Scanning Probe Microscopy in Engineering Curricula

9451220古普塔扫描探针显微镜（SPM）产生极高分辨率的样品表面的图像，是定量的三维。图像足够精确，可以检查晶界，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构型。SPM现在是一种常规的显微镜工具，用于计量和极高分辨率的轮廓测量。由于扫描探针显微镜是一种成熟廉价的商用技术，本提案要求国家科学基金会为该设备提供配套支持，以重要地向机械和微电子工程专业的学生介绍扫描探针显微镜。学生将在一些必修课程中使用这些设备，并在涉及开放式问题的高级设计/研讨会/研究项目中使用。借助该设备，学生将能够可视化材料表面的原子构型，了解块状材料性质与尺寸之间的基本关系，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过程对材料表面的影响。微电子工程师和机械工程师一起设计和建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.