Yale University Cleanroom

The University Cleanroom provides a controlled environment that maintains intentionally low concentrations of pollutants to allow for uncontaminated scientific research.

Yong Sun

Primary contact Director
Hours & Location
Building:

Becton Engineering and Applied Science Center, 5th floor

Join the cleanroom

Please follow the instructions provided in the following link to access the cleanroom and research equipment.

Become a member

About the cleanroom

The University Cleanroom is a core science facility administered by the Department of Applied Physics. It is a particle-free environment for the design, fabrication, and testing of micro- and nanofabricated devices.

Research infrastructure

Yale University's Cleanroom is a pivotal facility for advanced research, equipped with more than 30 specialized tools. These tools are supported by a knowledgeable staff who ensure their maintenance and provide comprehensive training. The facility is designed to support a wide range of research fields including nano-fabrication, materials science, biomedical engineering, quantum computing, chemical and environmental engineering, and applied physics, making it an essential environment for cutting-edge investigations. 

The cleanroom's equipment and processes are organized into seven main categories: sputtering and evaporation, chemical vapor deposition, etching, lithography, metrology, back-end processing, and wet benches, along with a teaching cleanroom specifically for instructional purposes. This structured approach ensures that researchers have access to the necessary tools and support to advance their work. 

 

Cleanroom_Layout

 

Acknowledging the cleanroom

For publications, recognition of support from the Yale University Cleanroom, as well as individual staff contributions may be formatted as follows:

  • Acknowledgement: This work was made possible by the Yale University Cleanroom, a core facility supported by the Provost Office of Yale University.
  • We’d like to thank [staff member] for [service or other contribution].

To share a publication on the cleanroom webpage, provide a copy to Yeongjae Shin.

Contacts

Becton Engineering and Applied Science Center

15 Prospect Street

New Haven, CT 06511

Primary contact

Yong Sun Director

Facility Manager

Staff Scientist

Staff Scientist

Faculty Director

Peter Rakich Associate Professor of Applied Physics and of Physics

Rates

Equipment policies and rates

Precious metals
Purchase of precious metals (e.g., gold, platinum, and palladium) is the responsibility of the research group. It is not supplied by the cleanroom.

Soft cap policy
Users and groups will receive an 80% discount after the group usage fee exceeds $100,000, or an 80% discount after individual usage fee exceeds $15,000. The usage fee is calculated by combining the fee charged by both the University Cleanroom & YINQE user fees and equipment rates.

Operating expenses for the cleanroom are recovered through the combination of hourly charges to the user community and subsidies from Yale University. All access is tracked through the Facility Online Manager (FOM) (requires Yale network access).

Main Cleanroom access fee$58 / hour
Teaching Cleanroom access fee$58 / hour
Staff service fee$75 / hour
Oxford 80+ ICP RIE$64 / hour
Oxford 100 ICP-RIE$64 / hour
Oxford Cryo Bosch DRIE$64 / hour
Simple PhotoMask$275 / order
Complex PhotoMask$400 / order

Access and use policies

A detailed list of policies is included in the Cleanroom User Handbook.

New chemicals

Any user wishing to introduce chemicals to the cleanroom must first present an SDS to a staff member for evaluation and display an active knowledge of the chemical hazards. Approved chemicals may be brought into the cleanroom by staff members only.
 

Visitor access

Anyone not qualified to enter the cleanroom is considered a visitor. Upon the approval of cleanroom staff, a qualified cleanroom user may act as a host to bring a visitor in for the purpose of observation only.
 

After hours

The cleanroom operates Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. All other times are considered after hours and are restricted to users with over thirty hours of Cleanroom time logged with no safety incidents.

External customers

An external customer is any non-Yale researcher who has obtained the approval of the School of Engineering & Applied Science Business Office.
 

Undergraduates

Undergraduate access is granted on a case-by-case basis and must be under the supervision of a senior researcher or instructor when working in the Cleanroom.

Discipline

Instances of user misconduct are evaluated and dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Consequences range from a warning and notice delivered to your PI, to permanent suspension of cleanroom access.