CzechNanoLab provides open access to a comprehensive set of interconnected areas of tools & expertise in nanoscience

CzechNanoLab is a distributed large research infrastructure in the operation phase consisting of four sites: CEITEC Nano located in Brno, Electron Microscopy Centre at the Institute of Physics of Materials (EMC IPM), Materials Microscopy Laboratory at the Institute of Scientific Instruments (MML ISI) of the Czech Academy of Sciences also located in Brno, and the Laboratory of Nanostructures and Nanomaterials (LNSM), located in Prague. Researchers from academic and industrial institutions from the Czech Republic and abroad may access this infrastructure. Basic technologies and devices are available on both CzechNanoLab sites, in advanced and more demanding equipment the sites complement each other.

Host institution

Partner institutions

CzechNanoLab Infrastructure Nodes

Brno

CEITEC Nano enables the user to fabricate nanostructures, determine their shape and chemical composition and measure their often unique properties. CEITEC Nano also opens up ways to collaborate with nanobiology and nanomedicine research teams, for example in the area of biosensors and nanostructures for cell and tissue culture.

CEITEC Nano laboratory units

Nanofabrication laboratory

The Nanofabrication lab features an 800 m2 class 100 cleanroom equipped with over 35 pieces of the process and analytical instrumentation for complex research projects that require micro and nanoscale fabrication using different substrates ranging in size from small pieces to 150mm wafers. The primary scope is on electronics, optics, and MEMS. Equipment is available for metal deposition, dry and wet etching, electron beam, and laser photolithography.

Nanocharacterization laboratory

Nanocharacterization laboratory offers a broad range of analytical equipment, allowing to perform a variety of electrical and magnetic measurements with magnetic fields up to 9T and temperatures down to 1.6K. Also, multiple optical, X-ray, ion and electron spectroscopies can be performed. Everything is complemented by multiple scanning probe, electron, ion and optical microscopy techniques.

Laboratory of Structural analysis

Allows imaging, as well as chemical and crystalographic characterization of various types of materials. Avilable techniques include electron microscopy - both transmission and scanning - including EDS, WDS, EBSD, EELS microanalytical techniques, focused ion beam and X-ray diffraction/scattering.

Chemical laboratory

The new chemical laboratory is intended to serve users interested in chemical synthesis, analysis, and sample preparation. It is possible to measure basic chemical parameters (pH, temperature, mass, etc.) and prepare chemical mixtures and solutions. The laboratory is equipped with a microwave and thermal reactor for synthesis. We offer the measurement of the pore distribution of the material or to verify the specific surface area of powdered substances using BET analysis. The NMR instrument can be used to study the structure of molecules, their interactions, the dynamics of molecules, and the kinetics of mixture composition.

X-Ray computed tomography laboratory

The laboratory offers research services in the field of computed tomography (micro and nano CT). Research includes the development and application of tomographic methods in various fields. It works closely with industry to help address R&D issues in various manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors through non-destructive testing.

Praha

LNSM mainly produces semiconductor and spintronic materials and nanostructures as well as composite materials. LNSM also includes support for theoretical groups that design new types of materials.

LNSM laboratory units

Molecular beam epitaxy

The molecular beam epitaxy system is designed for growing thin-film semiconductors of III-V type. Besides classical GaAs and AlGaAs based structures, it is capable of growing films of ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga, Mn)As and other materials for spintronics. The lab comprises also a system for thin-film growth by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy.

Metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

Metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) apparatuses are suitable for the preparation of nitride semiconductor heterostructures containing layers with their thickness in the range of monoatomic layers to several micrometers. The group also offer possibilty to characterize the luminescence and transport properties of semiconductors.

Carbon and silicon nanostructure deposition

In the laboratory of Diamond Layers and Carbon Nanostructures, there are two unique deposition systems designed for microwave plasma equipment supporting chemical vapor deposition. It allows to prepare thin layers of nanocrystalline diamond and / or silicon from chemical vapors in plasma for use in optoelectronics, nanoelectronics and bioelectronic applications.

Lithographic material structuring

The laboratory of material structuring is a set of instruments placed in clean rooms that are designed for preparation and characterisation of nanostructures. The system is used to define lateral micro- and nanostructures by optical and electron beam lithography.

Theoretical support

The theory group performs a whole range of calculations from analytical to sophisticated numerical first-principles calculations. The employed numerical tools are specifically chosen to match the requirements of a given physical problem.

Multimode scanning probe microscopy

The laboratory includes a set of four scanning probe microscopes (SPM) and one scanning electron microscope (SEM). The scanning probe microscopes can be combined with other techniques and offer a correlation of morphology and different local physical properties.

Structural analysis

The Structural Analysis focuses on the development and application of modern crystallographic methods for the analysis of crystal structures from X-ray, neutron or electron diffraction data. Classical crystallography provides the positions of atoms within crystalline chemical compounds, as long as they are available as reasonably sized crystals thus yielding a sufficiently strong signal on X-ray sources.

Laboratory of electron microscopy

The laboratory of electron microscopy (LEM) focuses on the complex characterization of inorganic materials at micro/nanoscale. LEM operates transmission and scanning electron microscopes with a wide range of analytical techniques as well as instruments for advanced sample preparation.

Low temperature UHV STM/AFM

The Laboratory combines experimental and theoretical tools to explore novel material properties of nanostructures artificially built on surfaces. We use ultra-high vacuum low-temperature scanning probe microscopy to investigate their physical and chemical properties at the atomic scale.

Laboratory of optospintronics

The laboratory performs basic optical characterization (absorption, reflection and photoluminescence spectroscopy), magneto-optical characterization (MCD, MCB, MLD and MLB spectra), time-resolved ultrafast laser spectroscopy (pump and probe method) and characterization by time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect (TR-MOKE).

The management structure of CzechNanoLab

Scientific and Technology Board

Scientific and Technology Board is composed of representatives of research groups affiliated to CzechNanoLab. The Board’s primary responsibility is to oversee the general scientific and technological scope of the joint CzechNanoLab infrastructure and to ensure alignment with modern research trends and new development directions.

Members

Tomáš Jungwirth

Chairman

Jan Macák and Vít Novák

Preparation of advanced materials and nanostructures

Václav Holý and Lukáš Palatinus

Static nanocharacterization

Petr Němec and Vojtěch Uhlíř

Dynamic nanocharacterization

Stanislava Fintová and Eliška Mikmeková

Electron microscopy

Kamil Olejník and Tomáš Šikola

Production and functionalization of components and devices

Herman Detz and Pavel Jelínek

Theoretical support

It is composed of 12 members and a chair. with representation from the four core scientific areas: Preparation of advanced materials and nanostructures; Characterization and control down to ultimate spatial and temporal scales (subdivided into Static and Dynamic nanocharacterization and Electron Microscopy); Production and functionalization of components and devices; and Theoretical support.

International Advisory Board

CzechNanoLab International Advisory Board provides advice in the field of scientific and infrastructural strategy as well as any other areas as demanded by the Management Committee. The Board meets at least once every year. It is composed of 5-7 members, renowned international experts in the scientific and technological field relevant to

Members

José Pitarke

CIC nanoGUNE, Spain

Lars Montelius

Lund University, Sweden

Gottfried Strasser

Zentrum für Mikro-und Nanostrukturen, TU Wien, Austria

Klaus Lips

Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin, Germany

Michael Leszczynski

Institute of High Pressure Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland

Richard Campion

School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom

CzechNanoLab. Board members are nominated and approved by the Management Committee with a mandate of 3 years with the possibility of prolongation. CzechNanoLab International Advisory Board replaced the initial international scientific advisory bodies of CEITEC Nano and LNSM. The current members of the CzechNanoLab International Advisory Board are the following: