The facility includes a 4,000 square foot cleanroom, three thin film labs, and a photo reduction darkroom. The Nanofab is managed by the Data Storage Systems Center (DSSC) and occupies space in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department in Hamerschlag Hall and in the College of Engineering building, Roberts Hall.
The facility was constructed by the university to support the wide variety of thin film and solid state electronics research conducted primarily by the DSSC and the ECE department. Research requiring the use of the facility is inherently multidisciplinary. Faculty, staff, and students access the labs and collaborate on projects originating from the DSSC, ECE, Materials Science and Engineering, Physics, Robotics, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and industry. Areas of research include process development of magnetic recording and magneto optic recording thin films and device structures, microelectromechanical systems, semiconductor materials and quantum structures, and integrated electro-optics.