The W. M. Keck Laboratory for the Fabrication of Microminiaturized Analytical Instrumentation (Keck Lab) of the Institute for Combinatorial Discovery provides the ISU and industrial communities with access to state-of-the-art microfabrication technologies. With its approximately 1,000 square feet of class 10/100 clean rooms, the Keck Laboratory supports all phases of microfabrication and its use in fields ranging from analytical chemistry to cell biology. Drawing from affiliates across campus and its resident support staff, expertise in micromechanics, microfluidics, microchip arrays, biology, chemistry, physics and microelectronics can be integrated in translating research ideas into experimental reality.

Research capabilities in the laboratory include developing microanalysis systems, chip-scale chromatography, microelectrode assemblies, biochips and cell culture platforms. The laboratory also houses equipment for optical lithography, wet and dry chemical etching and thin film deposition. Analysis and testing equipment, computer workstations and drying and vacuum annealing ovens also are available.