[labnetwork] EBL Staffing and Support

[Brown, Devin K]

Hi Brian-

Exciting that you are getting a new EBL system! What is it? Although many issues are common to all systems, it will also be helpful for you to connect with other users of the same system for specific tool issues and training procedures.

I am the co-chair of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) EBL Working Group along with Stanley Lin from Stanford. A lot of the members of that group are likely also on this list, but I can forward your questions to that group for responses/input if you like.

I would say the staff resources you need will highly depend on your anticipated usage. We have a variety of staffing situations across the NNCI EBL sites. Some locations have staff members who primarily only do EBL due to heavy usage. Other sites have lower EBL usage, and the staff member covers many other tools as well.  Additionally, most sites choose to train users to operate the tool independently on their own, but a few sites have chosen to not train users and only the staff member operates the tool and runs jobs for the users. Also, some sites have only one staff member who handles EBL, and some sites have back up support staff members, or the responsibility is somewhat shared. This will depend on the number of staff you have available and workload.  Do you have a staff member experienced in EBL? An inexperienced staff member will need more time to learn EBL processing and how to help with various user issues.

I assume you will have a maintenance contract with your system. This is usually a must have for EBL systems for handling the emitter replacement and having coverage for any expensive parts that may fail. Typically, facility staff members will focus mostly on application and operation of the EBL system with most maintenance handled by the vendor.

Kind regards-


Devin K. Brown, Ph.D.

Principal Research Engineer

Institute for Matter and Systems

Georgia Institute of Technology

office location: Marcus 4134

telephone: (404) 385-5370

email: devin.brown at gatech.edu

web: nanolithography.gatech.edu

address:
Marcus Nanotechnology Building
345 Ferst Drive
Atlanta, GA 30332-1000

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Sent: Wednesday, March 5, 2025 2:24 PM
To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu <labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu>
Subject: [labnetwork] EBL Staffing and Support

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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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