Due to strategic partnerships with ARL, MRI, CIMP-3D, and other PSU faculty, researchers in the DE Center have access to a wide range of fabrication equipment as well as measurement and testing facilities. PSU’s initial investment in the DE Center will enable acquisition of new equipment dedicated for RF DE fabrication and testing as well as 4D material fabrication and characterization. Moreover, we anticipate that we will be able to secure awards through the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) to obtain new and transformative equipment. The DURIP program is administered through a merit competition by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Army Research Office, and Office of Naval Research and is designed to improve the capabilities of accredited United States institutions of higher education to conduct research and to educate scientists and engineers in areas important to national defense, by providing funds for the acquisition of research equipment or instrumentation. Below is an overview of some of the current facilities and capabilities within the Center. Additional information regarding team facilities can be found in the attached Appendix files.

Computational Electromagnetics and Antennas Research Laboratory

  • Library of full‐wave computational modeling tools, many of which have been developed in‐house.
  • Suite of custom optimization tools including the Multi-Objective Lazy Ant Colony Optimization (MOLACO), Multi-objective Optimization with Tolerance (MOTOL), Genetic Algorithm (GA), Wind Driven Optimization (WDO), and other global evolutionary single- and multi-objective algorithms.
  • Dedicated cluster will be used to support simulation.
  • Multiple Agilent/HP network analyzers
  • RF standard gain horns and antenna test equipment
  • Stratasys Connex3 Object260 PolyJet 3D printer with a 16-micron horizontal build resolution.

EE Department Anechoic Chamber

  • Antenna and RF device measurement and analysis
  • Dimensions: 10 ft. wide, 10 ft. tall, 20 ft. long
  • Frequency range: Approximately 1 GHz to +60 GHz
  • Fully automatic measurement via electromechanical platform azimuth and elevation control

Large Anechoic Chamber (Warminster, PA)

MRI Nanofab

The Materials Research Institute Nanofab provides access to state-of-the-art nanofabrication capabilities and expertise to researchers from academia, industry, and federal research labs. The Nanofab is a 15,000 sq.ft. cleanroom (Class 1000/100) and high-quality support space and is unique in its ability to handle small parts up to 200mm wafers on most tools. The Nanofab staff, in addition to its nanofabrication expertise, has broad experience in condensed-matter physics, chemistry, X-ray physics, optics, and magnetism, offering a broad knowledge base to support the user community. The Nanofab has decades of experience in developing piezoelectric and ferroelectric materials, MEMS devices, heterogeneous integration, and glass packaging. The facility has a long tradition of teaching semiconductor processes to undergraduate and graduate students, and it works closely with industry in developing processes compatible with technology transfer. We are currently working with many semiconductor companies and start-ups that take advantage of our expertise in materials synthesis, integration, and nanofabrication. Some important notes about the Nanofab for industry:

  • ISO 9001:2015 Certified Company
  • ITAR Capable
  • Industry partners can be trained for use of equipment and facilities 

CIMP-3D

  • Machining and fabrication (CNC multi-axis milling and turning, EDM, waterjet, welding)
  • Powder analysis (thermal, particle size, porosimetry, density, powder milling)
  • Inspection (profilometry, ellipsometry, CMM, volumetric X-ray CT)
  • Optical metallography (standard preparation, polishing, and microhardness)
  • Microscopy (visual, SEM, TEM, AFM, STM, FE-SEM, ESEM, OIM, EDS, FIB)
  • Surface analysis (XPS/ESCA, FE-Auger, EPMA, SIMS)
  • Structural analysis (XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis, XRR, SAXS)
  • Chemical analysis (ICP, ICP-MS, IC, UV-Vis)
  • Mechanical properties (tension, compression, bend, fatigue, environmental, creep)

MRI Materials Characterization Lab – has state of the art equipment for materials characterization using techniques such as Atomic Force Microscopy, Auger Electron Spectroscopy, Electron Backscattered Diffractometry, Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy, Infrared Spectroscopy, Nanoscale Infrared Spectroscopy, Raman Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Ultraviolet-Visible-near-IR Spectroscopy, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and X-ray Scattering.

Multifunctional Materials Manufacturing Facilities (M3F) laboratory – is managed by Dr. Bed Poudel and devoted to fundamental research on multifunctional materials and devices, via the exploration of materials structure – properties – processing – performance correlation. The core technologies cover the fabrications of dielectric, piezoelectric and magnetic materials, including bulk ceramics, textured ceramics and thick/thin films. M3F offers diverse strategies for new materials design and provides next generation electronic component prototypes including ferroelectric and ferrimagnetic based devices, and multilayer functional devices. Key capabilities include:

  • Bulk and thick/thin film ceramic fabrication.
  • Multilayer and textured ceramics processing by tape casting, stacking, screen printing, lamination, etc.
  • High temperature sintering furnaces in controlled atmosphere.
  • 3D printing including metals and ceramics.
  • Spark plasma sintering capable of up to 2500 degrees Celsius.
  • Various ferroelectric and dielectric materials characterization. 

PSU Center for Dielectrics and Piezoelectrics – has developed a suite of characterization tools for dielectric measurement. Specialized microwave dielectric characterization facilities are generally divided into transmission line methods and resonant techniques.  Parallel plate capacitor techniques are applied to dielectric characterization into the MHz range and under applied voltages of 30kV. Microwave characterization methods are applied between 100 MHz and 110 GHz.  Recently, THz measurements have been added.