Welcome to the Münster Nanofabrication Facility
a DFG Core Facility
The MNF is a state-of-the-art, 300 m² nanofabrication and nanoanalytics machine park classified from ISO 5 to 7. Located at the University of Münster, we provide nanostructuring and nanofabrication technologies for an interdisciplinary research community of scientists and engineers in physics, chemistry, earth sciences and biology, both within and outside the university.
If you are interested in exploring advanced nanofabrication and nanoanalytics techniques, the MNF is here for you.
Learn more...
Register to join us on November 7th for our annual Open Day
This year’s event promises to be as engaging as always, with:
- Multidisciplinary talks from leading experts in nanoanalytics and fabrication
- Networking over lunch and afternoon coffee
- Poster presentations, with a prize awarded to the most popular submission
- An awards ceremony, including recognition and a prize for the best entry in our imaging contest
- Opportunities for connecting with the companies that supply our cutting-edge equipment
We are pleased to have the following companies join us this year: Nanoscribe, KLA (Filmetrics), EVG, Lesker, and REACH
New project to protect critical infrastructure against cyberattacks
Carsten Schuck’s research group is designing, building and testing a receiver unit for a quantum key generation process and the operation of secure communication in a gas pipeline system produced by PSI Software SE. “Any attempt at eavesdropping would be noticed immediately, rendering the key generation system independent of the measuring devices,” explains Carsten Schuck. His team is building this system at the Münster Nanofabrication Facility (MNF) using a special technology designed in-house. It uses superconducting single-photon detectors which are embedded in advanced photonic integrated circuits. The circuits are embedded in chips that are cooled to around two Kelvin in order to make the best possible use of their superconducting properties.
University News
AG Schuck / Department for Quantum Technology
Shabnam Taheriniya awarded Infineon Doctoral Prize
Physicist Dr. Shabnam Taheriniya has been awarded the Infineon Doctoral Prize 2024, endowed with 3000 euros, for her excellent doctoral thesis at the University of Münster. For her dissertation in Professor Gerhard Wilde's working group at the Institute of Materials Physics, she investigated the inner interfaces in a new class of materials known as high-entropy alloys, analyzing the mixture of high-entropy alloys with different crystal structures forced by intensive plastic deformation. Dr. Taheriniya also investigated the behavior of the materials under irradiation with fast, heavy ions as well as their microstructure and the inner interfaces and their magnetic behavior using transmission electron microscopy methods in the Münster Nanofabrication Facility (MNF).
The Department of Physics at the University of Münster awards the Infineon Doctoral Prize annually together with Infineon AG.
University news (German)
History of the MNF
The first cleanroom at the University of Münster was established in the Center for NanoTechnology (CeNTech) in 2003. Following the University's expanding presence in nanoscience, this original facility required significant upgrades to meet the needs of researchers and remain competitive with peer institutions.
Through the approval of the Center for Soft Nanoscience (SoN) research program, the WWU received a multi-million euro investment, including a capital equipment upgrade and several large instrument grants. In 2017 the MNF expanded into brand new cleanroom facilities in the SoN building.
Supporting its full transformation into the Münster Nanofabrication Facility (MNF), the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) provided funding in 2020 to establish the MNF as a core university facility providing services for university members and external users.