Benefit from unique technologies and leading expertise
The Karlsruhe Nano Micro Facility (KNMFi) offers a dedicated set of state-of-the-art technologies for structuring and characterizing a multitude of functional materials at the micro- and nanoscale.
KNMFi unifies 20+ technology clusters and 50+ scientists (as of 2020). KNMFi was launched in 2008 as KNMF by an initial technology investment budget of 23.3 Mio. Euro allocated by the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers (HGF), since then regular updates and major additional investments have been dedicated to the continuous improvement of both, the value of the facility and the welfare of ourusers. Our technology experts support all users in all questions relating to the access and use of our technologies. They serve as local contacts and are ready to accompany you to reach your personal scientific goals. This may include conducting processes at the laboratories or organising overall workflows for your own project. It is recommended to select and contact the experts of the technologies of interest prior to a proposal submission. The user office will assist you to find the most appropriate experts.
User Office
Karlsruhe Nano Micro Facility
KIT-Campus North
Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1
76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen
Germany
+49 721 608-23123
knmf-useroffice ∂does-not-exist.kit edu
Laboratory for Micro- and Nanostructuring
- 3D Direct Laser Writing (3D-DLW)
- 3D Printing (3DP)
- 3D Printing (Ceramics) – launch 2024
- Deep X-ray Lithography (XRL) – available until end of 2024 and for proprietary (=paid) projects only
- Dip-Pen Nanolithography (DPN) & Polymer Pen Lithography
- Direct Laser Writing (DLW)
- Dry Etching Cluster (DRIE)
- Electron Beam Lithography (EBL)
- Hot Embossing (HE)
- Thermal Scanning Probe Lithography (TSPL) – launch 2024
Laboratory for Microscopy and Spectroscopy
- 3D Atom Probe Tomography (APT)
- Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
- Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES)
- Focused Ion Beam (FIB)
- Helium Ion Microscope (HIM)
- Nano Tomography (nanoCT)
- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
- Single Crystal X-ray Diffraction (SCXD)
- Soft X-ray Spectroscopy, Microscopy, and Spectromicroscopy (WERA)
- Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS)
- Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
- X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)
Laboratory for Simulation and Data Management
- Automated Synthesis (AS) – launch 2024
- Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN)
- Karlsruhe Data Infrastructure for Materials Science (Kadi4Mat)
Data & Information
The Laboratory for Simulation and Data Management is the newest part of KNMFi. Here, activities in terms of digitalization, data handling and information management are bundled. The lab will bridge multiscale structuring and manufacturing technologies and multiscale characterization techniques by gathering the process data and information of each method, shape them into a generally usable format, and then make them available in a defined dataset for further research.
The lab technology is to major parts based on hardware and software provided by the Scientific Computing Center (SCC), which is the center for information technology at KIT. SCC deals with innovative methods in supercomputing, big data and safe information technologies for research and applications. Additionally, large scale IT research projects are provided as well as the centralized IT management for KIT. The large scale systems GridKa, the supercomputer HoreKa, the Large Scale Data Facility LSDF as well as the Helmholtz Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Unit HAICU and the Helmholtz Metadata Collaboration Platform HMC show only a few examples for the power provided by SCC.