Survey of University Micro/Nanotechnology Cleanroom Facilities as the First Phase in the Development of a U of L Business Model

Approximately ten years ago, the University of Louisville made a serious research commitment in the emerging fields of micro/nano/biotechnology by allocating funds towards the construction of an effective, but relatively-small, state-of-the-art, class 100 cleanroom. In 1997 that facility (the Lutz MicroTechnology Cleanroom) was unveiled, placing U of L in the select group of US academic institutions with such facilities and the only university in the state of Kentucky with a cleanroom for general micro/nano-fabrication research and educational training. With the addition of new faculty in recent years and with the unprecedented success of those faculty, the university effectively out-grew the original 1,500 square foot cleanroom facility. To address this critical need, the University committed state funds to the construction of a new state-of-the-art $50M 120,000 sq. ft. Belknap Campus Research Building (BRB) which houses a greatly-expanded, true multi-user cleanroom "core facility" to support our escalating research/educational programs micro/nano/biotechnology.