Nanotechnology is defined as work with devices having dimensions on the order of atomic or molecular size. Devices whose smallest feature sizes are less than 100 nanometers (nm) are considered to be of nanometer scale. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. For comparison, the smallest features on current semiconductors are on the order of 0.1 to 1 micron, which is 100 to 1000 nanometers. Thus, this technology represents the next stage in miniaturization. Nanotechnology allows scientists and engineers to create new materials, construct devices at cellular scale or smaller, measure forces between atoms and molecules, and characterize surfaces in ways that have not been possible in the past. Much of the instrumentation used for nanotechnology (such as the Atomic Force Microscope and the Scanning Tunneling Microscope) is highly sensitive to outside perturbations from environmental sources such as vibration, sound and infrasound, air motion, or electromagnetic interference. Because so much of this equipment is now being developed, its environmental sensitivity is often unknown. Facility designers must approach nanotechnology facilities as conservatively as they do advanced semiconductor facilities, or even more so. Though nanotechnology is a relatively new specialty in advanced technology facilities, consultants at Colin Gordon & Associates offer relevant experience on a variety of projects, some of which have evolved into the current framework being used for nanotechnology research. These projects, some ongoing and others operational, include: DOE National Laboratories Center for Nano Scaled Materials, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY Academic Research Facilities Duffield Hall, Cornell University California Nano Systems Institute (CNSI), University of California, Santa Barbara Birck Nanotechnology Research Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana Nanotechnology Research Center Building (NRCB), Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA Nanoscience Institute for Medical & Engineering Technology (NIMET), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI), University of Oregon, Eugene, OR National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT), University of Alberta, Edmunton, Alberta, Canada National Nanofab Center, Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Taejon, South Korea Other Governmental R&D Facilities Nano Science Laboratory (Building P-050), Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC NDL Nanotechnology Facility, Hsinchu, Taiwan Colin Gordon & Associates can bring to bear on the design of nanotechnology facilities its international reputation in the design of low-vibration environments for the microelectronics and R&D communities. Our input to projects can encompass all phases of the design and construction process, including site selection, programming and concept design, design development, final documentation, construction and final evaluation. Consulting and Design Services: Assessment of equipment sensitivity Site evaluation Foundation and structural design Mechanical design and specification Selection of design criteria (vibration and noise) Vibration isolation and noise control Problem solving Vibration and noise measurements and monitoring