Surrey NanoSystems advances NanoGrowth technology

Newhaven, UK - Surrey NanoSystems is claiming progress with the commercialisation of its NanoGrowth technology, for which it is currently building a third system for fabricating carbon nanotube structures with a high degree of precision and repeatability. The company is seeking to provide production platforms for using carbon nanotubes and other nanowires in applications, such as replacing the conventional metals used in the fabrication of silicon chips.

The NanoGrowth system can grow materials at low temperatures that are compatible with commercial semiconductor processes, said Surrey NanoSystems' chief scientist Dr Guan Yow Chen: "At this early stage in the cycle for applying new carbon nanotube materials commercially, the requirement for a stable platform capable of prototyping and fabricating structures repeatably is critical. Our unique tool design provides this capability, combined with flexibility that allows configurations to be built to serve individual development ideas."

The company's first tool is NanoGrowth 1000n, which comes with both CVD (chemical vapor deposition) and PECVD (plasma-enhanced CVD) processing capability. The tool's architecture includes an ultra-high purity gas delivery system and flexible closed-loop control systems that allow users to define target tolerances to achieve a high level of repeatability during all phases of the process.

Surrey NanoSystems started in 2005, as a joint venture between the University of Surrey's Advanced Technology Institute(ATI), which had developed a pioneering process for manufacturing carbon nanotubes at room temperature, and the thin film tool manufacturer CEVP. In December 2006, IP Group provided funding to Surrey NanoSystems as a new corporation, formed with staff and IP from ATI and CEVP.