The Institute for Nanoscience, Engineering, and Technology integrates advances in nanoscience exploring new fundamental properties occuring on the nanoscale into the engineering of nanodevices leading to revolutionary technologies that benefit information technology, energy conversion, health, and many other aspects of everyday life.
The nanoscience Institute comprises facilities to synthesize and characterize nanomaterials. Key elements are a pulsed-laser deposition system, a magnetic atomic force microscope, an x-ray emission spectrometer for a scanning transmission electron microscope, an x-ray microdiffraction system, high sensitivity thermogravimetric system, an electron lithography system, and a shared (NIU/ANL) focused ion beam lithography system. A great need for understanding behavior at the nanoscale is a theoretical base and an extensive effort has been established in this area. The laboratory not only serves to perform state-of-the-art research, but also enables NIU to educate undergraduate and graduate students for a future workforce in nanoscience and technology. The foci and goal achievement are delineated below.
