[labnetwork] EBL Staffing and Support

[Tobi Beetz]

Hi Brian - congrats on your new EBL!

Initially, our Nanopatterning Cleanroom operated with a single staff member on one EBL system. We've since expanded to two staff and two EBL systems, reflecting the critical role EBL plays in our operations. Our primary focus is training users for independent operation, minimizing staff-run jobs.

While our user-fee model typically ensures sustainable operations, recent technical issues with our new EBL systems have resulted in significant downtime, impacting also other cleanroom utilization. To optimize EBL usage, we've implemented a reduced off-peak rate (18:00-8:00 and weekends), encouraging experienced users to utilize these times and freeing up standard hours for user training and support.

Cheers,

Tobi

Tobi Beetz, PhD
Associate Director, Stanford Nano Shared Facilities, Stanford University, http://snsf.stanford.edu<http://snsf.stanford.edu/>, +1-650-644-9541

From: labnetwork <labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu> On Behalf Of Brian Baker
Sent: Wednesday, March 5, 2025 11:24 AM
To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu
Subject: [labnetwork] EBL Staffing and Support

Dear Lab Network,

We are in the process of purchasing our first electron beam lithography (EBL) system, and we are reaching out to understand how different facilities staff and support their EBL tools.

For those of you who have an EBL system, we would appreciate any insights you can share regarding staffing:

  *   Do you have a dedicated staff member for EBL operations?
  *   If not, what percentage FTE is typically required to maintain the tool, develop processes, train users, and run jobs?
  *   Any additional insights on challenges or best practices for supporting an EBL system?


Your feedback would be incredibly valuable as we establish a sustainable support model for our system.

Thank you for your time and insights,

Brian Baker
University of Utah Nanofab Cleanroom Manager


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