NanoGrowth order

has received an order from the Georgia Institute of Technology (

) for a NanoGrowth 1000n tool that will be used to grow carbon nanotubes and related nanomaterials.

The NanoGrowth 1000n equipment chosen by GATECH incorporates a low-temperature growth module that will allow precision carbon nanotubes and other nanomaterials to be grown repeatably at temperatures down to 350C initially and potentially even lower.

According to Surrey NanoSystems, this will help researchers to explore growth on a wide range of target substrates from active silicon devices to flexible polymer substrates.

One of GATECH's major research aims is to investigate the development of carbon nanotube (CNT) heatsink structures to substantially increase heat conduction and dissipation capability, which may help to overcome a prime cause of silicon chip failure and support further advances in integration density and performance.

During the system building period, Surrey NanoSystems's scientific staff will assist GATECH’s Dr Baratunde Cola, an assistant professor at the George W Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, by performing a number of trial nanomaterial growth processes to his specifications using NanoGrowth tools installed at the company and at Surrey University’s Advanced Technology Institute.

The target substrates include the high-performance polyimide film Kapton and Surrey NanoSystems expects to provide Cola with a proven processing 'recipe' to allow his detailed research work to begin soon after the system is installed.

The NanoGrowth system will be delivered in the second quarter of 2009.