UNM NanoFab Offers Free Lab Access

The University of New Mexico NanoFab laboratory offers free access to its cleanroom facilities for external users through a new quarterly voucher program.

The lab is located inside the Center for High Technology Materials building on Avenida Cesar Chavez. It sits across from Lobo Village near University Stadium. Maya Narayanan Kutty serves as the manager of the facility. She explained that the lab focuses on building devices finer than a human hair using materials other than silicon.

Kutty stated the lab creates technology 50 to 60 years ahead of current market standards. The facility works with elements such as gallium arsenide and gallium antimonide. This approach allows engineers to fabricate chips that have not been created before.

The cleanroom maintains strict air quality controls. The space is measured by parts per million of skin cells and dust in the air. Kutty noted that a single speck of dust can ruin months of work. The lab maintains an open-door policy for university research and outside entities.

External applicants can use the lab for eight hours with assistance or eleven hours without assistance. The voucher program opens quarterly for researchers, startups, and government labs. Interested parties can find the application on the NanoFab website. Users must complete training and safety walkthroughs before entering the facility.

Kutty appeared on the podcast It’s (Probably) Not Rocket Science to discuss these capabilities. Host Cameron Goeldner interviewed her about the lab’s mission. The episode is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast platforms.