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2
Overall Assessment
The Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology in the National Institute of Standards
and Technology was founded on May 1, 2007. The CNST mission is “to operate a national,
shared resource for nanoscale fabrication and measurement and develop innovative nanoscale
measurement and fabrication capabilities to support researchers from industry, academia, NIST,
and other government agencies in advancing nanoscale technology from discovery to
production.”6 The CNST has two components with complementary purposes―the research
program and the NanoFab facility. The research program is organized in three groups―Electron
Physics, Nanofabrication Research, and Energy Research; the NanoFab Operations Group is
responsible for the operation of the NanoFab. Individuals from beyond NIST and elsewhere at
NIST can interact with the CNST through collaborations with the scientific research staff in the
research program and through use of the NanoFab to fabricate structures or devices.
The center has matured significantly in the 2 years since the previous review,7 having
achieved nearly steady state in terms of staffing and projects. The research program consists of
leading-edge nanoscale research directed toward exploring phenomena that may provide the
basis for future nanoscale measurement and characterization techniques. This component of the
CNST is staffed by scientific research staff with strong records of individual research
accomplishment. There is an increasingly impressive record of publication by scientists at the
CNST.8 This output is supported by a significant cadre of postdoctoral appointees and support
staff. The CNST should consider enhancing the professional development of postdoctoral staff
by offering opportunities (possibly through partner institutions such as universities) for staff to
learn skills needed for non-academic careers—for example, in entrepreneurship.
The NanoFab component of the CNST is a national shared-use facility that aspires to
provide a state-of-the-art suite of nanoscale measurement and fabrication capabilities. It is
largely a clean-room facility and is staffed accordingly. The NanoFab is attracting users from all
sectors of the economy―industry, academia, and government―through its impressive capital-
equipment capabilities; it appears to be operating at near capacity.
As described to the panel, the CNST, with an FY 2010 budget of $23 million, is currently
staffed by 97 full-time-equivalent (FTE) employees, including 60 technical staff. There are
currently 19 staff members with the title of “project leader,” 9 of whom are new to the CNST
since the previous review. Each project leader is allocated 2 postdoctoral researchers and one-
sixth each of an electrical engineer, a mechanical designer/instrument specialist, a computer
specialist, and an administrative assistant. There are 11 administrative support positions, 8
technical support positions, and 12 NanoFab staff positions.
6
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology 2010,
NIST SP 1121, March 2011, p. 4. See http://www.nist.gov/cnst/upload/cnst_2010_report.pdf. Accessed June 29,
2011.
7
National Research Council, An Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Center
for Nanoscale Science and Technology: Fiscal Year 2009. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press, 2009.
8
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology 2010,
NIST SP 1121, March 2011, pp. 78-81. See http://www.nist.gov/cnst/upload/cnst_2010_report.pdf. Accessed
June 29, 2011.
7
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ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES AND FULFILLMENT OF MISSION
The vision of the CNST is “to be recognized for providing ready access to unexcelled
nanoscale measurement and fabrication facilities and as a world leader in each of our
measurement science research areas.”9 The CNST has, overall, made dramatic strides toward
achieving this vision since the previous review, as exemplified by specific details provided in
Chapters 3 and 4.
The NanoFab has progressed impressively and is providing outstanding service with
unparalleled capabilities to a broad range of users. Anecdotal inputs from users indicate that
users are highly satisfied with their experience.
The CNST is a world leader in some of its areas of emphasis, as discussed in the more
detailed reviews of the four groups in Chapters 3 and 4. The focus areas that are well
established, especially those whose genesis predates the formation of the CNST, are among the
best in the world. There are many unique capabilities throughout the CNST, and CNST staff
have extensive collaborations with scientists, engineers, and companies from the United States
and around the world. Although the center’s staffing is largely complete, many laboratories,
especially in the newer groups such as the Energy Research Group, are still under development.
These newer efforts appear to have assembled highly talented teams that have the potential to
develop a high-quality effort. These areas are likely to continue to grow and develop over the
next few years.
The CNST supports researchers from industry, academia, NIST, and other government
agencies. As reported to the panel, the number of users is impressively high. Although the
center’s method of counting users is different from that used by other laboratories, the approach
seems to take into consideration measurement against outcomes that are important to the key
stakeholders (for example, NIST leadership and the Department of Commerce). There has been
growth in the user base in all sectors since the previous review; industrial users accounted for the
largest percentage growth, consistent with the NIST/CNST mission. Given NIST’s mission to
increase U.S. competitiveness, the CNST should continue to increase its focus on industry as its
key customer. Specific focus should be on the industrial segment that requires state-of-the-art
nanofabrication capability and access to outstanding scientific staff. The users represent a broad
geographic distribution. Even greater demand from across the country should be possible with
enhanced communication about the CNST capabilities relative to those available elsewhere.
TECHNICAL MERIT OF THE CENTER’S PROGRAMS
For many of the programs presented by the CNST to the panel for review, the staff, the
projects, and the facilities are outstanding and in several instances unique. The various parts of
the CNST are not uniformly mature, although the gap between mature programs and the newer
ones has closed significantly since the previous review.
All of the work reviewed by the panel is scientifically very good. Much of it is original,
innovative, scientifically outstanding, and among the best of its kind. The breadth of scientific
knowledge and the overall level of enthusiasm of the staff throughout the CNST are impressive.
Almost all of the projects are clearly focused on the stated mission of NIST as they seek to
develop understanding that will lead to standards and precision measurement at the nanoscale. A
fair amount of the research is directed toward developing unique instrumentation.
9
Robert J. Celotta, CNST, “Overview of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology,” presentation
to the panel, Gaithersburg, Maryland, March 7, 2011.
8
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The substantial budget of the CNST and the “block funding” nature of its allocation are
increasingly unusual in the U.S. scientific community. This approach enables the CNST staff to
concentrate on their scientific endeavors in a way that is all too rare. Staff are able to spend a
significant number of years working on extremely high risk, high payoff instrument
development, which may ultimately lead to the demonstration and exploitation of unique
capabilities. There are very few, if any, other institutions in the United States where such
endeavors are possible, making this capability at the CNST all the more valuable. The staff
expressed recognition of its enviable position and great appreciation of the NIST and CNST
leadership for their roles in making this funding model possible. In such an environment, it is
manifest that the leadership of the organization has particularly significant responsibility to
evaluate projects rigorously and to curtail long-standing projects that are not paying off.
With the addition of important theoretical and chemical expertise, the balance of CNST
staffing has improved significantly since the previous review. Since that review, the theorist in
each research group has tended to become “glue” uniting the various efforts within the group,
and each group has made significant progress:
The technical merit of the reviewed work of the Electron Physics Group relative to
the state of the art is at the level of the best in the field. The group’s laboratory
facilities are state of the art and in many cases unique. The outstanding
accomplishments of the group and the external recognition of group members
indicate the achievement of the group’s stated objectives and impact.10
The Nanofabrication Research Group is a highly competent assemblage of scientists
that has taken on the additional mission of advancing the state of the art in
nanomanufacturing, an area of growing importance. The laboratory facilities
available to the group could well be the best in the world. The group’s research
programs are of high quality and are aligned with its mission. Some of the
laboratories in this group are still under development.
The Energy Research Group is now fully staffed, with a good combination of junior
and more senior staff, although many of the laboratories are still under development.
The work of this group is the most technologically (rather than scientifically) focused
of the research groups. The addition of a theorist provides needed intellectual
coherence within the group. The laboratories and equipment that are in place are
state of the art in all respects. It is still too early to judge in detail the quality and
mission alignment of the research programs.
The NanoFab facility has progressed significantly and is reaching capacity. The
equipment and capabilities are probably as modern and complete as those in any
similar facility in the United States. The facility is well managed and has
dramatically increased its capabilities and support of users since the previous review.
The productivity of staff while affiliated with the CNST has grown nicely since the
previous review. The number of publications with CNST affiliation was 24 for FY 2008, rising
to 33 for FY 2009, 41 in FY 2010, and 19 as of March FY 2011. An additional 18 publications
10
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology 2010,
NIST SP 1121, March 2011, pp. 76-77. See http://www.nist.gov/cnst/upload/cnst_2010_report.pdf. Accessed
June 29, 2011.
9
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are currently in press, with 26 more submitted for publication. CNST staff and leadership have
also garnered an impressive array of external professional awards since the previous review.11
ALIGNMENT BETWEEN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
AND THE CENTER’S SERVICES
The work carried out at the CNST covers a wide range, varying from nanofabrication and
other services, through relatively near term collaborations with industry, to extremely
fundamental science that may lead to future measurement capabilities. It is important to
recognize the tension inherent in supporting both high-quality science and measurement
capabilities and user facilities. This tension adds richness to the CNST environment, but it needs
to be monitored and balanced continually. The diversity of effort is well aligned with the CNST
vision and is key to the center’s ability to meet its mission, both now and in the future.
A number of good examples of close interactions and collaborations between industry
and the research groups were discussed during the review. In some cases, the instrumentation or
understanding provided through the interaction helped a company develop or improve a product.
In other cases, CNST staff led the development of instrumentation (in a Cooperative Research
and Development Agreement, or CRADA) that significantly enhanced equipment sold by a
company. These interactions appear to be rather common throughout the CNST, but a
quantification of the number and scale of such collaborations was not provided to the panel.
The NanoFab facility and its highly skilled staff can be credited with a major advance in
the research capabilities of the CNST. A dynamic group of researchers including students,
postdoctoral researchers, and NIST staff are engaged in research utilizing this modern capability.
A very high percentage of presentations (both oral and poster) during the review indicated that
the research described in the presentations depended in some way on the NanoFab.
11
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology 2010,
NIST SP 1121, March 2011, pp. 76-77. See http://www.nist.gov/cnst/upload/cnst_2010_report.pdf. Accessed
June 29, 2011.
10
