The Chair of Experimental Solid State Physics (LS Efetov) has extended research laboratories which allow to perform the preparation and nano-fabrication of quantum materials, and the subsequent characterization and measurement of their emergent quantum phases. In particular, it is devided into two sections where it hosts the Quantum Materials and Devices cleanroom and several low temperature quantum transport laboratories.
The Quantum Materials and Devices cleanroom belongs to the Chair of Experimental Solid State Physics (LS Efetov) and is primarily a fundamental research cleanroom with very easy access and low process barriers. It is a facility that allows to quickly and easily test research ideas, new quantum device concepts, and develop initial device fabrication processes.
The cleanroom offers front to end processing of standard fabrication techniques, from growth of materials, assembly and co-lamination of 2D materials, nano-lithography, lift-off, etching, metal deposition, and packaging, and has also basic characterization tools, like AFM, SEM, Raman, photoluminescence etc. A broad variety of different quantum materials (e.g. 2D moiré, nanostructured semiconductors, superconductors, magnets, metals and insulators) can be processed in the cleanroom, and a multitude of quantum devices can be assembled and tested (quantum sensors, single photon detectors, single photon emitters, quantum dots, Josephson junctions, superconducting Qubits etc.).
Our cleanroom received generous funding from the Munich Quantum Valley initiative and participates in its Quantum Technology Park & Entrepreneurship (QTPE) consortium.
Head of Cleanroom: Philipp Altpeter
External groups can inquire about guest access to the cleanroom. Access can be granted if the requested processes can be justified under the defined capabilities and compatibilities of the cleanroom equipment, and an agreement of the usage rules of the LS Efetov. Approval to use the cleanroom for authorized groups is requested via an informal email to the Head of the cleanroom Dipl. Ing. Philipp Altpeter (philipp.altpeter@lmu.de) and Prof. Dr. Dmitri K. Efetov (dmitri.efetov@lmu.de). The following points detail the cleanroom usage rules and requirements:
1. Project evaluation - A project evaluation will ensure that the cleanroom meets the technical requirements necessary to fulfil the task, that the processes and materials that are to be used are compatible with the established manufacturing processes in the cleanroom, and that the resources tied up to fulfil the project do not represent any (significant) restrictions for the members of the LS Efetov and their projects. A project evaluation has to be conducted for every new process or project, even by long-established users.
2. Occupancy - The LS Efetov clean room is a small, chip scale, fundamental research clean room, that specializes on the development of proof-of-concept devices for quantum technologies, based on various quantum materials. It has an area of approximately 120 square meters in which approximately 12 users can work efficiently at the same time, if distributed evenly (i.e. 1 user per wet bench = 3, 1 user per large device = approx. 9). At least half of the capacity should always be reserved for LS Efetov members, so that no more than 6 guests can work in the clean room at the same time.
3. Safety – Access is only permitted after safety instruction, which is carried out by the clean room personnel. Performing activities in the cleanroom that are classified as hazardous require additional instruction and is prohibited outside of normal working hours (Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). These activities include, among others, wet chemical processes with chemicals declared as hazardous.
4. Access - After the safety training guests are issued a transponder card that enables them to open the laboratory door. The transponder card must be returned to the cleanroom personnel by the end of the project and is not transferable to other users. Taking a non-instructed person to the cleanroom as a spectator may be permitted in individual cases, but in any case, requires the approval of the cleanroom management.
5. Superusers - In order to make communication between the cleanroom management and the cleanroom staff on the one hand and the guest users on the other hand as efficient and constructive as possible, each guest group must name a main user (superuser), who serves as the contact person for all of the guest group's concerns. The main user should meet the following requirements: 1. Demonstrable experience in the field of micro- and nano-structuring; 2. planned multi-year employment in the respective guest group in the same function to ensure a certain degree of continuity. The initial training of the superusers will be provided by the cleanroom management.
6. Other users - In well-justified cases we can allow up to 3 well-trained additional users per guest group. The superuser of the corresponding group is directly responsible (i.e. not transferable) for the support, safety and training of his colleagues. The cleanroom management will control the training and certify access to equipment.
7. Sign-up - The superuser of the guest group has to request equipment sign-up from the cleanroom management. After an initial phase, the superuser can earn the privilege of booking device appointments for him/herself and his/her group members (subject to the respective device-specific restrictions). Equipment usage must be fully traceable via the booking calendar and the device logbooks, i.e. the calendar is not only used to plan future usage but also to keep track of usage times and frequencies.
8. Responsibilities – After approval of processes and training on equipment by the cleanroom management, each user is fully responsible for his/hers project success and process outcome. LS Efetov does not provide any process and research assistance and does not take responsibility for unsuccessful projects. It is each user's own responsibility to know and follow the rules set by the cleanroom management.
9. Rights - The scientific direction, processes and capabilities of the cleanroom are defined by the LS Efetov. Access to the cleanroom and sign-up rules for the cleanroom equipment are regulated by the LS Efetov. The cleanroom management reserves always the right to temporarily or permanently revoke access authorization to the cleanroom, in the justified case of misbehavior, lack of training, or incompatibility of the processes.
10. Costs - Guest groups from the area of university research (including MQV, MCQST, CeNS members etc.) will be asked to contribute a small amount to the operating costs of the clean room (consumable costs, contribution to repair costs etc.), whereas the general usage will remain free. Private-sector research groups (e.g. start-ups) pay for the use of devices according to a device-specific hourly rate.
Lithography / Patterning
Raith Voyager (2024)
Electron beam lithography system with 50kV.
Raith e_Line (2008)
Electron beam lithography system with 50nm line width at 30kV.
LPKF ProtoLaser (2013)
Laser lithography with 1µm resolution at a wavelength of 375nm.
Heidelberg Instruments µMLA (2022)
Photolithography system with 365nm LED and a digital mirror device for maskless high speed printing of sub-µm structures.
NILT CNI v2 (2019)
UV nano imprint and hot embossing tool.
Deposition
Combined UHV evaporator and UHV sputtering machine with shared loadlock (2025)
BesTec UHV evaporator (2002)
Evaporation system equipped with a 6 pocket, 7cc e-beam evaporator and two thermal boats.
Von Ardenne LS 320 (1996)
Magnetron sputtering system with two DC and two RF sources for 2 inch targets.
Balzer’s evaporator (1990)
High vacuum chamber with 4 pocket, 7cc electron beam evaporator for experimental materials.
Etching
Sentech SI 500 ICP-RIE (2023)
Oxford PlasmaLab 100 ICP-RIE (1997)
Directional etching of semiconductors and dielectrics with Fluorine based chemistry with nano-meter precision, 300W ICP and 300W RF power, 65mm ICP.
Diener PICO (2017)
Plasmacleaner with 100W RF generator for sample cleaning with Oxygen and Argon.
PVA TePla GigaEtch 100E (1997)
Microwave downstream plasma asher for high speed photoresist stripping in Oxygen and Argon plasma.
Inspection
Bruker Dektak XT (2023)
Bruker ICON AFM (2019)
Atomic force microscope for topographical measurements including nano-electrical measurements.
Oxford Asylum Cypher L AFM (2023)
Zeiss DSM 982 SEM (1997)
Recently upgraded SEM for high resolution imaging and EDX (Oxford Aztec 2015).
Keyence VK-X3000 (2021)
Confocal laser scanning microscope for contactless, optical 3D profilometry.
Plasmos PC 2300 ellipsometer (1993)
Single wavelength laser ellipsometer (632nm) for measuring properties of thin optical films.
OceanOptics NanoCalc reflectometer (2015)
Reflectometry with white light exposure and UV-VIS spectrometer for thickness measurement of optical transparent films.
Krüss Drop Shape Analyzer (2017)
Contact angle measuring instrument with automated dispensing system and high resolution camera.
Back-end fabrication
Disco DAD3221 automatic dicing saw (2024)
UniTemp WB-200 wire bonder (2019)
Wire bonding in ball bonding mode with Gold wires.
Westbond 7476D-79 wire bonder (2022)
Wire bonding in wedge bonding mode with Aluminum wires.
MEI 1204 W wire bonder (1994)
Wire bonding in wedge bonding mode with Gold wires.
Our low temperature transport laboratory is equipped with specialized instrumentation to characterize electronic, magnetic, and thermal properties of quantum materials under various conditions. Key facilities include cryogenic measurement systems, such as dilution refrigerators or varible temperature cryostats, which enable electronic tranport experiments at extremely low temperatures down to millikelvin scales. High magnetic field magnets (superconducting or resistive) allow for magneto-transport measurements, such as Hall effect and magnetoresistance, essential for understanding quantum phenomena. Additionally, the lab is equipped with precision electronics for sensitive voltage, current, and resistance measurements, low-noise amplifiers, lock-in amplifiers, and automated data acquisition systems.
Dilution refrigerators (dry)
BlueFors SD250 (2019)
35mK system with 8T magnet, for THz, near-IR opto-electronics measurements.
BlueFors LD250 (2025)
8mK system with 14T magnet, for high field magneto-transport measurements.
BlueFors LD250 (2025)
8mK system with 9-1-1T vector magnet, for rotational field magneto transport and quantum twisting microscope measurements.
Demagnetization refrigerators (dry)
Kiutra L-type rapid (2022)
100mK system with 5T magnet with ultra-fast loading mechanism, for RF filtered transport.
Variable temperature refrigerator (dry)
ICEOxford Lemon (2019)
1.5K system with 8T magnet with 360 rotation stage, for DC field direction controlled magneto transport.
Optoelectronics refrigerator (dry)
AttoCube AttoDry 800 (2017)
5K optical table integrated cryostat, with optical access and piezo positioners, for scanning confocal measurements with green pulsed laser and near-IR photo mixing setup, which allows time resolved measurements with ps resolution.