Visit to CRF Facility, IIT Delhi
25th February 2025
ISTE Student Chapter, Dronacharya College of Engineering, Gurugram organized a visit to CRF Facility, IIT Delhi. Third year students from the Electronics & Communication Engineering (ECE), Electronics & Electrical Engineering (EEE), and Electronics & Computer Science Engineering (ECS) Departments visited the Central Research Facility (CRF). They were accompanied by Dr. Seema from the ECE Department. The visit provided students with an opportunity to explore advanced research labs.
Prof. Sameer Sapra (Head of CRF), Ms. Kumud Arora (Principal Project Scientist), Dr. Ravinder Kumar (Project Scientist), Dr. Bhupender Singh (Principal Technical Officer), Mr. Utkarsh Kumar Gupta (Sr. Project Scientist), Dr. Pooja (Project Scientist), Ms. Rajni (Project attendant) and Mr. Venkatesh, IIT Delhi were the key guiders during the visit.
LAB VISITS
- Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Lab: Students visited Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Lab, where chemical elements and alloys are studied. The expert, Dr. Bhupender Singh explained them that the lab consisted of ZEISS EVO Series Scanning Electron Microscope EVO 50 and EVO 18. The microscope enables researchers to differentiate between various alloys. The images captured by the machine are displayed on a screen, providing detailed insights into the material's composition. The SEM can magnify images up to 1000x, allowing to observe materials as small as 50 nm in size.
- Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) Lab: Next, students visited the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) Lab and Led by the expert, Dr. Pooja. Unlike conventional microscopes, which use light from below and an eyepiece above, the TEM works in an inverted manner—light (or in this case, electrons) is directed from above, and the camera is placed below to capture the details. Instead of using light, TEM uses electrons with picometer-scale wavelengths, allowing them to pass through minute gaps in materials. The technique relies on the material's shadow to create an image. Additionally, the lab had an Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) component, which helps to analyze the composition and properties of materials. The material samples were circular and contained around 40 squares for detailed examination.
- Makerspace Labs:The third and fourth labs were the Makerspace Labs. The first Makerspace Lab was led by the expert Ms. Rajni and contained various equipment, including soldering machines, PCB mapping and routing machines, and a 3D printer. This lab is dedicated to innovation, where students can create projects using electronic components and even repurpose waste materials to build functional devices.
The second Makerspace Lab was led by the expert Mr. Utkarsh. This lab housed CNC machines and other mechanical tools. One of the highlights of this lab was a coffee table project made by Mr. Utkarsh during his B.Tech days. This innovative table functioned with voice commands, played songs, and had an LED display embedded within it.
- Advanced Electrical Characterization (AECL) Lab: The final lab visited was the Advanced Electrical Characterization Lab (AECL). The lab contained four sophisticated machines as told by the expert, Mr. Venkatesh:
- Cryo Probe– Used for low-temperature electrical measurements.
- DC and LF Noise System– Measures electrical noise at low frequencies.
- Solar Simulator– Simulates solar radiation to study photovoltaic materials.
- RF and Load-Pull System– Used for high-frequency electrical testing and characterization.
Benefits/Outcome: The visit to the CRF Facility at IIT Delhi was an enlightening experience, exposing students to advanced research technologies and methodologies. Each lab provided valuable insights into different aspects of nanoelectronics, materials science, electronics, and mechanical innovations. The knowledge gained from the visit will undoubtedly aid in their academic and professional growth.