Bologna Unit

The Section of Bologna of the Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems (IMM-Bo), with a staff composed of more than 60 members (researchers, technicians, administrative staff, post-doc fellows) together with several PhD and Master degree students, is a multi-disciplinary research center working since 30 years on the study of materials and devices for microelectronics. The synergy between physics, engineers and chemists provides a global approach to material and device problems, overcoming the classical divisions between disciplinary areas. IMM-Bo can embrace a wide area of knowledge, spanning from material characterization to the study of technological processes, and the design and fabrication of integrated devices.

The Section of Bologna of IMM has on of the biggest publicly funded facility for silicon micro-machining in Italy (located in a 500m2 clean-room with 100 and 1000 class rooms), capable of producing different non-VLSI devices, in particular micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS), using micro-machining techniques for Si, SiC and Quartz substrates, and 3rd generation solar cells and photovoltaic devices. In addition to, and in synergic integration with the Si technologies, at IMM-Bo research activities on carbon-based materials, like carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene and Silicon Carbide, are extensively carried out. IMM-Bo  is the Italian hub of the European distributed infrastructure of micro- and nano-fabrication facilities EuroNanoLab (http://euronanolab.eu) and the coordinator of the Italian Network of micro- and nano-fabrication It-fab (http://itfab.bo.imm.cnr.it).

Structural and electrical diagnosis techniques have always played a crucial role in the research activity of IMM-BO, and the laboratory raised as a European excellence in the development and use of electron, ion and X-ray characterization techniques. The research activity in the structural characterization of materials focuses on electron crystallography, dopant profiling or development of imaging techniques for the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and the low-energy scanning microscope (SEM). At IMM-Bo it has been recently established a Joint Laboratory on Electron Microscopy between University of Bologna and CNR (http://emjoy.bo.imm.cnr.it) focusing on the application and development of in-situ and in-operando TEM-based characterization activities.

Head of the Unit

Stefano Zampolli graduated in physics at the University of Bologna in 2000, discussing a thesis on the application of Fuzzy Logic for detection of buried landmines. He is a grant student at CNR-IMM Bologna since April 2000, working primarily on gas sensor characterization and data processing within the sensor and microsystem R&D program. Since 2005 he is researcher in the sensors and microsystem group at CNR-IMM, designing and developing gas sensors and gas sensing Microsystems for environmental monitoring, agrofood and security applications. Starting in FP5, he has participated to 8 European Projects and has active collaborations with several SMEs, including expertise on technology transfer. He is currently Senior Researcher at CNR-IMM Bologna, leading the "MEMS chemical sensors" group.

Contacts:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0431-0693
linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefano-zampolli-29b3504/
researcher-id: https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/P-5901-2014