nano@stanford is currently in the process of merging.

Some areas of the site may be incomplete or undergoing updates. We appreciate your patience and understanding. 
The Stanford Nanofabrication Facility (SNF/Fab@Allen) and the Stanford Nano Shared Facilities (SNSF) websites are available as needed during this transition.

SNSF Reservation FAQs

  • Yes. SNSF expects a match between reserved time and actual used time. This includes start/end time, duration and user among others.
  • As noted on the rate sheet, SNSF reserves the right to charge for reserved time if cancelled less than 24 hours in advance.
  • If both are trained and you stack reservations, make sure to enable/disable according to the reservation. In most cases the 2nd reservation can just enable the tool over the 1st enable. SNSF expects the reservation holder to be the primary operator on the instrument.
  • No. The reservation needs to be released according to policies. However, feel free to also let your fellow group members know that a time slot has been released.
  • This can be OK. However, consider that booking slots "just-in-case" will add to the pressure on the tool reservation system and might result in more people adding reservations, causing further issues for the larger community to get access to the instrument. If you are not 100% ready yet for your reservation, make sure to be ready with enough time so that there aren't cancellations that will result in idle tools.
  • If you are releasing a slot within 24 hours of your reserved time, SNSF still reserves the right to charge for your released time.
  • We like to see that community members are able to jump in on open slots and understand that there are reasons to still cancel. While you might get a semi-automatic email about such a late cancellation, we generally waive a late cancellation fee if the reservation and cancellation occurs within 1 hour. Just email us when you receive the notification.
  • If you encounter an instrument malfunction, communicate with the appropriate staff contact. Staff might be available to troubleshoot with you before your reservation ends. Staff is also able to adjust instrument charges if warranted.
  • Yes. SNSF is not guaranteeing uptime and performance of instruments.
  • Please consult with the relevant staff about updates.
  • We try hard to keep the instruments available to our research community. Many factors can impact the availability of instruments, including age of instrument, 3rd party service contracts, parts and supplies availability, utilities interruptions, staffing availability, etc. A lot of instruments are complex to troubleshoot and a lot of variables need to be considered. Please remember that we are in a research environment with very limited resources to keep the lights on. Please feel free to escalate any issues and we always welcome suggestions that could improve our operations in support of the growing research community.
  • SNSF expects a match between reserved and used time. There is no grace period for enabling a tool. You are expected to be ready for your usage and enable the tool promptly. If you require additional steps to be completed beforehand, make sure that you schedule enough time to finish these steps.
  • If you are late to your reservation, other users have the right to jump in if they are ready. You may still get charged for your whole reserved time. Please note that there is generally no grace period at SNSF.
  • If you are releasing a slot within 24 hours of your reserved time, SNSF still reserves the right to charge for your released time.
  • Please make sure that you have read through and understand all policies and FAQs relating to your reservation and usage. In case you still believe that you were unfairly charged, please write to us at nanofinance@lists.stanford.edu and provide reasons for your disagreement. SNSF leadership will review requests and provide a decision typically within 3 business days.