• Overview

The Micro-Nano Lab was founded in 2008. It was designed and set up as a part and the target of the VNU governmental investment project to be a key laboratory of VNU-UET in a system of the key laboratories at VNU. The laboratory operates under the university administration and management, reporting its activities directly to the rector. The Micro-Nano Lab is assigned with the mission (i) to set up and to assure a sustainable and active environment for advanced research in micro and nanotechnology, (ii) to conduct and to develop highly original and modern research ideas and projects involving inter- and cross-disciplinary academic areas of physics, chemistry, materials science and life sciences, covering from fundamental science to engineering and industrial applications and (iii) to foster selected groups of undergraduate/postgraduate students to maintain excellence in both education and research at the VNU-UET and also in the VNU in the field of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. The laboratory draws human resources from the faculties and laboratories of VNU-UET, especially from the Faculty of Engineering Physics and Nanotechnology and the Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunications. The laboratory staff currently consists of 10 full-time and adjunct, part-time staff members, and it involves dozens Master and Ph.D. students.

• Current research areas

• Micro-nanostructured functional magnetic materials: magneto-strictive, magneto resistive, spin-valve materials, multiferroics, magnetic nano particles… Application studies include magnetic field sensors, stress sensors, biochip sensors and biochips for biomedical applications etc.
• Micro-nanostructured semiconducting materials: photo-electrochemical materials, polymer-based hybrid materials. Application studies include: organic light emitting diodes (OLED), rechargeable batteries, solar cells, etc.
• Micro-nanostructured functional ferroelectric materials: nano-particles, thin films and composites, MEMS design, fabrication and applications.
• Computational Physics, modeling and simulation of micro-nano materials and devices.

• Research equipments and facilities

• High-tech sample preparation, characterization apparatus: multi-target (up to six) sputtering systems, pulsed laser deposition (PLD) system, spin coaters; X-ray diffractometer, atomic force/magnetic force microscope, scanning electron microscope…
• Materials properties measurement systems: vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) facilities, magneto-resistance and magnetostrictive measurement systems, four probe resistivity measurement system, semiconductor characterization systems, ferroelectrics characterization system and others.
• Wafer processing and chip fabrication facilities: limited-space clean-room facility, mask aligner, spin coating, wet benches, dry etcher, optical microscope, multipurpose digital thermo-sonic wire bonder, multipurpose bonding platform and others.
• Bio sample preparation and characterization facilities for bionanotechnology research: PCR thermal cycler, UV transilluminator, purifier class II biosafety cabinets, protein electrophoresis cell, spectrophotometer, gel documentation system, ultrasonic homogenization, centrifuge…