Guided visits
The institute opens its doors to visitors to show the activity it carries out to all citizens. It is an institutional commitment to contribute to the scientific culture of society and make science more inclusive and transparent. We make scientific guided visits for the general public in selected dates and for organized groups (schools, institutes, universities, etc.).
The Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona is located in the Campus of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, it has a Clean Room of 1,500 square meters (one of the largest in southern Europe), with service facilities of more than 2,000 square meters and with the Zenon Navarro Exhibition Area. Members of the staff act as guides and the visit includes the following itinerary:
- Presentation of the IMB-CNM: introduction to the micro and electronics technology and the applications of the research.
- Zenon Navarro Microelectronics Exhibition Area: an area with equipment removed from the clean room where you can see the evolution of microelectronics over the years and learn more about the chip manufacturing process.
- Micro and Nanofabrication Clean Room perimeter corridor: walk through the corridor outside of the clean room and from which you can see what it is like inside and how people have to dress. It is an opportunity to get to know a Unique Science and Technology Infrastructure (ICTS) recognized by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, which implies that the activity carried out in it is unique.
For safety reasons, the groups will be divided in two for the second part of the visit (Exhibition Area and Clean Room corridor).
There are two ways to visit the institute:
Visits for the general public: Open Days
On the occasion of the Science Week, we organize scientific guided visits. These are days that are announced a few weeks in advance and you can sign up to come. Subscribe to our Agenda to receive information about the next Open Doors!
- Duration of the visit: 1 hour.
- Group size: up to a maximum of 14 people, with no minimum number of people required.
Visits for groups: Open Thursday
We accept visits from schools, institutes and universities on the Thursdays of each month, as well as organized groups. To organize one, you just have to fill out the visit form and we will contact you to close a date. We recommend submitting the request more than a month in advance. The visit will not be official until you receive our positive confirmation.
- Duration of the visit: 2 hours.
- Group size: up to a maximum of 25 people.
How are the chips within computer boards, game consoles and spacecrafts made? Do you want to visit the leading microelectronics research center and its Micro and Nanofabrication Clean Room, a unique facility in southern Europe?
We have made chips that travel to outer space and into living cells, come and meet us!
Get in touch with the Scientific Culture team if you have any doubt or the dates are not suitable for you.