Researchers will be charged for the use of the facilities on a per-minute basis as logged by our LMACS Access System, and invoices will be distributed on a quarterly basis.
Equipment Fees
Electron Beam Lithography
| Equipment | UofT | Academic | Industrial |
| Raith EBPG 5000+ Write Time | $141/hr | $141/hr | $421/hr |
| Lithography Setup Fee | $102/job | $102/job | $306/job |
| EBL Wetbenches w/ Spinners | $49/hr | $69/hr | $141/hr |
| EBL Hotplate | $33/hr | $45/hr | $89/hr |
| EBL Optical Microscope | $33/hr | $45/hr | $89/hr |
| EBL Ultrasonic Bath | $33/hr | $45/hr | $89/hr |
| EBL Cold Bath | $33/hr | $45/hr | $89/hr |
| EBL Convection Oven | $33/hr | $45/hr | $89/hr |
Photolithography
| Equipment | UofT | Academic | Industrial |
| Suss Microtec MA4/MA6 Mask Aligners | $71/hr | $105/hr | $210/hr |
| Wetbenches (Photolithography) w/ Hotplate, Spinner | $49/hr | $69/hr | $141/hr |
| Isel Vakuum-UV-Belichtungsgerät 1 UV Exposure Box | $71/hr | $105/hr | $210/hr |
Depositon
| Equipment | UofT | Academic | Industrial |
| Oxford PlasmaLab System 100 PECVD | $71/hr | $105/hr | $210/hr |
| Expertech CTR-200 Nitride LPCVD | $71/hr | $105/hr | $210/hr |
| Angstrom Nexdep E-Beam Evaporator PVD | $71/hr | $105/hr | $210/hr |
| AJA ATC Orion 5 Sputter PVD | $71/hr | $105/hr | $210/hr |
| Bruce Technologies Oxidation Furnace | $71/hr | $105/hr | $210/hr |
Etching
| Equipment | UofT | Academic | Industrial |
| Oxford PlasmaPro Estrelas100 DRIE (Si) | $71/hr | $105/hr | $210/hr |
| Oxford PlasmaPro 100 Cobra ICP-RIE (Si) | $71/hr | $105/hr | $210/hr |
| TePla Technics 100-E Oxygen Plasma Asher | $49/hr | $69/hr | $141/hr |
| Wetbenches (Clean & Etch) w/ Hotplate, Spinner | $49/hr | $69/hr | $141/hr |
Device Processing
| Equipment | UofT | Academic | Industrial |
| Tousimis Autosamdri-815B CPD | $71/hr | $105/hr | $210/hr |
| AnnealSys AS-One RTP | $49/hr | $69/hr | $141/hr |
| Axus Poli-500 CMP | $33/hr | $45/hr | $89/hr |
| AML AWB-04 Wafer Bonder | $71/hr | $105/hr | $210/hr |
| Disco DAD3220 Dicing Saw | $49/hr | $69/hr | $141/hr |
| TPT HB16 Wire Bonder | $49/hr | $69/hr | $141/hr |
| CS 2010 Parylene Coater | $49/hr | $69/hr | $141/hr |
| Laminar Flow Workstations | $33/hr | $45/hr | $89/hr |
| Pratt Convection Oven | $33/hr | $45/hr | $89/hr |
| Pratt Kiln Oven | $33/hr | $45/hr | $89/hr |
| Pratt UV Oven | $33/hr | $45/hr | $89/hr |
| Pratt Vacuum Oven | $33/hr | $45/hr | $89/hr |
| Pratt Wafer Polisher | $33/hr | $45/hr | $89/hr |
| Pratt Wafer Scriber | $33/hr | $45/hr | $89/hr |
Imaging & Characterization
| Equipment | UofT | Academic | Industrial |
| Nikon Optical Microscopes | $33/hr | $45/hr | $89/hr |
| Nikon 3D Optical Microscope | $49/hr | $69/hr | $141/hr |
| AlphaStep Profilometer | $71/hr | $105/hr | $210/hr |
| Horiba Joben Yvon UVISEL Ellipsometer | $71/hr | $105/hr | $210/hr |
| Keithley SMU 2400 Sourcemeter | $49/hr | $69/hr | $141/hr |
| HP 4155A Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer | $49/hr | $69/hr | $141/hr |
| Everbeing Probe Station | $33/hr | $45/hr | $89/hr |
| Everbeing 4-Point Probe | $33/hr | $45/hr | $89/hr |
| Four Dimensions 101C 6-Point Probe | $33/hr | $45/hr | $89/hr |
Staff Fees
| Fee | UofT | Academic | Industrial |
| Technical Staff Service (9am – 5pm) * | $60/hr | $60/hr | $100/hr |
| Technical Staff Service (after 5pm) * | $100/hr | $100/hr | $150/hr |
| Cleanroom Safety Training | $150 | $150 | $150 |
| Cleanroom Equipment Training* | $60/hr | $60/hr | $100/hr |
| Electron Beam Lithography Training | $300 | $300 | $300 |
*Equipment usage fees also apply.
Supply Fees
| Fee | UofT | Academic | Industrial |
| 4″ Clean Silicon Wafer | $20 | $20 | $20 |
| 4″ Clean SOI Wafer | $100 | $100 | $150 |
| Cleanroom Notebook | $10 | $10 | $10 |
| Reusable Cleanroom Gown | $100 | $100 | $100 |
Reservation Penalty
Users that have reserved equipment must report any delays/cancellations to TNFC Staff no later than 30 minutes after the start time of their reservation on the LMACS Access System. Users failing to give notice for equipment reservation delays/cancellations will be charged a penalty fee equal to their total reservation time.
Enabling Penalty
Users that are caught using TNFC equipment without properly enabling the equipment on the LMACS Access System will be charged a penalty fee equal to at least 4 hours usage time on the equipment, or more, depending on the equipment used.
Cleaning Penalty
Users that do not properly clean/tidy equipment and workspaces after use will be charged a penalty fee equal to 1 hour of Staff Support time for each workspace left untidy. Proper cleaning and tidying includes:
- Removal of all research samples to appropriate storage areas
- Turning off process gas and compressed air valves (as required)
- Turning off microscope and mask aligner lamps and heaters
- Disposing of used wipes, packaging, foil, tape, paper, gloves, hairnets, shoe covers etc.
- Cleaning minor spills, drips, splashes, stains of chemicals in wetbench areas
- Returning tools (tweezers, pens, blades, etc.) to appropriate storage racks
- Returning cleaned glassware and containers to appropriate storage racks
- Returning cleanroom safety attire (safety glasses, PPE) to appropriate storage areas
- Returning chairs to appropriate workspaces
Usage Cap Discount
All internal and external Academic researchers are eligible for a 50% discount on fees exceeding $4,000 per quarter (3 months), effective September 1, 2022.
Process Development Discount
Users with non-standard process requirements may apply for the Process Development Discount to offset the initial cost of establishing a reliable non-standard fabrication process at TNFC. In exchange for this discounted development, the users must share their recipe details and characterization results with TNFC. These materials will be used to expand and strengthen our standardized Process Database.
To apply for the discount, please consult with TNFC staff and submit the Process Development Discount Application Form. The discount will be applied to the researcher account once recipes and results have been submitted.
University of Toronto Departmental Fee Matching
For University of Toronto departments excluding FASE, two invoices will be generated for each researcher on a quarterly basis. The first invoice will represent the regular fees charged at the University of Toronto rate. The second invoice will contain a Matching Fee (for equipment use only). Researchers are ultimately responsible for the Matching Fee invoice, but are encouraged to seek financial assistance from their Department Chair to subsidize all or part of this fee.
All user fees, penalties and discounts are approved by the TNFC Advisory Board, and are subject to annual review. The current fees took effect on September 1, 2022.