The Pennsylvania State University Nanofabrication Facility and the National Science Foundation National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NSF NNIN): Enabling micro and nanotechnology based economic development

Nanotechnology is expected to be a foundational element of economic growth and change over the next decade and beyond. New materials, devices and systems will both enhance and replace existing products and open new market opportunities. Realizing these opportunities is challenging and many of the issues are unique to the development and implementation of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is a predominantly interdisciplinary field requiring a range of expertise often outside many traditional but economically important industries. The development of new products and processes based on nano and even micro technologies can also be costly due to the required instrumentation, even if this instrumentation is only needed in the research and development stages. To address these and other issues, the National Science Foundation has supported national university based open access user facilities. Both the National Nanofabrication Users Network (NNUN), which existed from 1993 to 2003, and the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN), established in March, 2004, provide extensive facilities and expertise to support academic, industrial and government users developing new micro and nanotechnologies. The Pennsylvania State University Nanofabrication Facility is a part of the NNIN and was a member of the NNUN. This article briefly reviews the motivation for the development of these user facilities, the goals and capabilities of the NNIN and the PSU Nanofabrication Facility, and their important role in economic development.