Facilities

Think lasers, and lots of them. Our electro-optics and sensors laboratory is equipped numerous light emission, collection and detection devices along with an assortment of optical components, mounts, lens, diffractive optics, power meters, and spectrometers needed rapidly assemble and experimentally evaluate electro-optic performance. The lab is centered around four full-size optical tables, including a Newport Ultra Clean Research Series with a stabilizer pneumatic vibration isolation system used to assemble various optical and infrared test and measurement environments. The lab also includes a custom-constructed, instrument dedicated to measurement of the absolute, polarization-dependent, bidirectional scattering distribution functions of surfaces for transparent and opaque substrates (BRDF and BTDF) at several wavelengths in the visible and infrared range. Our full range of equipment for constructing and evaluaing electro-optics and electro-mechanical systems includes:

From nano to macro, our materials lab suite is loaded with beakers, shakers, milling machines and presses that can handle the dirtiest powder jobs to inert atmospheres and particle-free deposition within two softwall TerraUniversal cleanrooms. The clearooms house prototype chip and electronics development equipment, CHA electron-beam vacuum deposition production sputter, contact photolithographic patterning, pulsed light annealing, electrode packaging and a custom articulating arm sputter deposition system designed and constructed by Nanohmics to coat irregularly shaped objects up to 12” in diameter. The lab is stocked with vacuum chamber systems, pumping equipment, and other peripherals that can be assembled into various growth and analysis chambers. The materials science laboratory also houses probe microscopy and other integrated nanomaterial precursors characterization equipment. A full list of capabilities include:

Embedded systems and signal processing are always at the forefront of smart system engineering. Nanohmics’ electronics laboratory has all the necessary equipment for circuit design, board layout, population, and custom electronics, firmware and algorithm performance optimization. The laboratory is equipped with custom software development workstations, ESD workstations and electronic support equipment for integration with novel sensing front-end materials and prototype hardware instrumentation. The lab includes dedicated engineering and development capabilities for designing, constructing, and assembling prototype instrumentation for research programs and applied development for low-volume commercial product manufacturing. This includes in-house machining and micromachining capabilities for basic photolithographic and embossing, contact printing, and electronic board fabrication. The company also regularly works with local rapid prototype machining (SLA, SLS) and machining/molding companies to generate custom parts/tools using CNC milling, lathing, wire EDM, surface grinding and inspection equipment to support the construction of prototypes and for low volume manufacturing projects. The prototype development laboratories operate under the principles prescribed by CE and UL certifications and are ISO 9002 compliant to ease the transfer to the manufacturing environment.

Design Capabilities:

Microfabrication has enabled a revolution in electronics and promises an equally bright outlook for novel optical (e.g. photon integrated circuits, optical rectifiers, plasmonics) and biomolecular (e.g. diagnostics, biomimetics), and MEMS devices.  The microfabrication lab comprises laboratory tools for deposition and patterning at Nanohmics facilities and a host of microfabrication tools that are available at the University of Texas, Materials Research Center (UT-MRC). Nanohmics is a member of the Advanced Users group of the UT-MRC which is a clean room facility with over 30,000 sq. ft. of space and operates under the federal National Nanofabrication User’s Network funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).  Microfabrication and characterization are carried out in Nanohmics’ softwall clean rooms and the class 1,000 clean room at the UT-MRC. Additional nanomaterials characterization for new technology development is available on the the University of Texas Center for Nano- and molecular science on the main campus. The full list of equipment available at the UT-MRC user facility can be found at the UT-MRC website (www.mrc.utexas.edu). Microfabrication and metasurface development tools used by Nanohmics are summarized here:

Theoretical modeling and simulation are always the first step in determining performance expectations for any new scientific and business venture. Nanohmics’ computational modeling and simulation laboratories include advanced computational workstations and servers capable of performing data-first principle simulations. The laboratory is equipped with multi-physics modeling software, optical and Maxwellian solvers, 3D CAD stations for voxelization of 3D objects, and includes an in-house developed scalable-effects simulation environment code (SESE) for modeling light-biological tissue interactions. The laboratory also includes ray tracing optical software for optical modeling and data management packages such as Mathematica and Matlab, additional optical and imaging methods have been developed for exploring light-matter interactions at a fundamental scientific level. Major computational modeling and simulation packages include:

Profiling vapor, molecular and ionic (fluid-borne) targets can provide valuable surveillance and diagnostic analysis of the immediate environment. The biomolecular, nano and sensing laboratory at Nanohmics is equipped to rapidly construct various apparatii to experimentally study a range of molecular and biomolecular target analysis.  Additionally, the lab is equipped for sample preparation, collection, delivery and management needed to effectively validate performance against relevant controls and complex environments such as gas mixtures, and municipal water supply, and biological fluids. The lab includes unique tools for fundamental molecular and ionic solution phase characterization needed for reaction chemistries, biomolecular labeling and detection assays, electrophoresis, microarrays, anchoring and thermal cycling amplification of nucleic acids and aptamers and their respective interactions with transducer materials.  The lab includes chemical synthesis equipment, solution-phase reaction glassware, chemical/biochemical wet benches for developing molecular, polymer, and nanomaterials into functional elements such as indicators, filters, labels and trandsucers. Microfluidic handling and dispensing equipment for sample preparation, delivery and sensor development are available including syringe pumps, electronic valves/switch and temperature/flow control devices. The lab also includes biomolecular and other surface chemical analysis for integration with nano-, micro- and material systems such as emerging additive material development. Major equipment in the biomolecular and sensors lab includes: