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

妇女研究机会启动奖 项目位于“分析”和“曲面”的常规区域 化学和薄膜沉积的子领域 非弹性隧穿光谱（IETS）。 IETS技术 受到衬底材料的反应性的限制 通常使用的和他们的倾向，分解或减少 吸附物种类 主要研究者将综合， 通过离子束沉积， 具有不同反应性的薄膜衬底， 电子转移性能适合应用于 IETS。 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金刚石碳。 薄膜的结构表征将由 电子探针分析，透射电子显微镜， 红外光谱和IETS。 数的隧道谱 将测量吸附的探针分子， 根据基材的阻隔性对基材进行分类 质量和化学惰性。 电子和振动光谱学利用光子作为 探测器极大地增进了我们对 材料的结构、键合和反应性。 他们是 然而，受到控制光子的选择规则的限制， 发射、吸收和散射。 非弹性电子 隧穿不受这些光学选择规则的限制， 因此是光谱表征的有力工具， 吸附分子种类 低位电子跃迁 并且允许和禁止的振动模式都可以被 检测到 绝缘材料目录的编制 有足够的多样性，几乎任何分子物种 可以与相对惰性的基底相匹配， 光谱研究将大大提高一般 利用这项技术。 它将得到越来越多的应用 在基础分子光谱学和 技术相关领域，如腐蚀，粘附， 催化和微电子器件制造。

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.