Other Services of the Managing Director
The managing director’s skills are available for secondary MFF tasks when time permits. Use of the director’s time is charged at salary plus fringe for all work unrelated to MFF primary duties. MFF supplies and materials used for secondary tasks are invoiced at actual cost.
Orientation
New faculty and candidate faculty sponsors are encouraged to arrange an orientation tour to see if capabilities match faculty focus areas. They can also request proposal preparation assistance, including budgeting, when research directly involves MFF.
User Focus Areas
MFF instruments have fairly general capabilities for micro- and nano-scaled research. If you do not find the research tools in MFF suitable for your research, please review other shared facilities at Michigan Tech. The University is committed to providing critical support for research activity.
Proposal Preparation
Users are encouraged to budget for equipment enhancements that will further their research, as well as use time. Discuss your ideas with the managing director.
Here are language samples you may wish to use in your proposal.
Microfabrication Shared Facility
Overview
The Microfabrication Shared Facility (MFF) provides resources for micro- and nano-scaled research and development of solid state electronics, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), lab-on-a-chip, and microsystems materials and devices.
Growth Commitment Statement
MFF is committed to the continued growth of faculty research and to the performance and reputation of Michigan Tech as a global technological university.
To achieve this, we provide:
Current Services
- Student education in processes and systems used in micro/nanofabrication
- Adequate training related to each process and system, ensuring process planning that minimizes wasted funds and time
- A safe and friendly working environment
- Non-profit operation, with use fees covering facility maintenance and operations
- A core inventory of chemicals and deposition materials which are maintained and covered by use fees
- A lean use-fee structure as compared with other micro/nanofabrication facilities for similar processes and systems
- Maintenance of core process systems to ensure minimal down time
- Best standards and practices adopted to help researchers develop processes that lead to high levels of reproducible and acceptable yields
Future Directions
- Continue core systems expansion to meet requirements of current and future users
- Promote the facility to help attract research faculty who are leaders in their field
- Continue lean practices
Capabilities
See each facility page for statements on capabilities.
Citations
Citing MFF in Publications
Please acknowledge the Microfabrication Shared Facility in all resulting publications, including articles, posters, and news releases. Publications citing MFF use are essential to help us prepare proposals for replacement instruments and other equipment. Please supply the managing director with reprints of any publication that contains data recorded from MFF.
Suggested wording:
Parts of this study were completed using Michigan Technological University's Microfabrication Facility.
Staff as Co-authors
When MFF staff have simply shown users how to use the system, co-authorship is not expected. If any staff helps you design a series of experiments, prepare specimens, and/or perform a significant amount of the experimentation with analysis, it is common courtesy to add their name(s) as co-authors on publications.
Connections
MFF welcomes research outcome donations—research images, presentations, notification of awards, and recognition. These signs of success can be used in posters, outreach, proposals, news, orientation, and other publicity opportunities that help to support our mission and expand awareness of our work.
Experienced principal investigators may request to have their names added to the MFF knowledge base contact list.
Help us to build a community of microfabrication scientists and engineers.