Keithley and CNSI Announce Nanotechnology Measurement Partnership

Keithley will join the CNSI Partners Program at the Associate Level. The CNSI Partners Program was designed to support the Institute’s efforts to cultivate collaborations with companies interested in supporting its mission to enable rapid commercialization of discoveries in nanosystems. As a partner Keithley will work closely with CNSI faculty members to advance important research initiatives. The company will also provide expert technical support and expects to be instrumental in collaborative research.

A variety of Keithley instrumentation, such as the Model 4200-SCS Semiconductor Characterization System used in nanotech research facilities worldwide, will be used for collaborative research in the WIN/FENA lab space at the CNSI facility.

“Keithley brings to our facility advanced measurement capabilities that will help move our research forward,” said Kang Wang, professor of Electrical Engineering at UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and Director of both WIN and FENA Centers. “Its sensitive test technology is well suited for applications such as current voltage characterization of carbon nanotube electronics, molecular electronics, nanoscale field effect devices, and materials research.”

The Western Institute of Nanoelectronics (WIN), a center within the Nanoelectronics Research Initiative (NRI), together with the center on Functional Engineered Nano Architectonics (FENA), a center within the Focus Center Research Program (FCRP) which are both semiconductor industry-funded centers, work to create and investigate new nano-engineered functional materials and devices, and novel structural and computational architectures for new information processing systems beyond the limits of conventional CMOS technology.

“Keithley chose to work with CNSI and the WIN/FENA organizations because of their world-class team of scientists with expertise in materials science, physics, biology, chemistry and semiconductors,” stated Mark Hoersten, Keithley vice president, business management. “Our joint activities will provide information we will be able to apply to future products that we create for nanoscience and the semiconductor industry, and our equipment will aid the WIN/FENA scientists in their important research. This partnership gives us the opportunity to create exciting new measurement technologies necessary for moving nanoelectronic technology from the research lab into full-scale production,” Hoersten added.

Keithley Instruments is the world leader in the creation of electrical measurement solutions for nanotechnology. This important new area of research promises significant advances in electronics, materials, biotechnology, alternative energy sources, and dozens of other applications. With their unequalled performance, Keithley measurement tools enable nanotechnology researchers to observe phenomena that were impossible to measure just a few years ago. Unlocking secrets at the nanoscale level is accelerating the transition from nanotech research labs to commercial production.