Cleanroom & Nanofabrication Facility
An Open User Facility at 糖心Vlog
Open to both 糖心Vlog and External Users, this laboratory is home to over 20 high-end micro and nanoscale instrumentation systems.
Comprised of 1,500 square feet of Class 1,000 and Class 10,000 cleanroom spaces, the lab enables highly sensitive materials and devices to be fabricated free from contaminants. In addition, there is over 2,000 square feet of service and support space.听The lab is supported by an air handling unit that completely cleans and renews all the air in the facility every 45 seconds.
Contact Mike Geiwitz, the BC Cleanroom Manager, to get started.
Please note that all work performed in BC core facilities and recharge centers should always be appropriately acknowledged.听 If you are publishing or presenting data acquired in BC core facilities and recharge centers, please include the following statement in the Acknowledgement section of your manuscript/poster/presentation, "The authors would like to thank the 糖心Vlog Cleanroom & Nanofabrication Facility for assistance with the work presented in this [publication/talk/poster].鈥�
* Delete as appropriate
If the听Heidelberg Nanofrazor Scholar听was used for data collection that was later used in any publications, posters or presentations etc., please make sure to acknowledge the support from the National Science Foundation by citing the funding grant with the following statement:听听鈥淭he research reported in this [publication/talk/poster] was supported by the NSF MRI Program under the award number "2117711"; Principal Investigator: Kenneth, Burch"
- 1,500 square feet of Class 1,000 and Class 10,000 cleanroom space
- 2,000 sqft of service and support area space
- 10,000 CFM air handling unit with approximately 75 air changes per hour
- Room temperature between 65鈥�70掳F
- Relative humidity of 50鈥�60%
- 18.2 MegOhm deionized water
- House nitrogen (N2) from liquid nitrogen boil off, 35鈥�45 psi
- Compressed Dry Air (CDA) delivery pressure 90鈥�100 psi
- 20+ Capital equipment systems
- Safety eyewash and safety shower inside and outside of cleanroom
- 3 exhaust hoods for chemical work
- Gowning is required before entering the cleanroom to protect the environment and samples in process (Particulate-free bouffant caps, coveralls, shoe covers, gloves, and safety glasses are provided)
- Face shields, chemical resistant aprons, protective sleeves, and heavy chemical resistant gloves are provided for chemical work
- All high voltage equipment has at least one EMO for emergency shut down should problems arise
- There are no highly toxic gases present in the facility
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Every user receives training from our staff. The staff is there to assist users in troubleshooting and offer support when necessary.
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- State of the art facility and equipment
- Perfect for small start-up companies and colleges
- Easy set-up for new users
- Cost effective/affordable rates
- One-on-one training
Laboratory
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES
- New users must run equipment at least 3 times during daytime operation (9 AM鈥�5 PM).
- Where applicable, reserve equipment before use.
- Use equipment only as it is intended to be used.
- Report any problems to a staff member.
ORIENTATION & TRAINING
Before orientation,听Non-BC users听must complete the Facilities Use Agreement for External Users.听糖心Vlog users听must complete the听Authorization Request form. After approval, new users must undergo a training and orientation program before use of the facility. Please contact Mike Geiwitz听to schedule a time for training.
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BILLING
Please note that 糖心Vlog鈥檚 terms are NET 30. All facility invoices must be paid within 30 days of invoice date. Invoices that are past due over 60 days will result in suspension of user access until all outstanding invoices are paid in full.
GOWNING
Gowning must take place from the top down. Users are required to put on their cap, hood, suit, boots, and gloves in that order.
BUDDY SYSTEM
For safety reasons, we ask that users utilize the buddy system when working in the lab.听When performing potentially hazardous/dangerous operations always make sure someone is in the laboratory with you. When a user is only in the lab observing鈥攁s part of the buddy system鈥攖hat user will not be charged clean room usage fee.
CANCELLATION POLICY
The Cleanroom and Nanofabrication Facility听has a 24-hour cancellation policy. Please notify the Manager at least 24 hours in advance if you can not honor your reservation. We realized that all projects require a certain process flow between tools, so one problem may throw off your entire schedule. Under these circumstances, the 24 hour cancellation policy would not apply.
Please email Mike Geiwitz for any questions regarding cancellation.听
Equipment and Rates
| General | Internal Rates (糖心Vlog) | External Academic Rates (non profit) | External Commercial Rates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleanroom Use | $32/hr | $32/hr | $60/hr |
| Remote Staff Assistance | $100/hr | $100/hr | $100/hr |
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| Equipment | Vendor & Model | Internal Rates | External Academic Rates | External Commercial Rates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mask Aligner | OAI Model 200 | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate |
| Spin Coater | Laurell WS-650 | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate |
| Spin Coater | 听 | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate |
| Hot Plates (2) | -- | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate |
| Thermal Scanning Probe Lithography (t-SPL) system |
Nanofrazor Scholar | $15/hour | $15/hour | $34/hour |
| Direct Write听Maskless Aligner |
碌惭尝础 | $10/hour | $10/hour | --YES-310TA HMDS Oven |
| YES-310TA HMDS Oven | -- | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate |
*If the听Heidelberg Nanofrazor Scholar was used for data collection that was later used in any publications, posters or presentations etc., please make sure to acknowledge the support from the National Science Foundation by citing the funding grant with the following statement:听听鈥淭he research reported in this [publication/talk/poster] was supported by the NSF MRI Program under the award number "2117711"; Principal Investigator: Kenneth, Burch"
| Equipment | Vendor & Model | Internal Rates | External Academic Rates | External Commercial Rates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sputter Deposition System | $40/hour | $40/hour | $95/hr | |
| Benchtop Sputter Deposition | Safematic CCU | $10/run | $10/run | $25/run |
| Atomic Layer Deposition | Ultratech | $15/hr | $15/hr | $50/hr |
| Thermal Evaporator | $10/hr | $10/hr | $45/hr | |
| PE-CVD | $40/run | $40/run | $95/run | |
| E-Beam Deposition (w/ion source) | 脜ngstrom Amod | $75/hr | $75/hr | $150/hr |
| Benchtop Sputter Coater | Safematic CCU | $15/hr | $15/hr | $50/hr |
| Electroplating System | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate |
| Equipment | Vendor & Model | Internal Rates | External Academic Rates | External Commercial Rates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scanning Electron Microscope | $44/hr | $44/hr | $105/hr | |
| EDX (on SEM) | included in SEM rate | included in | included in | |
| Optical Microscope (High Power) | -- | -- | -- | |
| Reflectometer | 听 | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate |
| Surface Profilometer | 听 | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate |
| Spectroscopic Ellipsometer | -- | -- | -- | |
| RF LCR Meter | 听 | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate |
| Probe/Test Station | 听 | -- | -- | -- |
| Four Point Probe Station | MHMP/RMS-AR | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate |
| Equipment | Vendor & Model | Internal Rates | External Academic Rates | External Commercial Rates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samco RIE-10NR | -- | $40/hr | $40/hr | $95/hr |
| XeF2 Etch System | 听X-SYS- EXP Xetch | $15/hr | $20/hr | $50/hr |
| Acid Etching Fume Hood | FWS-196-4910 | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate |
| Microwave Plasma Etch | 听 | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate |
| Solvent Cleaning Fume Hood | FWS-196-SS | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate |
| Equipment | Vendor & Model | Internal Rates | External Academic Rates | External Commercial Rates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dicing Saw | $16/hr | $20/hr | $65/hr | |
| Wire Bonder | $10/hr | $15/hr | $35/hr | |
| Atmospheric Furnace | Lindberg/Blue M 3-Zone Tube Furnace STF55666C | $15/hr | $20/hr | $50/hr |
| Rapid Thermal Processor | 听 | $10/hr | $10/hr | $20/hr |
| General Purpose Oven (2) | -- | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate |
| Vacuum Oven (2) | -- | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate | included in General Cleanroom Use rate |
Frequently Asked Questions
A Class 1,000 cleanroom contains fewer than 1,000 airborne particles measuring 0.5 micrometers or larger per cubic foot of air. A Class 10,000 cleanroom contains fewer than 10,000 such particles per cubic foot of air. The lab is supported by an air-handling system that filters the equivalent of the facility鈥檚 entire air volume every 45 seconds.
Usage is open to 糖心Vlog faculty and students, as well as external users. You do not have to be part of the 糖心Vlog community to rent equipment in this space.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is taken very seriously at BC. To enter the lab, all users must have the following PPE:
- Long Pants or an Ankle-Length Skirt
- Closed Toed Shoes (no sandals, no flip-flops)
- Eye Protection (glasses or safety-glasses)
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Examples of Work Being Done in the Facility
Catalyst Hide鈥恆nd鈥怱eek Beneath Porous Support Surfaces: Pinpointing Active Site Distribution Through Resonance Energy Transfer. Kankanamalage, B. K. P. M., Thompson, W. J., Smith, D. N., Thaggard, G. C., Wijerathne, N., Incognito, I., Byers, J. A., Niu, J., and Shustova, N. B. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2026, 65(30). DOI:
Bistable superlattice switching in a quantum spin Hall insulator. Tang, J., Ding, T. S., Ding, S., Li, J., Yi, C., Tang, T., Huang, Z., Wu, X., Huang, Z., Singh, B., Qian, T., Belosevich, V., Guo, M., Gao, A., Peshcherenko, N., Sun, Z., Shehabeldin, M., Watanabe, K., Taniguchi, T., Pasupathy, A. N., Felser, C., S. Burch, K., Ni, N., Wang, Y., Zhang, Y., Xu, S.-Y., and Ma, Q. Nature, 2026, 652(8108), 68鈥�75. DOI:
Electrical readout strategies of GFET biosensors for real-world requirements. Geiwitz, M., Page, O. R., Nichols, M. E., Marello, T., Hoar, C., Akinwande, D., Meyer, M. M., and Burch, K. S. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2026, 304, 118627. DOI:
Electrostatic quantum nanocorral for composite charged excitons. Sun, Z., Shehabeldin, M., Tang, J., Guo, M., Huang, Z., Tang, T., Qian, T., Belosevich, V., Ding, T. S., Tang, J., He, Y., Ko拧i膰, I., Geiwitz, M., Watanabe, K., Taniguchi, T., Stephen Burch, K., Navarro-Moratalla, E., Rhodes, D., Lui, C. H., Ni, N., Xu, S. Y., and Ma, Q. Nature Nanotechnology, 2026, 21(8), 1097鈥�1104. DOI:
Scalable, Simple, and Versatile Encapsulation of 2D Materials and Devices. Natale, G., Chirkova, U., Feres, F. H., Jing, R., Geiwitz, M., Liu, W., Low, E., Leeman, J., Kim, K.-M., Schoop, L. M., Shehabeldin, M., Ma, Q., Susner, M. A., Bhattacharya, P., Gu, G., Lee, K., Hone, J., Liu, M., and Burch, K. S. Nano Letters, 2026. DOI:
Direct Formation of C3 Oxygenates through Photocatalytic CH4 鈥揅O Coupling. Fei, M., Chen, B., Sakamoto, Y., Wang, L., Mu, Y., Zhang, J., Wilkes, J. R., Gallenstein, R., Huang, J., Bao, J. L., Li, W., and Wang, D. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2025, 147(29), 25834鈥�25840. DOI:
Recycling Li-Ion Battery Cathode Materials in Iron-Fueled, Low-Sulfate Cultures of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. Elander, B. E., Jiang, M., Fahrenbruch, M., Li, W., Momeni, B., and Wang, D. ACS Sustainable Resource Management, 2025, 2(9), 1760鈥�1768. DOI:
Dual quantum spin Hall insulator by density-tuned correlations in TaIrTe4. Tang, J., Ding, T. S., Chen, H., Gao, A., Qian, T., Huang, Z., Sun, Z., Han, X., Strasser, A., Li, J., Geiwitz, M., Shehabeldin, M., Belosevich, V., Wang, Z., Wang, Y., Watanabe, K., Taniguchi, T., Bell, D. C., Wang, Z., Fu, L., Zhang, Y., Qian, X., Burch, K. S., Shi, Y., Ni, N., Chang, G., Xu, S.-Y., and Ma, Q. Nature, 2024, 628(8008), 515鈥�521. DOI:
Graphene Multiplexed Sensor for Point-of-Need Viral Wastewater-Based Epidemiology. Geiwitz, M., Page, O. R., Marello, T., Nichols, M. E., Kumar, N., Hummel, S., Belosevich, V., Ma, Q., Opijnen, T. van, Batten, B., Meyer, M. M., and Burch, K. S. ACS Applied Bio Materials, 2024, 7(7), 4622鈥�4632. DOI:
Highly Selective Photocatalytic Methane Coupling by Au-Modified Bi2WO6. Fei, M., Williams, B., Wang, L., Li, H., Yuan, Y., Wilkes, J. R., Liu, T., Mu, Y., Huang, J., Nyakuchena, J., Huang, J., Li, W., and Wang, D. ACS Catalysis, 2024, 14(3), 1855鈥�1861. DOI:
Highly Selective Electrochemical Baeyer鈥揤illiger Oxidation through Oxygen Atom Transfer from Water. Mu, Y., Chen, B., Zhang, H., Fei, M., Liu, T., Mehta, N., Wang, D. Z., Miller, A. J. M., Diaconescu, P. L., and Wang, D. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2024, 146(19), 13438鈥�13444. DOI:
Binary Cation Matrix Electrolyte and Its Effect on Solid Electrolyte Interphase Suppression and Evolution of Si Anode. Cora, S., Vaughey, J. T., and Sa, N. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 2024, 16(30), 39277鈥�39286. DOI:
Enhanced magnetization by defect-assisted exciton recombination in atomically thin CrCl3. Zhang, X. Y., Graham, T. K. M., Bae, H., Wang, Y. X., Delegan, N., Ahn, J., Wang, Z. C., Regner, J., Watanabe, K., Taniguchi, T., Jung, M., Sofer, Z., Tafti, F., Awschalom, D. D., Heremans, F. J., Yan, B., and Zhou, B. B. Physical Review Materials, 2024, 8(10), 104402. DOI:
Low Catalyst Loading Enhances Charge Accumulation for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting. Liu, T., Li, W., Wang, D. Z., Luo, T., Fei, M., Shin, D., Waegele, M. M., and Wang, D. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2023, 62(34). DOI:
Rapid, Multianalyte Detection of Opioid Metabolites in Wastewater. Kumar, N., Rana, M., Geiwitz, M., Khan, N. I., Catalano, M., Ortiz-Marquez, J. C., Kitadai, H., Weber, A., Dweik, B., Ling, X., Opijnen, T. van, Argun, A. A., and Burch, K. S. ACS Nano, 2022, 16(3), 3704鈥�3714. DOI:
Suppression of crosstalk in multielectrode arrays with local shielding. Naughton, J. R., Varela, J. A., Connolly, T. J., Shepard, S., Dodge, T. E., Kempa, K., Burns, M. J., Christianson, J. P., and Naughton, M. J. 2022. DOI:
Enabling Lithium Metal Anode in Nonflammable Phosphate Electrolyte with Electrochemically Induced Chemical Reactions. Zhang, H., Luo, J., Qi, M., Lin, S., Dong, Q., Li, H., Dulock, N., Povinelli, C., Wong, N., Fan, W., Bao, J. L., and Wang, D. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2021, 60(35), 19183鈥�19190. DOI:
In Situ Probing of Mass Exchange at the Solid Electrolyte Interphase in Aqueous and Nonaqueous Zn Electrolytes with EQCM-D. Cora, S., Ahmad, S., and Sa, N. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2021, 13(8), 10131鈥�10140. DOI:
Measurement of the stress-strain behavior of freestanding ultra-thin films. Cuddalorepatta, G. K., Li, H., Pantuso, D., and Vlassak, J. J. Materialia, 2020, 9, 100502. DOI:
Poisson鈥檚 ratio and residual strain of freestanding ultra-thin films. Cuddalorepatta, G. K., Rees, W. M. van, Han, L., Pantuso, D., Mahadevan, L., and Vlassak, J. J. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 2020, 137, 103821. DOI:
Hydrogen bonding steers the product selectivity of electrocatalytic CO reduction. Li, J., Li, X., Gunathunge, C. M., and Waegele, M. M. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2019, 116(19), 9220鈥�9229. DOI:
All-Solution-Processed Micro/Nanowires with Electroplate Welding as Transparent Conducting Electrodes. Yang, C., Merlo, J. M., D鈥橧mperio, L. A., Rose, A. H., Calm, Y. M., Han, B., Gao, J., Zhou, G., Burns, M. J., Kempa, K., and Naughton, M. J. physica status solidi (RRL) 鈥� Rapid Research Letters, 2019, 13(6), 1970027. DOI:
Residual stress鈥揹riven test technique for freestanding ultrathin films: Elastic behavior and residual strain. Cuddalorepatta, G. K., Sim, G. D., Li, H., Pantuso, D., and Vlassak, J. J. Journal of Materials Research, 2019, 34(20), 3474鈥�3482. DOI:
Arrays of electrically-addressable, optically-transmitting 3D nanostructures on free-standing, flexible polymer films. D鈥橧mperio, L. A., McCrossan, A. F., Naughton, J. R., Merlo, J. M., Calm, Y. M., Burns, M. J., and Naughton, M. J. Flexible and Printed Electronics, 2018, 3(2), 025007. DOI:
Wireless communication system via nanoscale plasmonic antennas. Merlo, J. M., Nesbitt, N. T., Calm, Y. M., Rose, A. H., D鈥橧mperio, L., Yang, C., Naughton, J. R., Burns, M. J., Kempa, K., and Naughton, M. J. Scientific Reports 2016 6:1, 2016, 6(1), 31710-. DOI:
Label-free capture of breast cancer cells spiked in buffy coats using carbon nanotube antibody micro-arrays. Khosravi, F., Trainor, P., Rai, S. N., Kloecker, G., Wickstrom, E., and Panchapakesan, B. Nanotechnology, 2016, 27(13), 13LT02. DOI:
Nanocoax-Based Electrochemical Sensor. Rizal, B., Archibald, M. M., Connolly, T., Shepard, S., Burns, M. J., Chiles, T. C., and Naughton, M. J. Analytical Chemistry, 2013, 85(21), 10040鈥�10044. DOI:
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Michael Geiwitz
Director, Cleanroom & Nanofabrication Facility
Michael Geiwitz came to 糖心Vlog in 2019 to pursue his Ph.D. in Physics. After completing his doctorate, he took over as Cleanroom Director in 2026. His doctoral research focused on graphene-based field-effect transistor biosensors, wafer-scale sensor platforms, and device-based approaches to wastewater-based epidemiology. This work involved collaborations with Biology, Chemistry, and Engineering at 糖心Vlog, connecting nanofabrication and condensed matter physics with interdisciplinary applications in biosensing and bioelectronics.
His technical background includes lithography, thin-film deposition, plasma processing, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, graphene device fabrication, and electrical transport measurements. He also teaches undergraduate and graduate students in the Physics Department through a fall and spring course on nanofabrication techniques and device measurements. His current work supports interdisciplinary research across condensed matter physics, materials science, biology, chemistry, bioelectronics, and nanotechnology, with an emphasis on helping researchers translate experimental ideas into reliable fabrication and measurement workflows.
Cleanroom & Nanofabrication听Facility
Mike Geiwitz
糖心Vlog
Hayden Hall
Room #005听
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617 552 0049
geiwitz@bc.edu