Acquisition of Surface Electron Spectroscopy Instrumentation

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9503304 Dickinson This award is for the acquisition of surface electron spectroscopy instrumentation to serve a number of faculty and students at Washington State University who are working in the area of advanced materials research. The specific instrumentation requested is an electron spectrometer (ES), combining an Auger Electron Spectrometer (AES), X-Ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS), and Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectrometer (UPS), including the necessary vacuum system, electronics, and data acquisition/data presentation system. This facility will provide new capabilities at Washington State University not presently available. The research that will benefit from this instrumentation includes efforts in thin film synthesis and processing, surface modification, laser surface interactions, tribology and fracture, and characterization of materials on an atomic level. AES/XPS allows both qualitative and semiquantitative analysis of surface composition and, combined with UPS, provides critical information about electronic and chemical structure. A key requirement at WSU is that the facility be configured for both direct use by experiments and for routine surface analysis. To achieve this dual purpose, we will purchase a complete spectrometer with two load lock sample introduction ports and temperature controlled sample stage. Because many of the users require unique vacuum experiments and/or sample preparation and treatment in a controlled environment, we will build a flexible experimental/sample preparation treatment chamber to be attached to the main analysis chamber. The use of this second chamber will be scheduled in large time blocks (about 3-5 weeks) to allow different users to clean, configure, and use this system to their best advantage. This combination allows the capability of performing experiments, growth studies, and/or in situ sample preparation with accompanying surface analysis under UHV conditions. Simultaneously, without conflict, samples can be introduced into the analysis chamber from the outside for routine analysis. Acquisition of this capability is essential for research activities in a number of departments within the University, including Physics, Chemistry, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Geology, Chemical Engineering, and Electrical Engineering. This activity is organized under two crosscollege organizations. The Center for Materials Research and the Materials Science Program have been recently established to address the interdisciplinary nature of Materials Science. The Center for Materials Research consists of 20 senior participants from 6 different departments and was formed with the purpose of encouraging collaborative, crossdisciplinary projects in the area of materials science and engineering and applied condensed matter science. The Materials Science Program is the graduate educational arm of the materials science thrust at Washington State University; the Program was initiated in the Fall of 1990 and is the most recently created Ph.D. program in the University. In the projects described below there are a total of 21 graduate and postdoctoral students whose research will directly benefit from the acquisition of this ES system. There are an additional 12 students involved in other projects described in this proposal whose research would significantly benefit from these surface analysis techniques. It is anticipated that other graduate students and faculty will be attracted to use this instrumentation once it is acquired and demonstrated. The AES/XPS system would also provide substantial benefit as an instructional instrument for both graduate and undergraduate students impacting at least 10 additional students.