General Info

On January 15th, 2021, the Central Research Facility Directorate at Koç University submitted an application for the establishment of a new research center, called n2STAR (Nanofabrication and Nanocharacterization Center for Science and Technological Advanced Research). The University Research Board accepted the application and sent it to the Higher Education Council on February 19th, 2021. The official regulation for the establishment of the center was published in the “Resmi Gazete” on September 26th, 2021, officially establishing n2STAR.

The main objective of n2STAR is to provide added value to research and development at Koç University by integrating the university’s existing fabrication and characterization capabilities into central research facilities that are open to all interested users, both within and outside of the university, including companies.

At Koç University, n2STAR aims to foster synergy between different research groups by providing access to state-of-the-art equipment and interdisciplinary infrastructure. This will be facilitated by the expert technical and administrative personnel at n2STAR. Every piece of equipment chosen for the center’s infrastructure has been carefully selected to enhance the research capabilities of the laboratories and stimulate new areas of research.

As a central research facility, n2STAR is committed to providing continuous service enhancements and expertise sharing to researchers. This will allow researchers to focus on process development and technology that can be transformed into economical throughput. By optimizing maintenance and repair processes, n2STAR will also be able to increase the usage times of its infrastructure, ensuring that it is able to meet the service demands of all stakeholders quickly and consistently.

In addition to serving the research community within Koç University, n2STAR also aims to promote and coordinate joint activities with other research institutions and industry, including the training of technical personnel. By collaborating with other central facilities and industry, n2STAR hopes to create synergy in research and development.

Long-term goals of n2STAR include:

• Creating collaborations with industrial R&D centers, universities, and other research institutions
• Supporting the training of the next generation of leading researchers and faculty members by sharing its technological infrastructure and knowledge
• Offering consultation, design, production, diagnosis, repair, maintenance, and other services, as well as organizing conferences, seminars, and symposia on relevant subjects
• Introducing a management system that will enhance equipment use, manage user profiles, and enable continuous reporting and tracking of equipment and facility utilization

Research Fields:  Photonics/Nanophotonics,  Optics/Optoelectronics , Electronics/Micro-Nano Electronics, Micro and Nanoelectromechanical Systems (MEMS/NEMS) , Nanomechanics, Microfluidics, Materials Science and Engineering, Nanobiotechnologies, Food Science