across the CNST and beyond. 

The technical merit of the reviewed work of the Electron Physics Group relative 

to the state of the art is at the level of the best in the field. The group’s laboratory 

facilities are state of the art and in many cases unique. The outstanding accomplishments 

of the group indicate achievement of stated objectives and impact. 

Many members of the CNST staff have been at NIST for a very short time. These 

new hires have shown impressive results in their previous positions but have not been at 

NIST long enough to have established new research directions or reputations. The panel 

looks forward to evaluating their progress in future reviews. Likewise, the Nanofab 

facility has not been operating for very long. The current Nanofab leadership arrived at 
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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3 

the CNST only recently, and the operating mode for the facility is still developing. Some 

of the efforts of the Nanofabrication Research Group are producing outstanding results 

and have shown excellent success in achieving stated objectives. This rather new group 

has articulated an outstanding vision and direction. The combination of creative 

personnel with excellent facilities that enable them to push in new, unexpected directions 

makes for an exceptional infrastructure. The panel recommends that the Nanofab be 

reviewed again in about a year, when it has been operating long enough for its 

performance to be judged. 

The Energy Research Group is even more embryonic, with almost no staff in 

place. The description of the group’s dual role in improving measurements in the energy 

area and particularly in addressing nanometer-dimensional problems in energy is 

insufficiently focused. The plan to focus on nanometer aspects of energy research does 

not suggest disciplinary activities characteristic of a well-considered program driven by 

the investigation of physical principles through good measurements. The vision for this 

group requires further development if it is to occupy a unique, NIST-appropriate position 

in the very crowded field at the intersection of nanoscience and energy. This vision 

should be developed before the group is staffed. The next year will be critical in defining 

the role of the Energy Research Group. Review of the group within the next year will be 

important to ensure that it is on the right track. 

The productivity of CNST staff since 2007 has been impressive, although much 

of the output was completed before the staff joined the CNST. The number of 

publications with CNST affiliation totals 43 for 2007-2008. In the same time period, 

current CNST staff members have been authors of more than 150 publications 

representing work done before they joined the CNST. So far in 2009, a total of 20 

publications by CNST staff are in press, half of which have the CNST affiliation. This 

high level of productivity is likely to continue, with a substantially higher proportion of 

the total number of publications having a CNST affiliation as the center matures. CNST 

staff and leadership have also garnered an impressive array of awards over the same time 

period. 

Many of the capabilities in the CNST are unique, having been developed by NIST 

personnel with both the talent and the resources to develop novel instrumentation and 

techniques. These unique capabilities will have their maximal impact when they are 

applied to forefront scientific and technical challenges that can only be addressed through 

such cutting-edge techniques. It is imperative that the CNST seek out and work with the 

best collaborators from around the world in order to have the game-changing impact of 

which it is capable. 

The generous budget of the CNST and the “block funding” nature of its allocation 

are increasingly unusual in the U.S. scientific community. This approach enables the 

CNST staff to concentrate on their scientific endeavors in a way that is all too rare. The 

staff recognize their enviable position and greatly appreciate the NIST and CNST 

leadership for their roles in making this funding model possible. The rather 

“comfortable” nature of this funding arrangement means that it is incumbent on CNST 

leadership to ensure that the CNST is pursuing the best possible science consistent with 

its mission. Also, the leadership must develop quality assessment tools and mechanisms 

to end any less productive projects and to change scientific directions where appropriate. 
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4 

ADEQUACY OF INFRASTRUCTURE 

 The CNST facilities are clearly among the best in the world and in many cases are 

unique. Such facilities are appropriate for the elements of the CNST mission that involve 

developing the understanding and techniques for nanoscale standards and metrology. 

Likewise, the staff is outstanding. The inability to hire foreign nationals as NIST 

employees is, however, a significant impediment, because the United States certainly 

does not have a monopoly on the best and brightest talent in nanoscience and 

nanotechnology. The restrictions on access by and employment of foreign nationals are 

likely to be detrimental to the CNST’s efforts to remain at the forefront of nanoscience 

and nanotechnology for the long term. Although an innovative arrangement with the 

University of Maryland is in place to enable foreign nationals to work at the CNST, these 

individuals do not enjoy the same unfettered access to the facilities and information that 

is taken for granted by staff who are U.S. citizens. 

 The leadership of all of the measurements and standards laboratories at NIST, 

including the CNST, has impressive incentives at its disposal for recruiting top talent; 

these include offering generous starting bonuses and paying off student loans. The 

recruiting challenges that the CNST is experiencing at the moment are far from unique to 

NIST. 

 There is a striking lack of diversity of the staff, from management, to project 

leaders, to postdocs, to technical support. Few women or underrepresented minorities 

were part of any of the groups with which the panel met, although the panel understands 

that a few women have recently departed and that a female staff member will be starting 

soon. The CNST must continue to work hard to attract and retain a diverse workforce 

that more closely represents the available pool of talent. There is apparently more 

diversity in the makeup of the recently recruited staff; the panel expects to see noticeably 

different demographics during the next review. 

ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES AND IMPACT 

 The vision presented to the panel in the overview presentation on the CNST is 

clear, compelling, and consistent with the mission of NIST. During discussion, the panel 

heard clearly that others generally work on future nanotechnologies (e.g., devices), 

whereas NIST focuses mostly on the instruments to measure properties within the new 

technologies and on current needs of industry. The efforts of individual projects are 

generally aligned with the CNST vision. 

Given the youth of the CNST as an organization and the recent arrival of many of 

its staff, the center has made outstanding progress toward achieving its goals. It has not, 

as its leadership well recognizes, fully achieved its objectives, and it continues to grow 

very rapidly. The CNST should be reviewed annually for progress until the rate of 

change has slowed significantly from its current rate. 
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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5 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

 The panel offers the following recommendations: 

 The CNST should continue aggressively to seek out and work with the best 

collaborators from around the world in order to have the game-changing 

impact that is its promise. The CNST should consider benchmarking itself 

against other nanoscience/nanotechnology efforts around the world. The 

center should also consider forming an advisory committee composed of 

nanoscience/nanotechnology experts. Such a committee would provide the 

CNST with more access to current industrial technology trends, for example 

in information technology. 

 The inability to hire foreign nationals as NIST employees is a significant 

impediment that is likely to be detrimental to the CNST’s efforts to remain at 

the forefront of nanoscience and nanotechnology for the long term. CNST 

leadership needs to convince NIST leadership of the importance of this issue. 

 The CNST should work harder to attract and retain a diverse workforce that 

more closely represents the available pool of talent. 

 The CNST should consider increasing the relative proportion of theorists and 

chemists in its overall staffing. 

 The CNST should be reviewed annually for progress until the rate of change 

has slowed significantly from its current rate. Annual reviews of the Nanofab 

and the Energy Research Group are especially critical. 
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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6 

1 

The Charge to the Panel and the Assessment Process 

At the request of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the 

National Research Council (NRC) has since 1959 annually assembled panels of experts 

from academia, industry, medicine, and other scientific and engineering environments to 

assess the quality and effectiveness of the NIST measurements and standards laboratories, 

of which there are now nine,1 as well as the adequacy of the laboratories’ resources. In 

2009, NIST requested that five of its laboratories be assessed: the NIST Center for 

Neutron Research, the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST), the 

Information Technology Laboratory, the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory, 

and the Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory. Each of these was assessed by 

a separate panel of experts; the findings of the respective panels are summarized in 

separate reports. This report summarizes the findings of the Panel on Nanoscale Science 

and Technology. 

For the fiscal year (FY) 2009 assessment, NIST requested that the panel consider 

the following criteria as part of its assessment: 

1. The technical merit of the current laboratory programs relative to current 

state-of-the-art programs worldwide; 

2. The adequacy of the laboratory budget, facilities, equipment, and human 

resources, as they affect the quality of the laboratory’s technical programs; 

and 

3. The degree to which the laboratory programs in measurement science and 

standards achieve their stated objectives and desired impact. 

The context of this technical assessment is the mission of NIST, which is to 

promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement 

science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve 

the quality of life. The NIST laboratories conduct research to anticipate future metrology 

and standards needs, to enable new scientific and technological advances, and to improve 

and refine existing measurement methods and services. 

To accomplish the assessment, the NRC assembled a panel of 8 volunteers whose 

expertise matches that of the work performed by the CNST staff.2

 The Panel on 

Nanoscale Science and Technology held a 2.5-day meeting on February 23-25, 2009, at 

the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland. 

The agenda consisted of presentations, tours, demonstrations, and interactive sessions 

 1

 The nine NIST laboratories are the Building and Fire Research Laboratory, the Center for 

Nanoscale Science and Technology, the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory, the Electronics and 

Electrical Engineering Laboratory, the Information Technology Laboratory, the Manufacturing Engineering 

Laboratory, the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory, the NIST Center for Neutron Research, and 

the Physics Laboratory. 2

 See http://cnst.nist.gov/ for more information on CNST programs. Accessed May 1, 2009. 
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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7 

with the CNST leadership and staff. The panel also met in a closed session to deliberate 

on its findings and to define the contents of this assessment report. 

The panel’s approach to the assessment relied on the experience, technical 

knowledge, and expertise of its members, whose backgrounds were carefully matched to 

the technical areas within which the CNST activities are conducted. The panel reviewed 

selected projects across the breadth of CNST activities presented by the CNST 

management and staff. It was not possible to review the CNST programs and projects 

exhaustively. The examples reviewed by the panel were selected by the CNST. The 

panel’s goal was to identify and report salient examples of accomplishments and 

opportunities for further improvement with respect to the following: the technical merit 

of the CNST work, the impact of the work with respect to achieving the CNST’s own 

definition of its objectives, and specific elements of the CNST’s resource infrastructure 

that are intended to support the technical work. The highlighted examples for each CNST 

group are intended collectively to portray an overall impression of the center, while 

communicating useful suggestions specific to projects and programs that the panel 

considered to be of special note within the set of those examined. The assessment is 

currently scheduled to be repeated biennially, although the review panel recommends 

more frequent annual reviews of the center during this critical start-up period. While the 

panel applied a largely qualitative rather than a quantitative approach to the assessment, it 

is possible that future assessments will be informed by further consideration of various 

analytical methods that can be applied. 

The comments in this report are not intended to address each program within the 

CNST exhaustively. Instead, this report identifies key issues and focuses on 

representative programs and projects relevant to those issues. Given the necessarily 

nonexhaustive nature of the review process, the omission of any particular CNST 

program or project should not be interpreted as a negative reflection on the omitted 

program or project. 

The preceding Summary highlights issues that apply broadly to several or all of 

the groups or to the center as a whole. The following individual chapters present 

observations specific to the various center groups. Finally, the report presents the overall 

conclusions of the review. Appendix A contains information about CNST process 

activities described during the review. Appendix B presents impressions expressed by 

CNST staff during informal discussions with panel members. 
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8 

2 

The Research Program 

 The research program of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology is 

carried out by three groups: Electron Physics, Nanofabrication Research, and Energy 

Research. The Electron Physics Group has been in existence for more than 50 years (and 

led by the CNST director for over half that time); it was transferred intact to the CNST 

when the center was established. The Nanofabrication Research Group is a new effort 

that has been in existence only since the CNST was founded. While significant staffing 

has already taken place, hiring for this group continues at a brisk pace. The Energy 

Research Group is very new, currently populated only by the acting group leader, 

supported by a small number of postdoctoral researchers. Searches for group members 

are underway. The panel’s observations and recommendations for each group are 

discussed separately below. 

ELECTRON PHYSICS GROUP 

With its history of more than 50 years, the Electron Physics Group is well 

established at NIST, having an impressive track record of accomplishments in electron 

optics, spin-polarized magnetic imaging (scanning electron microscope with polarization 

analysis, or SEMPA), laser manipulation of atoms, and nanoscale characterization. This 

group was incorporated as a whole into the CNST at the inception of the center. The 

science done in this group is of very high quality, currently focusing on nanomagnetics, 

theory and modeling of nanostructures, nanotechnology with laser-controlled atoms, and 

atomic-scale characterization and fabrication. Twenty-three technical staff members 

(project leaders, postdocs, visitors, and support staff) constitute the group. 

The work on laser control of atoms is among the best in its field. In particular, the 

Magneto-Optical Trap Ion Source (MOTIS) is very exciting and unique, potentially 

moving forward focused ion beam (FIB) technology, which has stagnated for more than a 

decade. Such leading-edge, high-risk research is exactly the type of work that an 

organization like NIST should be doing. The current Cooperative Research and 

Development Agreement with FEI Company will provide a mechanism for coupling with 

the manufacturing of a tool at the appropriate time. In this role, it would be appropriate 

for the CNST to bring the best talent to work together on this and, if successful, to use the 

tool to study high-impact questions to which it is ideally suited. 

The ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) cryogenic scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) 

work is of high quality. The instrument itself is a magnificent tour de force that exhibits 

seldom-matched expertise in instrument design. In particular, the application of the 

cryogenic STM to understand the electronic states of graphene is a good example of the 

use of such an instrument to address the science behind these possibly technologically 

important materials. A spin-off from this work, well aligned with the NIST mission, is 

the realization that graphene, because of its large Landau level spacing at room 
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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9 

temperature, might be used as a resistance standard, providing an excellent tie to the 

NIST mission. 

The nanomagnetics effort, including imaging SEMPA and ferromagnetic 

resonance (FMR) imaging of domain motion, is being applied to studies in magnetic 

storage such as Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory. This group should 

collaborate more closely with a storage technology company in order to couple with 

technologically relevant problems in magnetic storage. The group is adequately staffed 

and of very high quality, and it appears to be well leveraged through collaborations with 

other NIST groups. The theoretical component of the effort is among the best in its field. 

The interplay between experiment and theory is extremely powerful, enabling the group 

to attack complex, important problems successfully. Efforts on interference lithography 

for magnetic-dynamics studies and on spin-transfer torques for magnetoelectronic 

devices are also impressive. 

The facilities of the Electron Physics Group are extremely impressive. The 

Atomic Scale Quantum Nanoelectronics Laboratory is in the final stage of construction. 

It centers on a new ultralow-temperature scanning probe microscope (SPM) that has been 

designed to address the challenge of measuring and understanding electronic structure–

property relationships as device sizes continue to decrease. Measurements with very high 

spatial and energy resolution are required in order to understand such systems for future 

electronics. The scanning tunneling microscope that is being built is very impressive and, 

to the knowledge of the panel, one of a kind. Maximizing the impact of such a unique 

capability will demand judicious choice of the science problems to be addressed, as the 

CNST leadership is well aware. 

The current evaluation yields the following conclusions. The technical merit 

relative to the state of the art is at the level of the best in the field. The laboratory 

facilities are state of the art and in many cases unique. Outstanding accomplishments 

indicate achievement of stated objectives and impact. 

NANOFABRICATION RESEARCH GROUP 

The Nanofabrication Research Group was formed in 2007 and has grown to 

include expertise in nanofabrication, directed self-assembly, nanoplasmonics and 

metamaterials, nanophotonics, nanoelectromechanical systems and 

microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and nanoscale electronic measurements. 

Recruiting efforts are underway for staff with expertise in theory and in situ/dynamic 

electromagnetics, with further planned hires in novel lithographic processing and/or 

molecularly controlled assembly. The new group leader brings a broad perspective and a 

set of new ideas to the CNST that, coupled with the talents of the impressive recent hires, 

promise great opportunity for this group. 

Projects reviewed by the panel covered several of the focus areas of the group. 

The effort on nanoplasmonics, which has demonstrated a MEMS structure formed with 

nano-processing capable of measuring photon pressure in a “left-handed” metamaterial 

system, is particularly clever. This MEMS structure was an exemplary demonstration of 

the processing capability of the NIST Nanofab facility. Even more impressive output 
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10 

from this group is anticipated as the new staff ramp up their research programs at the 

CNST. 

The facilities of the Nanofabrication Research Group are excellent, and the results 

are stunning. For example, in-house sputter disposition, FIB, and reactive-ion etching 

(RIE) were used to make left-handed metamaterials (multilayered Ag/a-Si) cantilever 

structures, which were combined with the predicted radiation response in a left-handed 

metamaterial to perform the first-ever measurement of the negative radiation pressure 

response by observing the cantilever deflection (microns) in a scanning electron 

microscope (SEM). 

The panel’s evaluation yields the following conclusions: 

 Some of the efforts are producing outstanding results. This rather new group 

has articulated an outstanding vision and direction. Many staff members are 

very new, so the quantity of results is expected to increase dramatically over 

the next few years. 

 The laboratories are excellent. The combination of creative personnel with 

excellent facilities that enable them to push in new, unexpected directions 

makes for an exceptional infrastructure. 

 Excellent success in achieving stated objectives has been shown to date. 

ENERGY RESEARCH GROUP 

 The Energy Research Group is the newest organization within the CNST. The 

group leader is serving in an acting capacity, supported by a small number of 

postdoctoral researchers. Four hires are planned in 2009. The Energy Research Group 

aims to combine measurement research in areas that overlap energy and nanometer 

science. The stated goals of the group are these: energy storage, transport, and conversion, 

including light–matter interaction, charge transfer, and energy transfer; catalytic activity; 

and interfacial structure in energy-related devices. 

 The description of the group’s dual role in improving measurements in the energy 

area and particularly in nanometer-dimensional problems in energy is insufficiently 

focused. The plan to focus on nanometer aspects of energy research does not suggest 

disciplinary activities characteristic of a well-considered program driven by the 

investigation of physical principles through good measurements. 

 The talents desired in each of the four prospective hires are, as described to the 

panel, almost impossible to imagine being embodied in single individuals. Anyone who 

might appear to bring such a wide distribution of talents as are desired will probably not 

be deeply trained in any. For example, it is difficult to imagine someone who would have 

advanced understanding of industrial energy, thermoelectrics, and field emission. 

 The main accomplishments in this new group to date center on the behavior of 

organic photovoltaic devices. Activities such as the use of a conductive atomic force 

microscope (AFM) to measure the spatial distribution of electron emission from a 

working organic photovoltaic device are interesting, but they do not probe the physical 

reasons for the observed nonuniform spatial distribution of photocurrent or of surface 

potential under illumination conditions. 
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 The proposed plans for coupling electrode characterization techniques to actual 

working electrodes in order to learn what factors affect electrochemical-cell behavior are 

crude compared to successful UHV research in this area completed more than 20 years 

ago in laboratories at Case Western Reserve University; the University of California, 

Santa Barbara; and the University of California, Berkeley. Most of the measurement 

techniques proposed for the study will not probe the essential key issues at work in 

electrochemistry. 

 Although not specifically mentioned, it would appear that planned work in 

catalysis has not been considered with sufficient care―with understanding of the 

scientific status of the field and with knowledge of key problems remaining to be solved. 

Much is well understood in this field after more than 20 years of atomic-level 

experimental research on single-crystal model catalysts coupled with modern theory 

involving, for example, density functional methods that have reached chemical accuracy. 

Work of the following should be considered: Gerhard Ertl, recipient of the 2007 Nobel 

Prize in chemistry, at the Fritz Haber Institut, Berlin, Germany; Jens Norskov, of the 

Danish Technical University-Lyngby, Denmark; D.W. Goodman, of Texas A&M 

University, College Station, Texas; and H.J. Freund, of the Fritz Haber Institut, Berlin, 

Germany. 

The work presented in the laboratory visited by the panel is embryonic, including 

nanoscale photoresponse in photovoltaic (PV) materials using the electrostatic force 

mode of AFM and the development of functional tips suitable for photoresponse 

measurement in liquid environments. Future plans include measurement of the timeresolved transient photoresponse of energy materials using ultrafast optical physics by a 

scientist to be hired. 

In summary, the CNST should undertake a careful reexamination of the goals and 

approaches of the Energy Research Group before continued investment. 

To date, the technical merit relative to the state of the art appears low. The CNST 

should undertake a serious reexamination of the focus and direction of the group before 

significant hiring takes place. The laboratory facilities are excellent. There has been no 

discernible impact of the work to date, however, owing at least partially to lack of staff. 
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3 

The Nanofab Program 

OVERVIEW 

The NIST Nanofab is an integral part of the mission of the Center for Nanoscale 

Science and Technology―to develop and maintain a national shared-use facility, the 

Nanofab, with state-of-the-art, nanoscale fabrication and measurement capabilities―and 

it is an integral part of the CNST vision to be recognized as a world leader in each of its 

research areas and for providing ready access to unexcelled nanoscale measurement and 

fabrication facilities. The group leader has been at NIST for only a short period of time. 

The Nanofab facility contains a modern set of commercially available fabrication 

and metrology tools that exceed or match capabilities at university nanofabrication 

facilities. A small subset of this tooling is on a par with equipment at industrial nanofacilities. The Nanofab is supported by seven process engineers and three process 

technicians. This high level of staffing in the Nanofab differs from that in university 

facilities, where such support is minimal. For reference, typical industrial processing 

support operates with a 1:1 ratio of process engineers and technicians. 

The Nanofab model for meeting the needs of the fabrication projects required by 

its users provides two options: hands-on processing by the user or processing by 

Nanofab staff. With either strategy, the Nanofab staff provides consultation services to 

define both process development requirements and a process flow for the project. 

PHYSICAL PLANT AND TOOLS 

The Nanofab is housed in a newly constructed, 19,000 ft2 clean-room facility 

incorporating the necessary requisites for safe, contamination-free operation in Class 100 

and Class 1000 environments―that is, temperature control, humidity control, deionized 

(DI) water, air volume handling, and laminar airflow. At present, 25 percent of the cleanroom space is unused and available for future tooling and wafer processing needs. The 

Nanofab tooling is a mixture of inherited equipment from the NIST complementary metal 

oxide semiconductor facility (deposition, RIE, film thickness measurement, diffusion, 

contact print lithography, and SEM applications), new RIE and characterization tooling 

and FIB tooling, and new nanofabrication-specific tooling (electron-beam [or e-beam], 

nanoimprint, and mask-making applications). The Nanofab tool set can nominally 

accommodate 150 mm diameter wafers and has the flexibility to process small-dimension 

(20 mm) substrates. In the second quarter of 2009, significant new tooling (a second ebeam lithography system, an atomic layer deposition [ALD] unit, and two additional RIE 

units) will be added to the Nanofab. Reports from the CNST director, the Nanofab 

manager, and process staff indicate that the facility has reached limits in air-handling 

capacity, and yet at least five new tools are planned for delivery. Other utility 

deficiencies (DI water and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning [HVAC]) were also 

described. 
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PROCESSING ACTIVITIES 

The Nanofab tour, the presentations by group leaders and project leaders, the 

posters, and the presentation by the Nanofab manager did not provide sufficient 

information for the panel to be able to gauge the process activity level and the process 

capabilities of the Nanofab facility. Process integration capabilities, workloads, and tool 

utilizations for the facility were not adequately described. A general impression of the 

panel is that the facility is large, almost lavish. The Nanofab is underused at this stage. It 

is currently completing its initial tool-up, and the tools being turned on this year will 

result in greater overall utilization of the facility. Staffing and utilities are being stressed 

by the addition of new tools, even with the modest level of use in the facility. The 

process activities described during the review are summarized in Appendix A. 

The process examples explicitly described during the review imply that the 

Nanofab program has as its major focus the fabrication of MEMS structures and as its 

secondary focus, the fabrication of a single layer of nano features using one 

photolithography step―that is, a combination of an e-beam exposure, a metal deposition, 

and a subtractive or additive removal of material. The CNST is a relatively new entity, 

so such a focus is not unexpected. Two of the five examples presented highlighted 

individual process steps in multilevel nanostructures. As the center’s projects mature, it 

can be assumed that Nanofab activities will transition to creating more nanoscale 

structures. 

TOOLING ISSUES 

The Nanofab facility is tool-rich and yet is expanding in the next 6 months by 

increasing its capabilities in deposition (ALD), RIE, and e-beam lithography. These tool 

additions are significant in terms of capitalization, complexity, and engineering support 

requirements. The justifications for these tool additions, in view of the fact that the 

present tool set is underused, were not described. Future Nanofab tooling additions 

would benefit from a long-term planning strategy for tools, staffing, and process needs to 

ensure efficiencies in tool utilizations. 

The centerpiece tool for the Nanofab is the Vistec 300 E-beam writer. 

Commentary on tool utilization and e-beam-specific projects was lacking, even though a 

second e-beam tool has been acquired. 

Tooling inconsistencies were observed during the panel’s visit, including the 

following: 

 Justification for six RIE-specific tools (two arriving in the second quarter of 

2009), 

 Justification for a second state-of-the-art e-beam tool and justification for 

locating this sophisticated tooling outside the clean-room area, 

 Lack of state-of-the-art metal lift-off tooling (spray heated solvent) and CO2

snow cleaning, 

 Lack of sputter deposition tooling, and 

 No ion milling capability. 
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OPERATIONAL STRATEGY 

The goal of the Nanofab program is to serve researchers from NIST, other 

government laboratories, academic institutions, and commercial enterprises. Operational 

strategies to reach the broader commercial user base are not well defined. Much of the 

operation and the suite of equipment seem to have been modeled after academic 

nanofabrication facilities. While this emulation of existing facilities increases the 

chances of quickly creating a functional entity, for the development of this new facility 

the significant and rarely possible investment in new capability should be done in a way 

that would not duplicate but rather create entirely new capability for the U.S. research 

and development (R&D) community. Coupling and exploiting the unique strengths of 

the CNST and NIST, in metrology, for example, and making these available to the R&D 

community would be a significant contribution to the U.S. research base and a 

tremendous asset in the United States. Also useful to guide direction and operation 

would be an analysis of the user community and identification of currently unmet needs. 

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 

The Nanofab facility contains a remarkable set of the most modern commercially 

available fabrication and metrology tools. This major investment in capital equipment 

and staff resources should be a tremendous asset for the CNST researchers and could be 

extremely valuable for commercial enterprises. 

The Nanofab facility is a new entity. It requires time to mature and to 

demonstrate its full potential as an asset to NIST and to academic and industrial users. 

The CNST and the Nanofab program must analyze the unmet needs in the growing 

nanoscale research community and determine how strengths of the CNST and NIST can 

address these needs, taking care not simply to duplicate existing capabilities. 

The Nanofab facility requires oversight in several areas: 

 Chart e-beam activity in the laboratory, thereby justifying a two e-beam 

facility; 

 Document tool utilization; 

 Chart processing experiments in the facility to create a process history and an 

activity history for the facility; 

 Develop a tool plan and a complementary staffing plan to support the tooling 

plan; 

 Develop for the outside user a set of charging and access methods that is 

based on clear criteria for allocating resources; 

 Develop a plan to remedy HVAC, air handling, and DI water deficiencies in 

the laboratory; and 

 Develop a set of process capabilities complemented with process modules for 

the facility. 

The Nanofab program should be reviewed again during the 2010 calendar year to 

gauge progress in meeting the Nanofab goal of state-of-the-art nanoscale processing. 
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15 

The panel’s evaluation yielded the following conclusions: 

 The technical merit relative to the state of the art is low in terms of impact to 

date; the potential, with appropriate continued development, is high. 

 The capital infrastructure is outstanding in many cases, although some highly 

useful tools seem to be missing. Some essential facility capabilities such as air 

handling are reported to be inadequate. Staffing levels seem low. 

 The achievement of desired objectives and impact will be examined when 

more information is available in future reviews. 
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4 

Conclusions 

The Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology has, at this early stage of its 

life, made significant progress toward meeting its stated objectives of (1) providing 

measurement methods, standards, and technology to support nanotechnology 

development; (2) developing and maintaining a national shared-use facility (the Nanofab) 

with state-of-the-art nanoscale fabrication and measurement capabilities; (3) applying a 

multidisciplinary approach involving diverse partners; (4) serving as a hub to link the 

external nanotechnology community to relevant NIST expertise; and (5) helping to 

educate the next generation of nanotechnologists. The more mature parts of the CNST 

are outstanding, especially in terms of the quality and productivity of the staff, the 

uniqueness of the capabilities, and the alignment with the overall NIST mission. The 

vector of the newer parts of the CNST is positive, with excellent new staff and 

outstanding laboratories, but there is still significant work to be done to achieve the same 

level of impact currently enjoyed by the more established efforts. 

The CNST will maximize its potentially great impact on U.S. and global 

nanoscience and nanotechnology by (1) continuing its development of unique, powerful 

instrumentation and maintaining consistently high quality of the research conducted with 

the instrumentation; (2) breaking down barriers to full participation as equal partners of 

foreign nationals in the science program; (3) attracting and retaining a diverse world-class 

workforce; and (4) appropriately balancing its workforce to cover the multitude of 

disciplines required for nanoscience. 

 The Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology is off to an impressive start, 

but it is still at a formative stage. It is important that its progress be reviewed annually 

until its development stabilizes. It will be informative to include as part of the reviews a 

description of the ways in which the CNST interacts with programs and projects in 

nanoscience and nanotechnology across the NIST laboratories.
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12766.html

Appendixes
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Appendix A 

Process Activities of the Nanofab Program 

 Table A.1 presents information on process activities in the Center for Nanoscale Science 

and Technology’s Nanofab program, described during the FY 2009 review by the Panel on 

Nanoscale Science and Technology. 

 Exclusive of the Nanofab presentation to the panel, eight processing activities were 

described: MEMS devices (#6, #12, #17); MEMS structure (#9); large linewidth structures >1 

m (#1, #16); e-beam patterned 25 nm lines (#8); and large linewidth (~5 m) e-beam patterned 

electrodes (#4). The Nanofab presentation described an additional seven processing examples: 

five of the process examples were shown as SEMs with no technical details: MEMS device (#25) 

and patterned features <100 nm using e-beam lithography (#28, #29, #30, #31); two of these 

process examples were described in detail: FIB patterning of probe tips (#32) and e-beam 

patterned 100 nm gold islands (#33). 
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TABLE A.1 Nanofab Process Activities 

Type of Project or Activity NIST Process Item Use of Nanofab 

Electron Physics Group 

 Project: 

1 Nanomagnetics Magnetic lines with edges, fabrication 

of magnetic nanodots 

Yes 

2 Modeling of Magnetics None No 

3 Laser Controlled Atoms None No 

4 Atomic Fabrication Graphene structures with leads Yes 

 

Nanofabrication Group 

 Project: 

5 Electronic Nanodevices Nanoscale shadow masks, graphene 

device fabrication, functional tip 

fabrication, polymer brush synthesis 

Yes 

6 Nanoplasmonics Photo pressure cantilever Yes 

7 Nanophotonics None No 

8 Directed Self-Assembly 25 nm lines Yes 

9 Directed Self-Assembly Si3N4 membranes Yes 

10 Sublithographic Patterns 50 nm lines No 

11 Patterned Arrays 40 nm pitch dots No 

12 MEMS/NEMS MEMS torque device Yes 

13 Nanofluidics NEMS None No 

 

Energy Research Group 

 Project: 

14 Response in PV Materials None to date No 

15 Thermionic Devices None to date No 

16 CdTe PV Cells Electrodeposited features Yes 

17 Precision Measurements SOI cantilever device Yes 

 

Posters 

 Activity: 

18 Spin Torque Modeling None No 

19 Graphene Measurements None No 

20 Scanning Probe Microscopy Scanning probes Yes 

21 Photoresponse in PV Materials None No 

22 Particle Tracking Etched silicon trenches Yes 

23 Plasmon Metrology Photolithography Yes 

24 Tapered Optical Fibers None No 

25 Fabrication for Graphene Measurements Photo, e-beam lithography Yes 

26 Interference Lithography for 

Nanomagnetics 

Photolithography, etching Yes 

 

Nanofab (Process Examples) 

 Activity: 

27 Gas Sensor MEMS microscale Yes 

28 Nano Imprinting Imprint feature Yes 

29 Molecular Transport Nanopore devices Yes 

30 Nanostructures Magnetic islands Yes 

31 AFM Standards Patterned HSQ resist Yes 

32 AFM Tip Structures Patterned AFM tip using FIB Yes 

33 SERS Array Gold dot pattern Yes 

NOTE: MEMs, microelectromechanical systems; NEMs, nanoelectromechanical systems; PV, photovoltaic; SOI, 

silicon on insulator; AFM, atomic force microscope; HSQ, hydrogen silsesquioxane; FIB, focused ion beam; SERS, 

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy; SEM, scanning electron microscope. 

 
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21 

Appendix B 

Impressions Expressed by CNST Staff 

 During its review of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, members of the 

Panel on Nanoscale Science and Technology had the opportunity to discuss the CNST with three 

groups separately: project leaders, postdoctoral researchers, and support staff. The following 

summary of impressions expressed by CNST staff members during those discussions are 

presented for consideration by the CNST management. These impressions are not presented here 

as conclusions or recommendations of the panel. 

Project leaders noted that CNST staff are generally happy and the technical credentials of 

the CNST management are excellent. The project leaders praised CNST leadership for its 

conservative hiring policy, which preserves sufficient funding for equipment, supplies, and travel. 

Project leaders think that about 20 percent of the staff should be theorists. The CNST taps into 

expert knowledge outside the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) through 

sabbatical appointments and other types of visits. Bringing in external experts by this method is 

encouraged. The current ratio of projects to senior staff is about 2:1 and is seen as appropriate. 

Not all projects are active at the same time, and they are in varying levels of maturity. 

There are many interconnections among projects. The CNST has grown extremely quickly. The 

bureaucracy is minimal. The required project plans force principal investigators to think 

critically and to compare against worldwide effort. There is some difficulty in keeping up with 

the wide range of activities in the CNST. Informal discussions seem best for this, and more of 

these would be good. The institution of a coffee hour or other informal mechanisms would 

encourage networking. 

The relationship between scientists and technical staff is fostered by a teamwork 

philosophy. Technical support staff are excellent and are involved in the work up to the level 

approaching actually doing science. Support staff are stretched very thin as the CNST has grown. 

There are very few “job shop” projects; when they exist, they naturally connect to industrial 

interests as they evolve. Project leaders are satisfied with the level of professional staff 

development in the CNST and believe that management puts a lot of effort into professional 

development and recognition. Staff are free to attend appropriate technical meetings. Senior staff 

are typically the ones who attend foreign meetings; attendance at domestic meetings is broader.

There is an excellent seminar program. Continuity of postdoctoral researchers is a problem. 

They are extremely good and can disappear quickly. It is hard to keep the really good postdocs. 

Fifteen CNST postdoctoral researchers participated in a separate discussion with panel 

members. Their tenure at NIST ranged from 1 week to about 2 years. While chemistry is 

frequently the centerpiece of nanoscience centers, at the CNST 14 of the 15 postdocs held a PhD 

in physics; the other held a PhD in chemistry (polymer chemistry). Gender diversity was 

nonexistent within the discussion group; all 15 were male. 

 The discussants uniformly expressed that they were happy overall. They were engaged in 

their research work; they felt intellectually challenged, respected by their supervisors, and 

supported by the CNST administration; they voiced only institutional gripes, not CNST‐specific 

ones. Their concerns revolved around the procurement processes, problems of after‐hours and 

weekend site access for noncitizens (approximately 30 to 40 percent of the total number of 

postdocs), and issues with barriers to migrating data home in order to do analysis work there. 
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22 

 These postdocs believed that they could make a case for pursuing new research directions 

and that there was a process in place for doing so. They felt more connected within the CNST 

research team than when they had belonged to larger university research groups in graduate 

school. They also commented on the rigor of the internal peer‐review system for publications at 

NIST, and how it takes extra time but leads to a final document that is of the high standard for 

which NIST is recognized. Approximately 20 percent of the postdocs expressed a desire to be 

academics. Some wanted and liked the guidance, while others seemed content with the freedom 

that they had. In general, their environment seems to them to be more structured than in 

academia. They noted that there is no research ethics training, although the internal publications 

vetting program attempts to make sure that data handling is sound. 

About 12 support staff members attended a separate luncheon discussion meeting with 

panel members. They expressed dedication to meeting and exceeding the expectations of their 

customers―both researchers and users. Some expressed a great need to hire more supporting 

staff in two areas―clean room and research laboratories―due to the rapid expansion of staff, 

facilities, and equipment. They noted that hiring in the areas of mechanics, process engineers, 

and technical administrators is particularly urgent and mentioned that the CNST director is aware 

of these specific needs. 

The staff used to support fewer than 20 scientists and engineers, but they are now 

supporting more than double that number. In addition to providing technical support, the staff 

also have responsibilities related to property management and safety issues. 

Continuing education, such as seminars and workshops, is available in-house for those 

who are interested. Support staff indicated that they do not meet formally, but they interact 

informally. They noted that NIST encourages staff to pursue advanced degrees. A couple of 

staff among the attendees have received MS degrees while working at NIST. Two staff cultures 

have merged in the CNST―the Nanofab and the Electron Physics Group. The Nanofab staff 

meet routinely. The Electron Physics Group staff do not meet routinely and would welcome 

more group meetings.