Scanning Probe Microscopy in Engineering Curricula

小行星9451220 扫描探针显微镜（SPM）产生样品表面的极高分辨率图像，在三维空间中进行定量。该图像足够精确，可用于检查晶界、量化表面粗糙度、测量微观结构缺陷、提供表面轮廓，甚至可视化样品表面的原子结构。SPM现在是用于计量和极高分辨率轮廓测量的常规显微镜工具。由于扫描探针显微镜是商业上可用的成熟廉价的技术，该提案要求从NSF的设备配套支持，以介绍学生在机械和微电子工程方案，以扫描探针显微镜在一个显着的方式。 学生将在一些必修课程中使用设备，并在涉及开放式问题的高级设计/研讨会/研究项目中使用。 有了这些设备，学生将能够可视化材料表面的原子结构，了解散装材料性能和尺寸尺度之间的基本关系，详细了解亚微观结构，并定量表征集成电路制造过程中微电子工艺对材料表面的影响。微电子工程师和机械工程师共同设计和制造微机电系统的原型，也将能够用SPM设备表征他们的原型。

9451220 Gupta Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) produces extremely high resolution image of a specimen surface that is quantitative in three dimensions. The image is precise enough to examine grain boundaries, quantify surface roughness, measure microstructural defects, provide surface profile, and even visualize the atomic configuration of the specimen surface. SPM is now a routine microscopy tool used for metrology and extremely high-resolution profilometry. Since scanning probe microscopes are commercially available with mature inexpensive technology, this proposal requests matching support from NSF for the equipment to introduce students in Mechanical and Microelectronic Engineering programs to scanning probe microscopy in a significant way. Students will use the equipment in a number of required courses, and in senior design/seminar/research projects involving open-ended problems. With the equipment, students will be able to visualize atomic configuration at material surfaces, understand fundamental relationships between bulk material properties and size-scale, see sub-microscopic structures in detail, and quantitatively characterize effects microelectronic processes have on material surfaces during integrated circuit fabrication. Microelectronic engineers and mechanical engineers working together to design and build prototypes of micro-electromechanical systems will also be able to characterize their prototypes with the SPM equipment.