Video showing students and faculty in the Materials Science and Engineering department engaged in research, lab work, and classroom activities.
Home of UT
Materials Science and
Engineering
Core Faculty
TMI's core faculty lead cutting-edge research by running their grants through the institute, fostering collaboration and resource sharing.
Learn More
Graduate Program
Our Materials Science and Engineering program is one of the best in the nation, and our graduates go on to be leaders in their fields.
Learn More
Research
TMI supports interdisciplinary research at UT Austin, with over 100 faculty focusing on clean energy, nanotechnology, and advanced materials using our state-of-the-art facilities.
Learn More
Equipment
Instrument Capabilities
The reactive ion etcher is capable of etching oxides, nitrides as well as remove organic contamination from sample surfaces. The unit is outfitted with 4 mass flow controllers for reproducible gas flow.
Key Features:
- AAvailable etch gases: CF₄, SF₆, O₂, and Ar.
- Electrode size: 6-inch.
- Maximum power: 600 W.
- Operating limit: Operate the system only up to 300 W. At 300 W, limit operation to 10 minutes at a time. For operation above 300 W, contact TMI staff for assistance.
Fees and Policies
- UT Users: $35/hour
- Higher Education/State Agencies (Assisted): $92/hour
- Corporate/External Users (Assisted): $94/hour
- Higher Education/State Agencies (Unassisted): $64/hour
- Corporate/External Users (Unassisted): $65/hour
A cleanroom entry fee will be charged in addition to the cleanroom facility usage fee.
- UT Users $6
- Higher Education/State Agencies: $10
- Corporate/External Users: $10
Traning
Users should register for the required in-person training course through UTLearn.
Instrument Capabilities
The Laurell Spincoater (WS-650Mz-23NPPB) is located in one of the fume hoods ion the lithograohy side of the cleanroom. The spincoater is dedicated to processing of E-beam resists and other polymeric materials.
Key features:
- Speeds: 100-12,000 RPMs
- Substrate size: up to 150 mm round substrates and 125 mm square substrates, thickness: 0.1 to 1 mm
- Wafer Fragment Adapter for 10 – 50 mm substrate fragments
- Microscope Slide adapter
Fees and Policies
- UT Users: $35/hour
- Higher Education/State Agencies (Assisted): $92/hour
- Corporate/External Users (Assisted): $94/hour
- Higher Education/State Agencies (Unassisted): $64/hour
- Corporate/External Users (Unassisted): $65/hour
A cleanroom entry fee will be charged in addition to the cleanroom facility usage fee.
- UT Users $6
- Higher Education/State Agencies: $10
- Corporate/External Users: $10
Traning
Please contact Dr. Raluca Gearba and/or James Smitherman to schedule a training session.
Instrument Capabilities
The Laurell WS-650 Spincoater is installed in the photolithography hood and is dedicated to spin coating commercially available photoresists. The system provides controlled and uniform photoresist coating for photolithography processes.
Key features:
- Speeds: 100-12,000 RPM
- Substrate size: up to 150 mm round substrates and 125 mm square substrates, thickness: 0.1 to 1 mm
- Wafer Fragment Adapter for 10 – 50 mm substrate fragments
- Microscope Slide adapter
Fees and Policies
- UT Users: $35/hour
- Higher Education/State Agencies (Assisted): $92/hour
- Corporate/External Users (Assisted): $94/hour
- Higher Education/State Agencies (Unassisted): $64/hour
- Corporate/External Users (Unassisted): $65/hour
A cleanroom entry fee will be charged in addition to the cleanroom facility usage fee.
- UT Users $6
- Higher Education/State Agencies: $10
- Corporate/External Users: $10
Traning
Traning on the spincoater is included in the traning class for the Suss Mask aligner.
Instrument Capabilities
The setup includes:
- The Karl Suss PM 5 Probe Station
- A small four-point probe (4PP) setup for measuring resistivity of materials
- A Tektronix 4200A-SCS Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer
The Karl Suss PM5 Probe Station consists of a stereo microscope, a 6-inch vacuum chuck which allows single chips as well as up to 6-inch wafers to be probed, 4 micromanipulators, and a light tight enclosure. It can be coupled to various test equipment for device testing such as I-V and C-V measurements.
The Keithley 4200A-SCS Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer is an integrated electrical characterization platform used to measure the electrical properties of semiconductor devices and materials. It combines precision source-measure capabilities with capacitance-voltage measurements to characterize transistors, diodes, solar cells, MEMS devices, sensors, advanced materials, and electronic components.
Features:
- Four Source-Measure Units (SMUs) and one Capacitance Voltage Unit (CVU). DC
- DC I-V range: 100 fA to 1 A and 0.1 μV to 210V
- CVIV Multi-switch module: allows users to perform both I-V and C-V measurements on the same device without manually reconnecting the cables.
- Clarius data acquisition software: 400 user-modifiable pre-configured tests
4PP characteristics:
- The distance between the probes is 0.0625 inches=1.5875 mm
- Pressure on each probe: 45g
- Probe material: Tungsten Carbide
Fees and Policies
- UT Users: $20/hour
- Higher Education/State Agencies: $90/hour
- Corporate/External Users: $95/hour
Traning
Please contact Dr. Raluca Gearba and/or James Smitherman to schedule a training session.
Texas Materials Seminar Series
The Texas Materials Seminar Series features MSE 397 Seminars, TMI Distinguished Lectureships, and TMI Special Seminars, where leading faculty and professionals from around the world share cutting-edge innovations and advancements in materials engineering with our students.
Learn More
$12M+
In Grant Funding
20+
Research Patents
10K+
Sq. Ft. of Research Labs
News
Zhantao Chen Publishes New Article on AI-assisted Tool
Zhantao Chen, an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering and a TMI-affiliate, has published an article on an AI tool in Nature Machine Intelligence. The article used AI to help researchers in ways that would assist in experimental tasks that are often labor-intensive and tiresome.
Terry Zheng & Yu Group Publish New Work on Water-Based Electrolytes
Materials Science and Engineering graduate student Tianrui (Terry) Zheng, under the supervision of Dr. Guihua Yu has published research in Advanced Materials introducing a biphasic electrolyte architecture that combines the strengths of water-based (aqueous) and organic-based electrolytes for long-duration, high-rate zinc metal batteries.
Get Better Sleep With Ultrasound Patch That Boosts REM Rest
A wearable bioelectronic device increased REM sleep in real-world trials, without invasive surgery or medication.
Published by UT News.
Yuebing Zheng Awarded 'New Directions' Seed Funding from UT OVPR
Yuebing Zheng was awarded seed funding through the University's Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors. The 'New Directions in Research' grants are one time payments that give faculty an opportunity to obtain proof-of-concept or pilot data for future, larger grants.
Terry Zheng Awarded UT Chevron Energy Graduate Fellowship
Tianrui (Terry) Zheng, a Materials Science & Engineering graduate student working with Dr. Guihua Yu, is a recipient of the 2026-2027 UT Chevron Energy Graduate Fellows Award from UT's Energy Institute.
