Acquisition Will Increase Processes, Audience and Customer Base
02/18/2025
Media Contact: Nancy Cicco, assistant director of media relations
UMass Lowell’s NanoFabrication Core recently acquired two PlasmaLab inductively coupled plasma (ICP) systems from Oxford Instruments, reflecting the decades-long relationship between the university and the manufacturing and research company, that will advance the capabilities of the lab, expanding its audience and customer base.
The NanoFabrication Core is a key lab among 12 that make up UMass Lowell’s Core Research Facilities.
Known as an ICP for short, a magnetic field and electric current within the system ignite plasma, which in turn acts like a microscopic sandblaster to etch through a layer of material, explained UMass Lowell’s Justin Moreau, director of the NanoFabrication Core.
“The ICP is a key component of any nanofabrication lab or nanofabrication manufacturing environment. It allows for a critical step in the creation of devices measuring only a few nanometers wide,” said Moreau. “For comparison, a human hair is 60,000 to 100,000 nanometers wide.”
The Nanofabrication Core is equipped with more than 40 pieces of equipment used to grow, shape, etch and layer materials in the creation of complex, high-performance components used in technology, medicine and environmental monitoring. These components or devices range from tiny sensors to electrical circuits, miniature mechanical systems or micro-fluid circuits used in a range of applications.
Anne Maglia, UMass Lowell’s vice chancellor for research and economic development, applauded the acquisition.
“Expanding the capabilities of the NanoFabrication Core will not only benefit UMass Lowell faculty and staff researchers but will attract users from a broad range of industries,” she said. “My colleagues across the university and I are grateful for our strong partnership with Oxford Instruments and look forward to continued collaborations.”
“The NanoFabrication Core at UMass Lowell has been a long-term customer and partner of Oxford Instruments. We work closely with Justin and his customers to develop highly advanced technology solutions on our plasma etch and deposition systems at the Core. This often means that when new commercial cleanroom facilities are built following development work originated at UMass Lowell, Oxford Instruments has the solutions and personal relationship networks to support the whole technology ecosystem in this region,” said Marco Notarianni, Ph.D., key account manager at Oxford Instruments.
The university’s acquisition from Oxford Instruments consists of two ICP machines identical to the one currently at UMass Lowell, a significant investment in top-tier equipment.
“This puts our etch capabilities in a great position to limit operating costs and downtime,” said Moreau.
For many years, Oxford Instruments has toured potential customers at UMass Lowell’s NanoFabrication Core to preview their equipment’s capabilities. During these visits, Moreau and fellow university researchers field questions about ownership, installation and maintenance.
Visits like these, he said, also have the added benefit of attracting new users to the UMass Lowell lab.
Having doubled the number of active ICP machines at the UMass Lowell NanoFabrication Core, Moreau expects the new lineup to last for the next decade.
“UMass Lowell students and faculty, as well as outside users, will have full access to the new equipment by January 2025,” he said.
Further information about the university’s Core Research Facilities can be found on the university's Core Research Facilities website.
About Oxford Instruments
Oxford Instruments provides academic and commercial organisations worldwide with market-leading scientific technology and expertise across its key market segments: Materials Analysis, Healthcare and Life Science and Semiconductors.
Innovation is the driving force behind Oxford Instruments’ growth and success, supporting its core purpose to accelerate the breakthroughs that create a brighter future for our world. The vigorous search for new ways to make our world greener, healthier and more productive is driving unprecedented levels of research and development (R&D) investment in new materials and techniques to support productivity and decarbonisation worldwide, creating a significant opportunity for Oxford Instruments to grow.
Oxford Instruments holds a unique position to anticipate global drivers and connect academic researchers with commercial applications engineers, acting as a catalyst that powers real world progress.
Founded in 1959 as the first technology business to be spun out from Oxford University, Oxford Instruments is now a global company listed on the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) 250 index of the London Stock Exchange (OXIG).
For more information, visit the Oxford Instruments website.