NYU Tandon’s NanoFab opens its doors to academic and industry researchers
Brooklyn is poised to become the world’s next major center of semiconductor development
Left to right: Stacie Grossman Bloom, Jelena Kovačević, Davood Shahrjerdi, and Linda Mills virtually cut the ribbon of the NYU Nanofabrication Cleanroom
On December 29, 1959, physicist Richard Feynman caused a stir when he posited that all 24 volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica could conceivably be printed — legibly — on the head of a pin. One day, he predicted, librarians would marvel that all the information they oversee, “volumes, stacked from the floor to the ceiling, drawers full of cards, storage rooms full of the older books,” could be stored on a device smaller than a single library card. Feynman’s prediction was as accurate as it was thanks to nanoscale research — scientists and engineers working with materials measuring as little as one-billionth of a meter. (One popular analogy to convey just how small that is: a sphere 1 nanometer in diameter is to a softball as a softball is to the Earth.)
On October 18, 2023, NYU Tandon caused a stir of its own, inaugurating the only university-based nanofabrication cleanroom in Brooklyn. The state-of-the-art facility will allow researchers from NYU, other universities, and industrial companies to make semiconductors even smaller than Feynman ever dreamed, with the goal of accelerating advances in information technology, medicine, transportation, energy, and many other sectors.
University leaders, elected officials, and visitors from around the world gathered to watch as the ribbon was cut on the facility (virtually, since entering the actual cleanroom requires donning hooded full-body garments to ensure sterility), and several speakers extolled the promise and potential NanoFab presents, not just for Tandon but the world.
Jelena Kovačević, Dean of NYU Tandon
“We could not be opening this facility at a better or more auspicious time, now that the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act is in full effect and we are so pleased to be part of a consortium with partners in academia and industry. . . . .The Biden administration has announced its intention to make the U.S. the premier destination in the world where new leading-edge chip architectures can be invented in research labs, designed for every end-use application, and manufactured at scale, and they were talking about facilities just like this one.”
Linda Mills, NYU President
“This is a great and historic moment for our university, and I’m thrilled that it’s taking place now, during the week of my inauguration as president. NanoFab is going to allow our world-class scientists, scholars and students, as well as our partners and collaborators, to further their research in new ways, and I’m grateful to everyone who made it possible.”
Senator Charles Schumer
“NYU Tandon and NanoFab are going to ensure that the technologies of the future are researched, developed, and manufactured in New York, leading to more tech jobs and economic benefits, and that the next big semiconductor breakthrough happens right here.”
Lincoln Restler, Member of New York City Council
“The CHIPS Act is a bipartisan accomplishment and a model of government cooperation, and that’s exactly what we need to see now. The Act has made facilities like NanoFab possible, and we’re going to be seeing many innovations emerge from it in the future.”
Stacie Grossman Bloom, NYU Vice Provost for Research and Chief Research Officer
“Science doesn't care where you’re from, what religion you are, or what language you speak. Science is about truth and rigor, so it feels timely that we’re here today, coming from all over the world and representing science.”
Gregory Gabadadze, Professor Of Physics and NYU Dean for Science
“Facilities and labs are important, but people are even more important, and we would not be here today without the hard work and determination of Davood Shahrjerdi, NanoFab’s Director.”
Andrew Gounardes, New York State Senator
“I will admit that I know very little about nanotechnology and the science that will be going on here, but I do know that New York is going to be at the forefront of the semiconductor industry, and NYU Tandon is going to be at the forefront of the forefront.”
Davood Shahrjerdi, Director of NanoFab
“Everyone is giving me a lot of credit today, but I want to stress that this was definitely a team effort. We’re proud to be part of the NORDTECH Microelectronics Commons consortium, which also includes NY CREATES; the University at Albany College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering; Cornell University; and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and I also want to mention our partners at KAIST, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology, some of whom traveled to be with us today. NanoFab is a symbol of NYU’s commitment to excellence and Tandon’s mission to use technology to benefit society, which perfectly aligns with President Mills’ vision.”
