The GLAD lab is equipped with six vacuum chambers for physical vapour deposition of thin films. Each one has the GLAD substrate motion control system incorporated into it, as well as a computer software module used to control the motion throughout the deposition.
The lab members have affectionately named each of the vacuum chambers. They are:
Dagda and Pluto, representing the two styles of vacuum chamber, are shown below. The systems like Dagda use electron-beam evaporation to deposit the films and a cryo-pump (maintained at -262°C) to maintain the high vacuum. Systems like Pluto use thermal evaporation for the deposition and a diffusion pump. In addition, some of the systems have an ion mill, allowing the user to bombard thin films with ions and change their shape and properties.
The GLAD lab is located immediately beside the
University of Alberta Nanofabrication Facility. This facility boasts an impressive array of nanotechnology processing equipment. Extensive deposition, lithography, and wet/plasma etching capabilities using cutting-edge technology are all readily available to us for use in conducting research.
In addition to the Nanofab, the GLAD lab is affiliated with the newly opened National Institute for Nanotechnology. NINT promises to be one of the world's most technologically advanced research facilities, with the quietest research space in Canada and strong multi-disciplinary roots.
