A group of UNM engineering students will be conducting experiments in zero gravity as part of a NASA student program at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX, in March.
Eight students from the Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering who call themselves "S.P.I.N. Doctors" (Study of Photoresist in New Mexico) will investigate the effect of weightlessness on spin-coating of computer wafers.
Spin-coating is the process in which a photoresistant liquid is spread over a silicon wafer to coat and protect the wafer. The coated wafers are used in microprocessors, compact disks and televisions.
The group submitted a lengthy proposal to NASA that outlined every aspect of the experiment, which was accepted late last year. This is the second time a group of UNM engineering students have gone to Houston to conduct zero-gravity research.
The two-day experiment will take place on board a KC-135 airplane that will fly in two-hour sessions. During the two hours, the group will have 30 seconds of actual weightlessness to conduct their experiment.
The aircraft, called "Weightless Wonder," creates periods of buoyancy by climbing abruptly at a steep angle, leveling out and plummeting - causing weightlessness.
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Tom Gamble, team leader for the group, said NASA experts will first examine the participants' equipment to make sure all parts are safe and won't come apart in the air. Sandia National Labs donated the equipment.
"They will want to make sure that everything will be in order so that the experiments can go smoothly and without any problems," Gamble said.
He added that group members will have physical examinations before the flight to make sure that they are able to withstand the shock.
The experiment will require two operators. One member will prepare the wafer and the other will splash the liquid over it within 30 seconds. They will then take the information back to the lab to document the thickness of the protective coating as well as the characteristics of the film at the end of the wafer.
The group will have about 28 attempts to research the experiment.
The experiment will also be documented on video to be analyzed and shown to interested students in the future.
"We can't wait for this to actually happen, we are extremely excited to be allowed to take part in this trial and document our results," Gamble said. "We are thrilled to see if the protective liquid acts different while in zero degree gravity."
He said that although their research has been given the green light, not all of the funding is in place.
"Unfortunately, there is no monetary award with our acceptance into the program, so we are relying on local businesses to help sponsor our trip," Gamble said.
Group members will be asking several financial institutions for cash donations as well as semiconductor businesses in New Mexico, he said.
"This trip is going to cost us more than $14,000 and we can use all the help we can get," Gamble said. "We feel that the research from these experiments will help in the future - now it's just a matter of having the money to go."
