# Semiconductor Nanofabrication

- Organization: [John O'Brien Nanofabrication Laboratory, USC](https://nanofab.usc.edu/)
- Role: Microelectronics Commons Scholars Program
- Dates: Jun 2024 – Jul 2024
- Topics: Cleanroom fabrication, Photolithography, Deposition, Etching, Metrology, PECVD
- Page: https://www.cedarroseleach.com/work/nanofabrication/

> Member of the first Microelectronics Commons Scholars cohort; trained and certified in cleanroom fabrication, then recalibrated the lab's PECVD deposition rate.

Links:
- [Undergraduate Microelectronics Commons Scholars Program Brings the Textbook to Life in the Cleanroom (USC Viterbi School of Engineering)](https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2024/10/undergraduate-microelectronics-commons-scholars-program-brings-the-textbook-to-life-in-the-cleanroom/)
- [California DREAMS Offers IEEE-certified Cleanroom Microcredentials (USC Information Sciences Institute)](https://www.isi.edu/news/72913/california-dreams-offers-ieee-certified-cleanroom-microcredentials/)

I had the privilege of being part of the inaugural cohort of the Microelectronics Commons Scholars Program, which launched in summer 2024. The program featured two immersive phases: a two-week CA DREAMS Cleanroom Gateway at USC's John O'Brien Nanofabrication Laboratory, where I received hands-on training, followed by a six-week internship.

During the Cleanroom Gateway, I gained skills in wafer cleaning and handling, photolithography, deposition, etching, metrology, machine operation, and cleanroom safety practices. This foundational training prepared me for my internship.

My internship began with cleanroom machine calibration, where I conducted multiple trials of SiO₂ deposition on cleaved silicon wafers to measure and recalibrate the faulty PECVD deposition rate. I then joined the Biomedical Microsystems Laboratory, which focuses on developing micro/nanotechnologies for biomedical applications. Here, I was fascinated by the fabrication process of a novel silicon-polymer neural probe, and I continued my research into the school year.

Programs that offer such comprehensive and specialized training in this specialized industry are exceptionally rare, and I am grateful to have gained such valuable knowledge and experience in this field.

Figures:
- A Photolithography section of the John O'Brien nanofabrication cleanroom
- Spinning photoresist evenly on my wafer as part of the lithography process
- Wafer full of neural probes that I fabricated through photolithography, deposition, etching, & liftoff
- Retrieving wafers after depositing titanium via the electron-beam physical vapor deposition
- Scribe tool used to cleave wafer - I made a Standard Operating Procedure Tutorial (SOP) for this tool

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By Cedar Rose Leach (cdleach@usc.edu). Site summary: /llms.txt