Overview

Located in the Innovation Corridor in the southeast section of Tech Area I, the MESA complex contains Sandia's advanced nuclear weapons research, design and development functions, as well as integrated materials research, and the production facilities for microsystem technologies. Focused primarily on the nuclear weapons mission, the facilities that make up MESA ultimately connect with all of Sandia's mission areas via microsystems research and applications. After eight years of construction, the 400,000 square foot complex was completed in 2007 at a cost of $518 million, Sandia's largest construction project since the Labs' first permanent buildings were built in the 1940s.

The primary facilities included in MESA are:

  • 858EF MESA MicroFab (East Facility)
  • 858EL MESA MicroLab (East Lab)
  • 858 North MESA Microelectronics Development Lab
  • 858 South MESA Office and Light Lab
  • 898 Pete V. Domenici National Security Innovation Center (originally identified as the MESA Weapon Integration Facility)

The MESAFab complex (within Building 858) develops and maintains core semiconductor processing capabilities and capacity for building differentiating Microsystems products. Two unique facilities are co-located within the 33,000 square foot MESAFab complex including: (1) a 16,400 square foot Class 1 SiliconFab for 6-inch silicon wafer processing and (2) a 16,600 square foot Class 10 and Class 100 MicroFab for compound semiconductor material processing and silicon wafer post-processing.