Membership Eligibility

Level A Member

Graduate Students & Post-Docs:

Access to the QNFCF is limited to UWaterloo-affiliated and non-UWaterloo graduate students and Post-Doctoral researchers, as well as scientists & engineers with government and industry affiliations.

Level B Member

Undergrads with 8-month URA's & Co-op students on 8-month term:

In the case of undergraduate students who have been granted an Undergraduate Research Assistantship (URA) or similar, or in the case of Co-op students hired on an 8-month work term, the QNFCF appreciates the mutual benefit to both supervisor and student in gaining facility access for durations of 8 months (minimum) or more.

Consequently, applications for access from URA students (or similar) and 8-month Co-op students will be accepted provided the following conditions are respected at all times:

1. Graduate students and Post-Docs have priority over URA & Co-op students for system access and training requests.
2. URA & Co-op students must meet all usual access requirements.
3. Prior to taking equipement-specific qualification tests and gaining independent access to said systems, URA & Co-op students must first shadow (partner with) a qualified peer for a few sessions. Systems cannot be directly operated by trainees during these sessions.

Level C Member

Co-op students with 4-month work term:

UWaterloo undergraduate students hired on a 4-month work term Co-op basis may be granted limited facility access. In all cases, the following conditions will apply:

1. Student must not book more than one hour/day per qualified piece of equipment.
2. Management reserves the right to revoke access at any time should the student's proficiency level be deemed inadequate during or post training.
3. Student must be under the supervision of a UW faculty member whom is an existing member of the QNFCF community.
4. The conditions listed above for Level B Members must be respected at all times.
5. Student must be accompanied by Level A Member at all times when in the facility.
6. Training on and access to will be limited to the following equipment:
1. Characterization:
   • thin film measurement (Filmetrics systems only)
   • microscopes 
2. Wet Benches:
   • Develop/Solvent Wetbench ONLY
3. Lithography:
   • HMDS Oven
   • Spin coaters (pieces & wafers)
4. Dry Etch:
   • O₂ plasma photoresist stripper
   • Oxford Si Etch
   • Oxford III-V & metals Etch
5. Deposition:
   • Oxford ALD/PECVD Cluster