The beginning of 2020 looked promising for the CAMART2 project. The plans for infrastructure improvement at the ISSP UL included acquisition of new equipment for advancement of work at Laboratory of Prototyping of Electronic & Photonic Devices, Laboratory of Thin Films as well as Laboratory of Materials Morphology and Structure Investigations.
Researchers from ISSP UL visited IMEC (Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre) campus in Leuven, Belgium to see the AMF microscope laboratory and test the Park NX-Hivac high vacuum AFM (Atomic Force Microscope) in action as well as they visited NenoVision s.r.o. in Brno-Medlánky, Czech Republic to learn about AFM designed for easy integration into the SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopes) (LiteScope).
After the great beginning of the year, the pace had to be slowed down. CAMART2 project unfortunately was not an exception and the global COVID-19 restrictions had made significant impact on it for months. Following the ease of restrictions, project of ISSP UL infrastructure upgrade continues and so does the execution of tasks set out by CAMART2 project.
In order to be ready for installation and operation of the new plasma equipment at the ISSP UL, the researchers took the opportunity to acquire and improve their knowledge at the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC) in Vilnius, Lithuania. During the visit, technical details of installation were discussed and learned as Oxford Instruments’ plasma etching and deposition equipment requires complex gas installations and allows to fabricate various micro devices for applications in photonics, sensors and precision medicine.
IMEC is an international research & development and innovation hub, active in the fields of nanoelectronics and digital technologies laboratories. Its’ research covers various aspects of nanoelectronics such as advanced semiconductor scaling, low power sensing and actuating, radar and radio technology, and digital technologies including data and security expertise and AI. By setting up local and global ecosystems of partners across a multitude of industries, IMEC creates technology solutions[buzzword] enabling innovation in various domains, such as healthcare, smart cities and mobility, logistics and manufacturing, sustainable energy and smart education.
NenoVision is a technology company based in Brno, Czech Republic. The company was the first spin-off from the Brno University of Technology and the Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC). NenoVision develops, manufactures, and sells a revolutionary type of atomic force microscope LiteScope™ designed for fast and easy integration into scanning electron microscopes.
Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC) is the largest scientific research institution carrying out a unique fundamental research and technological development works in scientific fields of laser technologies, optoelectronics, nuclear physics, organic chemistry, bio and nanotechnologies, electrochemical material science, functional materials, electronics, etc. in Lithuania. In the Center not only the innovative science but also high technologies expedient for business and society needs are developed.
The main activity of FTMC is to carry out fundamental and applied research as well as experimental investigations in the fields of physics, chemistry and technologies, which are of utmost importance to the state, society and business.
