ONAMI: Building a World-Class Nanoscience and Microtechnology Cluster in Oregon

By Linda Barney, Barney and Associates

Oregon recognized the importance of the nanoscience and microtechnology industry when it established the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI) in 2003. ONAMI Executive Director Robert D. “Skip” Rung stated, “ONAMI is Oregon’s first signature research center for the purpose of sustaining and growing Oregon’s innovation economy. As is true of only three other states, technology is Oregon’s largest employer, with an average wage twice the statewide average. Growth of these kinds of job opportunities is the single most effective thing we can do for state financial health, schools, public safety and human services.” Rung indicated that the selection of “nanoscience and microtechnologies” was based on a careful analysis intended to discover the largest possible intersection among:

• nationally competitive research in our universities
• future commercial opportunities/growing sectors of the global economy
• the existing skills of Oregon industry and its surrounding value chain ecosystem

Since its establishment, ONAMI is doing extensive collaboration in nanoscience and microtechnology at its public research universities – Oregon State University, Portland State University and University of Oregon – and in work being done with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington.

In addition to the collaboration with Oregon’s three research universities and PNNL, ONAMI also works with a growing number of corporate partners. ONAMI is uniquely situated in the midst of some of the world’s most advanced “small tech” research and development assets. Companies in Oregon are creating nanotechnology solutions in semiconductors, microtechnology in ink for printers, and doing nanotech memory (RAM) development. There are also companies building tools for nanotechnology – such as powerful microscopes to see materials at the nano scale and in laser micromachining. In speaking about Oregon’s potential, Presidential Science Advisor Dr. John Marburger stated, “You already have what everyone else wants. Oregon is a leader in Industrial ‘Small Tech’ research and development.”

ONAMI’s history
The origins of ONAMI began in 2000 with collaborations between the Center for Microtechnology-Based Energy, Chemical and Biological Systems at Oregon State University and the Materials Science Institute and Center for Advanced Materials Characterization at the University of Oregon. The partnership expanded in 2003 with an initiative at Portland State University's Center for Emerging Technologies.

In 2002, the Oregon Council for Knowledge and Economic Development (OCKED) identified multi-scale materials and devices (MMDs) as the top candidate for a Signature Research Center. In 2003, the Oregon State Legislature supported a nanoscience initiative that created a new entity called the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI). The Legislature established ONAMI with a $21 million investment, which included $20 million for capital construction. In April 2004, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski introduced ONAMI at the Innotech Conference by stating, “The institute is a building block for even greater potential to be the leader in nanotechnology. To generate more cutting-edge innovation in the future, we believe in looking at the long term, not just next quarter or election cycle, but 10 to 20 years out.”

ONAMI leadership
ONAMI’s leadership (executive director, research co-directors, 501c3 board) combines senior-level executive experience in both industry and academia. Executive Director Robert D. “Skip” Rung worked for Hewlett-Packard for 25 years, most recently as director of research and development for HP’s Corvallis, Oregon facility – which is both the headquarters for HP’s world-leading inkjet technology as well as HP’s most advanced and capable facility. ONAMI research co-directors include Kevin Drost (OSU research professor of mechanical engineering), David Johnson (University of Oregon professor of chemistry), John Carruthers (PSU distinguished professor of physics and retired director of components R&D at Intel), and Dennis Stiles (PNNL program manager for the ONAMI Microproducts Breakthrough Institute). Board members are senior executives from Intel Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, FEI Company, PNNL/Battelle Memorial Institute, Pixelworks, OVP Venture Partners, and all three universities. Ron Adams (dean of engineering at OSU), was formerly director of R&D at Tektronix’ color printing operation (now Xerox), which is the world leader in solid inkjet printing, the basis of Xerox’ highly successful Wilsonville site.

ONAMI facilities
Twenty million dollars of Oregon’s investment in ONAMI is being applied to three initial user facilities (with additions expected in the future) which will be open to all Oregon academic users on equal terms, and to industrial users at commercially competitive rates. The facilities are:

1. The nano-micro fabrication facility at the Microproducts Breakthrough Institute in Corvallis for microchannel devices. Laser micromachining, nano-imprinting/hot embossing, micro lamination bonding, nano-particle injection micro molding, electroplating, atomic layer deposition, and high-temperature sintering under precision loads are among the staple processes.
2. The Center for Advanced Materials Characterization in Eugene offers expert operators assistance and precision microanalysis techniques. Capabilities include SEM (with e-beam lithography), TEM, microprobe, XRD, XPS, AFM, TOF-SIMS, UPS, FTIR, NMR, Mass Spec, and basic semiconductor device fabrication. CAMCOR serves many commercial clients across the nation.
3. The Center for Electron Microscopy and Nanofabrication in downtown Portland has the most advanced TEM (200Kev) in a Pacific Northwest university, along with the latest model dual-beam FIB – one of only three academic laboratories on the West Coast to have this capability. Also available are SEM, single beam FIB, NSOM, and nanotube/nanowire fabrication equipment.

ONAMI’s major research and commercialization thrusts
ONAMI’s major research and commercialization thrusts are in the following areas:

1. Microtechnology-based energy and chemical systems is based on the observation that mass and heat transfer are best accomplished in microchannels, and that application of this principle can lead to dramatic acceleration, miniaturization and distribution of chemical, thermal and biomedical processes – with potentially revolutionary results. In addition to the many military energy applications now being developed, other promising efforts are addressing medical devices (dialysis, oxygenation) and specialty chemical (e.g., nanoparticles) production.
2. Safer nanomaterials and nanomanufacturing applies the principles of green chemistry to achieve safe and economic nanomaterial production processes, without which the military deployment and commercial success of the most sophisticated nanotechnologies would be severely limited. An example of the synergy achieved by the ONAMI collaboration is the application of microchannel reactors to nanomaterial synthesis – further improving the precision, control, efficiency and scalability (by “numbering up”) of nanomaterial production.
3. Nanoscale metrology and nanoelectronics combines the necessity of accurate measurement (an increasingly pressing problem for semiconductor industry progress) with strong regional industrial and academic experience in microscopy, analytical tools, test and measurement. Advances in electron and ion microscopy resolution (emitters, optics), photoelectron microscopy, near field scanning optical microscopy and approaches to semiconductor metrology are being applied to real-world problems such as characterization of carbon nanotube meshes and their interfaces to other layers in the non-volatile embedded memory (RAM) project.
4. Nanolaminates and transparent electronics applies atomic-precision synthesis of all-new materials using both solution chemistry and gas-phase assembly techniques for a large and growing number of applications in optics, electronics, displays, sensors, thermoelectrics, magnetics and metrology standards. World-leading materials chemistry research is being performed in low-temperature solution chemistry for nanolaminates, functionally graded materials from modulated elemental reactants, and composite electronic materials. Applications to transparent electronics (including the world's first fully transparent circuitry), semiconductor processing, high-performance thermoelectric cooling, high-performance and reliability deep UV lasers, and advanced photovoltaics are all being vigorously pursued.

ONAMI’s vision – the world’s best “virtual nano office park”
The passage of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (s. 189) in Congress recognizes the importance of nanotechnology on a national level. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) stated, “My own judgment is that the nanotechnology revolution has the potential to change America on a scale equal to, if not greater than, the computer revolution. As Chair of this Subcommittee, I am determined that the United States will not miss, but will mine the opportunities of nanotechnology.” With the establishment of ONAMI in 2003 and research already being done, Oregon is at the forefront in nanotech/microtechnology research. The following research is being done by ONAMI member researchers at OSU, U of O and PSU in conjunction with ONAMI and PNNL:

• Oregon State University (OSU) specializes in microtechnology-based energy and chemical systems (MECS), transparent electronics, and novel materials for electronic and optical applications
• Portland State University (PSU) is currently doing nanotechnology research in the areas of semiconductors, memory, magnetic storage, and bio-sensors
• University of Oregon (U of O) is at the forefront of the emerging field of green nanotechnology (safe and economical processes) and a wide range of applications of materials science to nanostructured materials

Rung stated, “We have many opportunities to do joint research with nearby industry only a few minutes’ drive away for research faculty and graduate students, and it is quite possible that highly capable corporate partners might participate in new ONAMI federal projects. Our long-term vision is that our shared user facilities model can be extended to take advantage – on a mutually beneficial basis – of the unparalleled facilities of Oregon’s Silicon Forest industrial research and development sites. The extensive list of high-tech companies in Oregon also gives us a competitive advantage and we look forward to collaborating with them to commercialize some of our nanoscience and microtechnology.”

About the author
Linda Barney is the founder and owner of Barney and Associates, a technical and marketing writing firm. Founded in 1990, Barney and Associates specializes in technical writing, documentation, online help, web content and training. Barney and Associates also provides a wide range of marketing writing services including creating media articles, white papers, data sheets, solution briefs, case studies and reviewer’s guides. Contact Linda at linda@barneyassoc.com.