This section provides useful information for prospective, new, and current users of JSIRT Core Facilities. JSNN Core Facility is a shared user facility that provides access to state-of-the-art equipment, specialized services and expert staff at affordable prices. JSNN provides open access to more than 100 fabrication, imaging, characterization, biological, analytical chemistry and computational tools, which are housed in our 105,000 square foot interdisciplinary research facility. Our technical staff members maintain equipment, train users, and perform a variety of service/remote jobs, including development of new processes and characterization methods.
JSNN also provides an ideal teaming environment to facilitate interdisciplinary research in the core areas of our expertise, namely nanomaterials and soft matter, nanoelectronics and bioelectronics, nanomedicine and synthetic biology, and energy and computational nanotechnology.
How to Reserve Resources
The Joint School’s Institute for Research Technologies (JSIRT) members can reserve instrumentation and labs through Facility Online Manager (FOM). Please contact Mrs. Allison Weavil (aweavil@ncat.edu) for creation of a FOM account and to submit the necessary documentation.
Resources Available for Reservation
Use this table to search for specific available instrumentation. Rates are subject to change. The service rate (staff labor) is $100 per hour for external for-profit organizations (industry) and $50 per hour for internal and external non-profit organizations (academic/government). All charges for service and for instrumentation are rounded to the nearest quarter hour.
| Instrument | Description | Lab Location | Cost Per Hour (Industry) | Cost Per Hour (Academic and Government) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agilent 1290 UPLC (HPLC) | This ultra HPLC system is designed to be both a HPLC and high-end UHPLC system in a single flow path. | BL05 Analytical Lab | 60.00 (consumables not included) | 30.00 (consumables not included) |
| Agilent 920 HPL Liquid Chromatography System | The Varian 920-LC is a robust, highly capable, integrated analytical high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system. | BL05 Analytical Lab | 61.00 | 30.50 |
| Agilent 610 FTIR with Single Point Detector | The Cary 610 is a single point FTIR microscope, capable of mapping when coupled with Cary 670 FTIR spectrometer. | BL05 Analytical Lab | 55.00 | 27.50 |
| Rigaku Gemini A Single Crystal Diffractometer | Single crystal diffraction is a powerful X-ray technique for structural solution of crystals typically of 20 - 200 microns in diameter. It provides key information on the symmetry and atom positions in these crystals. Usage spans from routine structural work on organic and metal-organic small molecules to highly detailed investigations of heavy metal oxides that can include twins, modulated structures or diffuse scattering. | BL05 Analytical Lab | 91.00 | 45.50 |
| Agilent Cary Eclipse Fluorescence Spectrophotometer - 1 | The Cary Eclipse fluorescence spectrophotometer was designed for Fluorescence, phosphorescence, chemi/bio-luminescence, and time resolved phosphorescence measurement. | BL05 Analytical Lab | 55.00 | 27.50 |
| Horiba XploRA Raman Confocal Microscope | The XploRA Raman microscope combines confocal microscopy with full spectral Raman analysis in one instrument, enabling simultaneous chemical identification and imaging. Common applications include quality control analysis, material validation, and pharmaceutical testing. | BL05 Analytical Lab | 61.00 | 30.50 |
| Malvern ZEN3600 Zetasizer | The Zetasizer Nano ZS provides the ability to measure particle size, zeta potential and molecular weight of particles or molecules in a liquid medium over a wide range of concentrations. | BL05 Analytical Lab | 61.00 | 30.50 |
| Nanosight LM10-HSBF Nanoparticle Characterization | The Malvern NanoSight LM10 uses the technology of Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA). The LM10 allows rapid and accurate analysis of the size distribution and concentration of all types of nanoparticles from 10nm to 2000nm in diameter, depending on the instrument configuration and sample type. | BL05 Analytical Lab | 55.00 | 27.50 |
| Rame Hart Goniometer/Tensiometer | The Model 260 sports a wide range of methods based interfacial analysis tools for working with pendant, inverted pendant, sessile, and captive bubble drops. Additionally, contact angle, surface energy, surface tension, and calibration tools are included. | BL05 Analytical Lab | 55.00 | 27.50 |
| Sample Preparation Fume Hood | Used for sample preparation in the analytical chemistry core lab. | BL04 Sample Prep Lab | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| Agilent 400NMR | NMR spectrometers are used to test atomic and molecular properties of a sample (e.g. physical and chemical). The system is ideal for compound detection, quantitation and structural confirmation. | BL07 NMR Lab | 52.00 | 26.00 |
| Agilent 700NMR | NMR spectrometers are used to test atomic and molecular properties of a sample (physical, chemical or biological). The system is ideal for compound detection, quantitation and structural confirmation. | BL07 NMR Lab | 90.00 | 45.00 |
| Agilent Cary 7000 UV-Vis-NIR | The Agilent Cary 7000 universal measurement spectrophotometer (UMS) will satisfy all your solid sampling needs. Collect hundreds of UV-Vis-NIR spectra overnight, or characterize optical components or thin films in minutes to hours rather than hours to days. The Cary 7000 UMS is a turn-key solution for research, development, and QA/QC in optics, thin films/coatings, solar, and glass. | BL05 Analytical Lab | 70.00 | 35.00 |
| Agilent 670 FTIR Spectrometer w/ATR | The Varian 670 FT-IR is a research-grade spectrometer for application areas such as polymers/materials, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and chemicals. The Varian 670-IR is also equipped with a diamond ATR crystal for IR sampling. | L206 Nanochemistry | 55.00 | 27.50 |
| CEM Mars 6 Microwave Digester | This is a microwave synthesizer for performing a wide range of organic and inorganic synthetic chemistry. | L206 Nanochemistry | 55.00 | 27.50 |
| Horiba Fluoro-Max 4 fluorometer | The Horiba FluoroMax 4 spectrometer is an effective tool for measuring fluorescence of solids, liquids, powders and thin films. | L206 Nanochemistry | 55.00 | 27.50 |
| Nanochemistry Lab - General Use | This includes general use of Nanochemistry bench and lab space. | L206 Nanochemistry | 73.00 | 36.50 |
| Legend XFR Centrifuge #1 | This instrument can handle a range of general-purpose processing including cell culture, microplate, microbiology and many others. | L206 Nanochemistry | 55.00 | 27.50 |
| Legend XFR Centrifuge #2 | This instrument can handle a range of general-purpose processing including cell culture, microplate, microbiology and many others. | L206 Nanochemistry | 55.00 | 27.50 |
| Varian 710-ES ICP Spectrophotometer | The Varian 710-ES system is a simultaneous Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) with trace element analysis capability for wavelength from 177 to 785 nm. | L206 Nanochemistry | 78.00 | 39.00 |
| Thermo Scientific Escalab Xi+ XPS | ESCALAB™ XI+ X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS) combines high sensitivity with high resolution quantitative imaging and multi-technique capability, including UPS/ISS/REELS. | BL05 Analytical Lab | 100.00 | 50.00 |
| Kruss Tensiometer | This instrument is used for measurements of surface tension and interfacial tension, critical micelle concentration CMC and contact angle on solids, fibers and powders. | BL05 Analytical Lab | 30.00 | 15.00 |
| TA Instruments TGA 5500 | The TGA 5500 is designed for the researcher that requires the highest level of performance and features in one package. Built to maximize temperature control and minimize drift, the TGA 5500 has less drift than any competitive TGA – even after they use post-test data manipulation! The TA patented IR furnace delivers the fastest heating and cooling rates available. The all new autosampler makes high productivity standard. | BL05 Analytical Lab | 70.00 (pans not included) | 35.00 (pans not included) |
| JEOL JEM-2100plus TEM | The JEOL JEM-2100 plus TEM is a multipurpose, 200 kV analytical electron microscope with ultrahigh TEM resolution as high as 0.19 nm (in UHR configuration) and with STEM and EDS options. | BL02A TEM Lab | 160.00 | 80.00 |
| Nanopatterning Visualization Engine (NPVE) | This is used in a Crossbeam® (FIB) system for NanoPatterning, which complements the imaging capabilities of the CrossBeam®. | BL02 FESEM Lab | 61.00 | 30.50 |
| Zeiss Auriga FIB/FESEM with EDX | AURIGA CrossBeam consists of a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) with GEMINI column accompanied by a Focused Gallium Ion Beam (FIB) column that offers Cross-sectioning, Nanotomography, Nanopatterning, 3D-Analytics, and TEM lamella preparation. Additionally, the system allows for elemental characterization through energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS/EDX). | BL02 FESEM Lab | 80.00 | 40.00 |
| JEOL JSM-IT800 Schottky FESEM | The JSM-IT800 incorporates an "In-lens Schottky Plus field emission electron gun" for high resolution imaging to fast elemental mapping, and an electron optical control system "Neo Engine", as well as a system of seamless GUI "SEM Center" for fast elemental mapping. | BL02 FESEM Lab | 80.00 | 40.00 |
| Zeiss Libra TEM | Libra 120 Plus is an Energy Filter TEM that takes advantage of inelastically scattered electrons to offer additional imaging modes and enhanced image quality when compared with conventional TEMs. In addiiton, electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) capability is available for elemental analysis. | BL02A TEM Lab | 151.00 | 75.50 |
| Zeiss Orion Plus Helium Ion Microscope | HIM is a relatively new scanning particle beam microscopy technique that operates on the same basic principles as scanning electron microscopes. However, HIM offers several advantages over conventional scanning electron microscopy. The relatively large mass of the helium ions results in very little diffraction when passing through the tiny apertures thereby resulting in extremely small (sub-nanometer) probes. Complementing this, the ions penetrate deeply into the specimen before scattering, resulting in finely localized secondary electron emission. These characteristics of HIM ultimately deliver its incredible 0.3 nm resolution and extremely high depth of field, surpassing conventional SEM. In addition to secondary electron detection, our HIM is outfitted with a Multichannel Plate Detector (MCP) used for detection of backscattered helium ions and providing excellent material contrasts. Also, imaging of non-conductive and non-coated materials e.g. most polymers and biological materials is improved upon with the addition of an electron flood gun used for charge compensation. | BL02B Helium Ion Microscope Lab | 303.00 | 151.50 |
| Leica UC7 Ultramicrotome | Leica EM UC7 Ultramicrotome provides easy preparation of semi- and ultrathin sections as well as perfect, smooth surfaces of biological and industrial samples for TEM, SEM, AFM and Light microscopy examination. | BL02B Helium Ion Microscope Lab | 40.00 | 20.00 |
| Agilent 5600LS AFM | The 5600LS AFM is well suited for imaging and mapping both large and small samples. A variety of Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) techniques are possible including contact mode, acoustic ac mode, phase imaging, current sensing, Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), Lateral Force Microscopy (LFM), Kelvin Force Microscopy (KFM)/Electrostatic Force Microscopy (EFM), and Force Modulation Microscopy. In addition, Scanning Microwave Microscopy (SMM) enables complex impedance, capacitance, and dopant density measurements. | BL03 AFM Lab | 73.00 | 36.50 |
| Leica Sputter Coater (AuPd/C) | Leica ACE200 is metal sputter and carbon deposition for SEM and TEM analysis. | BL04 Sample Prep Lab | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| South Bay Plasma Cleaner (O2/Ar) | The PC-2000 Plasma Cleaner allows simultaneous cleaning of a specimen and a specimen stage which minimizes and, in some cases, eliminates contamination of inorganic specimens analyzed via SEM, TEM, STEM and/or AEM. | BL04 Sample Prep Lab | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| Axio Imager Z2M upright Microscope | Axio Z2m is an upright materials microscope, utilizing multiple light sources and filters and allows for the collection of high resolution still images at 50-1,000x. | L104 NanoBioPhysics | 55.00 | 27.50 |
| Cytoviva Darkfield and Hyperspectral Imaging | This instrument is designed to support optical and hyperspectral imaging of nanoscale sample elements in both materials and biological based matrices. | L104 NanoBioPhysics | 61.00 | 30.50 |
| Hitachi S-4800 FESEM w/EDX* | The S-4800 is a high-resolution scanning electron microscope (SEM) with cold field emission gun. With a maximum resolution of 1-2nm, it is equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). | L110 Cleanroom | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| Zeiss EVO LS SEM | Zeiss EVO LS10 is a variable pressure scanning electron microscope (VP-SEM), Capable of 6nm resolution in high vacuum mode. In extended pressure mode, imaging can be done at set pressures up to 3000 Pa. If used in conjunction with the Deben CoolStage II, biological and other wet samples may be imaged using the variable pressure secondary electron (VPSE) or backscatter detectors. Elemental analysis using the Oxford Inca EDX can be done in all modes. | L110N BioCleanroom | 80.00 | 40.00 |
| Zeiss - Axio Observer A1 | The Observer A1 is an upright compound microscope that is fully equipped four channel wide-field fluorescence, bright-field, dark-field and polarized light microscopy. | L102 NanoBiology Lab | 40.00 | 20.00 |
| Zeiss Z1 Spinning Disk Confocal | Zeiss Axio Observer Spinning Disc Confocal microscope has objectives ranging from 10X-100X and provides four channel laser excitation capability from the near UV into the near infrared range. In addition, the stage mounted temperature controlled CO2 chamber is capable of long term live cell imaging. | L207 Shared Microscope Lab | 61.00 | 30.50 |
| Evident FV3000 Confocal Microscope | The Evident FV3000 has highly efficient and accurate TruSpectral detection on all channels. It is optimized for live cell imaging with high sensitivity and low phototoxicity. | BL02B Helium Ion Microscope Lab | 80.00 | 40.00 |
| Buehler MetaServ 250 Grinder-Polisher | This instrument is used for metallographic specimen preparation. | BL04 Sample Prep Lab | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| Asylum MFP-3D Origin+ AFM | This instrument is capable of nanomechanical, nanoelectrical and electromechanical characterization. | BL03 AFM Lab | 73.00 | 36.50 |
| Thermo 325a Rotary Microtome | This instrument is capable of cutting high-quality paraffin sections for tissue processing. | BL04 Sample Prep Lab | 30.00 | 15.00 |
| FACS Aria III - Flow Cytometer System | BD FACSAria provides unrivaled sensitivity and resolution for cell sorting. Wavelength choices include 561-nm and 445-nm lasers, as well as the 488-nm, 633-nm, 405-nm, and 375-nm lasers. | L102 NanoBiology Lab | 73.00 | 36.50 |
| Hot Disk TPS2500S Thermal Conductivity System | The TPS2500S is transient absolute measurment of thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat from 0.005 to 1000W/mK. This instrument is designed for testing thermal transport properties of solids, liquids, paste and powders. | L106 NM Charac Lab | 55.00 | 27.50 |
| Perkin Elmer DSC6000 | The differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) is a thermal analysis tool that determines how a material's heat capacity (Cp) is changed by temperature. The information generated is used to understand amorphous and crystalline behavior, polymorph and eutectic transitions, curing and degree of cure. | L106 NM Charac. Lab | 55.00 | 27.50 |
| Perkin Elmer DMA8000 | Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) is used to characterize materials' bulk properties such as modulus, compliance and damping (tan delta). It measures changes of rheological behavior under dynamic conditions as a function of temperature, time, frequency, stress, atmosphere, or a combination of these parameters. Stress-strain, creep recovery, thermomechanical and stress relaxation measurements are examples. | L106 NM Charac. Lab | 55.00 | 27.50 |
| TA Q200 Digital Scanning Calorimeter | The Q200 is a versatile, research-grade DSC with our patented Tzero technology with temperature range of ambient to 725C. | BL05 Analytical Lab | 61.00 | 30.50 |
| TA Q500 Thermogravimetric Analyzer | Thermogravimetric analysis is capable of thermal analysis in which changes in physical and chemical properties of materials are measured as a function of increasing temperature or as a function of time. | BL05 Analytical Lab | 61.00 | 30.50 |
| Cascade REL-4800 Manual Probe Station | This is manual wafer load probe station with 200mm vacuum chuck. It also includes 5 vacuum connections for manipulators on each side with motic PSM-1000 microscope. | L104 NanoBioPhysics | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Princeton VeraSTAT4 Potentiostat/Galvanostat | VeraSTAT4 is capable of performing a range of electrochemical applications. It has improved low current performance with fA resolution and pA accuracy. The maximum current is up to 1A. With the internal frequency response analyzer, it provides impedance analysis over the frequency range 10Hz to 1MHz. | L104 NanoBioPhysics | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Hysitron TI 950 Nanoindenter | The TI 950 TriboIndenter nanoindenter is an automated, high throughput instrument to support nanomechanical and nanotribological characterization over the nano and microscales. The instruments also enables High Precision Scanning Probe Microscopy. | BL03 AFM Lab | 70.00 | 35 |
| Stratasys J750 FDM printer | The Stratasys J750™ 3D Printer delivers unrivaled aesthetic performance including true, full-color capability with texture mapping and color gradient | L105 Synthesis Lab | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Carbolite High Temp Furnace | This is a high temperature furnace for laboratory, research & process applications. | L105 Synthesis Lab | 61.00 | 30.50 |
| Synthesis Lab General Use | This includes general use of synthesis lab and bench space. | L105 Synthesis Lab | 55.00 | 27.50 |
| Cleanroom General Use | This includes entry fees to use cleanroom. | L110 Cleanroom | 130.00 | 65.00 |
| Air Control Wet Bench - Poly | This 200 mm compatible wet bench is primarily used for general wet chemical etching. | L110 Cleanroom | included cleanroom fee | included cleanroom fee |
| Air Control Wet Bench - Stainless | This 200 mm compatible wet bench is primarily used for CMOS-level cleans. | L110 Cleanroom | included cleanroom fee | included cleanroom fee |
| Americhem Wet Bench* | This 200 mm wet bench is primarily used for special etching purposes. | L110 Cleanroom | included cleanroom fee | included cleanroom fee |
| Lam OnTrak DSS200 Series II Brush Cleaner | OnTrak DSS 200 Series 2 Double-sided PVA Scrubber is production-style tool for cleaning particles as small as 0.125 um in wafers up to 200mm. | L110 Cleanroom | 30.00 | 15.00 |
| 3DGence F350 3D Printer | This instrument is a dual extruder 3D printer designed for industrial applications. It is suitable for working with a wide range of technical materials including high-performance thermoplastics. | L110 Cleanroom | 10 (doesn't include cost of filament) | 5 (doesn't include cost of filament) |
| IPEC Avanti CMP System* | The IPEC 472 wafer polisher is a fully automated, precision tool for CMP polishing of semiconductor wafers used to achieve flatness, uniformity and planarization on patterned/device wafers. The 472 features automatic wafer handling and is capable of two platen, two-step polishing processing to maximize wafer throughput capability and quality. Designed to planarize wafers from 100mm to 200mm. | L110 Cleanroom | 30.00 | 15.00 |
| Lam 4420B Plasma Etch System* | This tool is primarily used for silicon, oxide and nitride etching using SF6 and CF4 based gas chemistry. | L110 Cleanroom | 30.00 | 15.00 |
| Novellus Concept 2 PECVD System* | This tool can deposit stress-controlled silicon dioxide and nitride on wafer stack. | L110 Cleanroom | 121.00 | 60.50 |
| Plasmatherm ICP 770 DRIE* | An ICP (inductively coupled plasma) etcher (DRIE) can be used to etch a variety of materials. This ICP is equipped with two chambers -- one is dedicated to deep anisotropic silicon (BOSCH process) trench etching and the other is used for silicon dioxide and polymer etching. | L110 Cleanroom | 80.00 | 40.00 |
| PVD 75 Evaporation System* | The evaporator can be used to deposit metals dielectrics. The tool has 5 e-beam pockets and 1 thermal boat. Single substrate up to 12" diameter -Multiple substrate up to 4" diameter -Substrate fixture rotation up to 20 rpm. | L110 Cleanroom | 30.00 | 15.00 |
| PVD 75 Sputtering System* | The sputterer can be used to deposit metals and dielectrics. The tool has 2 DC and 1 RF source. Coatings are performed by accelerating ions or an argon oxygen mixture into the surface of a sputter target, which is made of the material to be applied to the sample. -Sputter two or more dissimilar materials simultaneously for complete control of film stoichiometry (co-deposition). Single substrate up to 12" diameter -Multiple substrate up to 4" diameter -Substrate fixture rotation up to 20rpm. | L110 Cleanroom | 30.00 | 15.00 |
| Veeco Savannah S200 Thermal ALD* | This is a Thermal Atomic Layer Deposition system for dielectrics with In-Situ Ellipsometry. | L110 Cleanroom | 137.50 | 68.75 |
| KLA Zeta 20 Optical Profiler | The Zeta™-20 is a fully integrated optical profiling microscope that provides 3D metrology and imaging capability in a compact, robust package. The system is powered by ZDot™ technology, which simultaneously collects high-resolution 3D data and a True Color infinite focus image. The Zeta-20 supports both R&D and production environments with Multi-Mode optics, easy-to-use software, and a low cost of ownership. | L110 Cleanroom | included in cleanroom fee | included in cleanroom fee |
| Gaertner Ellipsometer | The model LSE-WS Stokes WAFERSKAN Ellipsometer is a high speed film thickness mapping system measuring one site per second including stage travel! It uses advanced StokesMeter technology to give tilt-free, focus free, 2D/3D color thickness and index images. | L110M - Lithography | included cleanroom fee | included cleanroom fee |
| Jandel Multi-Height 4 Point Probe | High quality, easy to use system for measuring the sheet resistance and/or volume resistivity of wafers up to 200mm in diameter. | L110M - Lithography | included cleanroom fee | included cleanroom fee |
| Laurell Spin Processor with Wet Station | This coater system can accommodate up to 200mm wafers with recommended rotational speed of 3000 RPM. | L110M - Lithography | included cleanroom fee | included cleanroom fee |
| OAI 8808 Mask Aligner* | The OAI Model 8008 Mask Aligner is a semi-automated, four-camera, optical front and backside mask Aligner. It delivers ultra-precise (1m-2m) alignment accuracy. | L110M - Lithography | 60.00 | 30.00 |
| PE-100-RIE Plasma Etch System | This tool is capable of plasma cleaning or plasma etching with 300W 100KHz continuously variable power supply. | L110M - Lithography | included cleanroom fee | included cleanroom fee |
| Tousimis 916B Critical Point Dryer* | This is a supercritical CPD MEMS dryer for 8" wafers. The temperature range is -30C to 60C, and the pressure range is 0 to 2000 psi. | L110M - Lithography | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| Ultron UH-102 UV Curing Oven | This tool provides for curing of UV films in easy-to-use benchtop packages, without sacrificing control or versatility. | L110M - Lithography | included cleanroom fee | included cleanroom fee |
| Vacuum Oven | This instrument is used to vacuum heat or cure substrates. | L110M - Lithography | included cleanroom fee | included cleanroom fee |
| MicroFab Jetlab 4 Ink Printer System | This tool can print droplets in an area of 160 X 120 mm with 20um accuracy. | L110N BioCleanroom | 50.00 | 25.00 |
| Cray XC-30 supercomputing system | Used for engineering and scientific computing on 8 computer blades with 4 compute nodes per blade | High Performance Computing Lab | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Nikon X-ray CT XT H 225 ST 2x | Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) is an X- ray-based technology that allows objects to be imaged in three dimensions (3D) and at very high resolution (micron scale). The Computed Tomography core houses a Nikon XT H 225 ST system with multiple transmission targets useful for a range of applications. | BL07 NMR Lab | 125.00 | 75 (external), 35 (internal) |
| Computer Workstation for Nikon CT | This workstation is intended for use with the Nikon X-ray CT XT H 225 ST 2x. | BL07 NMR Lab | 25.00 | 25 (external), 15 (internal) |