The Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) Facility
Certified February 2023
The Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) Facility, https://sites.northwestern.edu/pldcore/, is one of Northwestern’s Core Facilities. Here, researchers from within the university, from outside universities and research institutions, and from private industry, can grow thin films for their research purposes. The inherent benefits of learning and following green practices to achieve Green Certification are self-evident but, in the setting of a core facility, Green Certification also provides a subtle means of raising green awareness in a laboratory setting.
Small things can enhance the greenness of the PLD Facility. The choice of LED lamps, promptly placing equipment in the lowest possible energy state when use is done, closing hood sashes, and, because gloves are frequently not used to protect the wearer but to protect the equipment from finger oils, the reuse of plastic gloves. All are small things but, still, they advance the cause of sustainability.
Although the PLD Facility has been Green Certified, the staff at the facility do not consider this the end of the green process. Resting on one’s laurels only results in wilted laurels. The PLD Facility will try to add a “green factor” into purchasing decisions. One thought is the use of rechargeable batteries for battery operated tools and instruments; it is something to check out.
