Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

We propose to develop integrated microsystems and nanosystems for biological analysis, chemical analysis, and communications combining the latest advanced research in carbon nanotubes and nanomembranes, electrokinetic concentration, purification, and characterization of biological tissues and cells, and microsensors for probing such biological analytes at the single-cell and single-molecule levels.  Critical to the success of these efforts will be appropriate infrastructure to support the fabrication of complicated micro- and nanostructures on a wide variety of substrates, including glass, polymers, silicon, and heterogeneous semiconductor multilayers.  The infrastructure requested here will allow rapid fabrication of such devices by creating a flexible, multi-user spin, etch, and develop station capable of performing a wide variety of wet chemical processes on multiple different substrate materials.  The system has been carefully selected to allow the maximum shared use among various research groups spread across electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, and biotechnology disciplines at the University of British Columbia.  Such infrastructure is not available elsewhere in Canada, making such a resource a valuable tool in the growing microfluidics community in Canada and helping to advance the global state of the art in integrated nanosystems.