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Carbon nanotube production to be scaled up at UK’s Surrey University |
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Jun 05, 2006 at 02:58 PM |
 A technology partnership between the Advanced Technology Institute at the University of Surrey, and its plasma processing partner CEVP have been awarded a £215,000 cash injection from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to commercialize the production of carbon nanotubes.
The new funds bring the total investment to £450,000 and allows for the University's patented processes to start production on 3 inch wafers with the aim to scale this to 300mm wafers in the future.
"SEEDA funding will help us transform the prototype NanoGrowth machine into a world-beating technology platform for nanomaterials", said Professor Ravi Silva, lead investigator at the Advanced Technology Institute. "We are already talking with multinationals about a range of high-tech products, and as well as developing the tool, we are actively examining routes to create a spin-out vehicle for this exciting technology."
CEVP's ‘NanoGrowth' plasma enhanced CVD tool allows for the growing of carbon nanotubes below 700C and is claimed to enable growth with higher levels of precision even on highly heat sensitive materials.
"Developers are well aware of what the incredible mechanical and electrical properties of carbon nanotubes and related materials can bring to precision applications such as ICs and flat panel displays, but their aspirations have been frustrated by the limitations of current high temperature growth techniques", said Ben Jensen of CEVP. "
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