Assam: IIT Guwahati develops ISO 5 and 6 clean room facilities
Guwahati: Secretary of the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), S. Krishnan, inaugurated the groundbreaking ‘SWASTHA’ project and the state-of-the-art ISO 5 and 6 clean room facilities, at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati’s (IIT Guwahati’s) Centre for Nanotechnology on Friday (February 9).
Prof Rajeev Ahuja, Officiating Director, IIT Guwahati, Dr Sandip Chatterjee, Senior Director and Scientist G, Dr Sangeeta Semwal, Scientist D from MeitY, Prof Akshai Kumar AS, Head, Centre for Nanotechnology, Prof Dipankar Bandyopadhyay, Head, School for Health Science and Technology, Prof Vimal Katiyar, Dean R&D, and Prof Parameswar K. Iyer, Dean PRBR from IIT Guwahati, were also present on the occasion.
Speaking during the event, S. Krishnan said, “The successful establishment of the clean room facilities and the implementation of the SWASTHA Centre for Excellence is an epoch-making event in the Northeastern region as the young human resources of the region can now utilise these world-class high-end facilities available at their doorstep to pursue their lofty scientific and technological dreams. It is of great importance to note that the Nano Centre of IIT Guwahati has delivered an array of frugal low-cost technologies that will cater to the needs of the society.”
“It is indeed a sense of celebration for me to be a part of this journey along with the IIT Guwahati fraternity. This could have been possible only because of the unconditional leadership that the faculty members have shown apart from the commitment of the budding scholars and high-quality students ably backed up by the efficient IIT Guwahati administration who have displayed remarkable tenacity in establishing the centre. In short, this has been a phenomenal start to this pioneering centre in Northeast India which has set a new benchmark for all such activities to follow not only in this region but also in the country,” S. Krishnan added.
Supported by the MeitY, the Centre of Excellence of SWASTHA, “Smart Wearable Advanced nanoSensing Technologies in Healthcare ASICs,” aims to revolutionise healthcare through advanced nanoelectronic theranostic devices. The project aims to deliver high-quality products and prototypes in both micro and nanoelectronics and nanomaterials, with a focus on healthcare and energy applications. It emphasises innovation, scientific collaboration and technological progress.
Speaking about the ISO 5 and 6 clean room facilities and SWASTHA project, Prof Rajeev Ahuja said, “It is a sense of great satisfaction and immense pride to highlight that the faculty at the Centre for Nanotechnology, IIT Guwahati under continuous support from MeitY have worked tirelessly towards the success of establishing this pioneering Centre for Excellence. The visionary support by the MeitY has been pivotal in expanding the base of nanoelectronics inventions and innovations in the Northeastern part of the country that are well in line with the twin missions of the Central government’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India.”
The state-of-the-art ISO 5 and 6 clean room facilities are the first of their kind in the entire Northeastern region of India. They are dedicated to promoting awareness and training in micro and nanoelectronic fabrication, facilitating industrial research and development, and supporting the Indian Nanoelectronics Users Program (INUP).
Jointly sponsored by MeitY and IIT Guwahati, these facilities create a controlled environment suitable for nanoelectronics and nanomaterial fabrication, semiconductor device fabrication, and quantum technologies development, enabling fundamental and translational research.
Housed with state-of-the-art equipment for device fabrication and development, including electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching, this enables the development of devices such as Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED), organic and hybrid photovoltaic devices, Field-Effect Transistor (FET), Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW), and microfluidic-based sensors, utilising advanced fabrication techniques.
The project and facilities are geared towards high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) deep-tech invention and innovation, start-up support, entrepreneurship development, long-term sustainability, capacity building, revenue generation, and collaboration with experts in India and abroad for both academia and industry professionals.