Synthesis and Characterization of Thin Film Insulators: Application to Inelastic Electron Tunneling Spectroscopy

薄膜绝缘体的合成和表征：在非弹性电子隧道光谱中的应用

• 批准号: 8805612
• 负责人: Ursula Mazur
• 金额: $ 12.78万
• 依托单位: Washington State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing grant
• 财政年份: 1988
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1988-07-15 至 1991-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=8805612&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Synthesis; Characterization; Thin; Film; Insulators

This Research Opportunities for Women Research Initiation Award project is in the general area of Analytical and Surface Chemistry and in the subfields of thin film deposition and inelastic tunneling spectroscopy (IETS). The IETS technique has been limited by the reactivity of the substrate materials commonly used and their tendency to decompose or reduce the adsorbate species. The Principal Investigator will synthesize, by ion-beam deposition, a broad spectrum of new insulating thin-film substrates with varying reactivity and electron-transfer properties suitable for application with IETS. The film materials will include metal oxides, metal nitrides, mixed metal oxides, and diamond-like carbon. Structural characterization of the films will be performed by electron microprobe analysis, transmission electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and IETS. Tunneling spectra of a number of adsorbed probe molecules will be measured in order to classify the substrate materials with respect to their barrier quality and chemical inertness. Electronic and vibrational spectroscopies utilizing photons as probes have contributed greatly to our knowledge of the structure, bonding and reactivity of materials. They are limited, however, by the selection rules that govern photon emission, absorption and scattering. Inelastic electron tunneling is not limited by these optical selection rules and is thus a powerful tool for spectroscopic characterization of adsorbed molecular species. Low-lying electronic transitions and both allowed and forbidden vibrational modes can be detected. Development of a catalog of insulating materials with sufficient diversity that virtually any molecular species can be matched to a relatively inert substrate for spectroscopic investigation will greatly enhance the general utility of this technique. It will find increased application both in fundamental molecular spectroscopy and in technologically relevant fields such as corrosion, adhesion, catalysis and microelectronic device fabrication.

这一妇女研究机会奖项目是在分析和表面化学的一般领域，以及薄膜沉积和非弹性隧道光谱(IETS)的子领域。IETS技术受到常用底物材料的反应性以及它们分解或还原吸附物种的倾向的限制。首席研究人员将通过离子束沉积合成一系列适用于IETS应用的具有不同反应性和电子转移特性的新型绝缘薄膜基板。薄膜材料将包括金属氧化物、金属氮化物、混合金属氧化物和类钻石碳。薄膜的结构将通过电子探针分析、透射电子显微镜、红外光谱和IETS进行表征。将测量一些吸附的探针分子的隧道光谱，以便根据它们的阻挡性能和化学惰性对衬底材料进行分类。利用光子作为探针的电子和振动光谱对我们了解材料的结构、成键和反应性做出了巨大贡献。然而，它们受到控制光子发射、吸收和散射的选择规则的限制。非弹性电子隧穿不受这些光学选择规则的限制，因此是吸附分子物种光谱表征的有力工具。可以探测到低位电子跃迁以及允许和禁止的振动模式。开发一种具有足够多样性的绝缘材料目录，几乎任何分子物种都可以匹配到相对惰性的衬底进行光谱研究，这将极大地提高这项技术的普遍实用性。它将在基础分子光谱学以及腐蚀、粘合、催化和微电子器件制造等相关技术领域得到更多的应用。