Nanometer Scale Characterizaton in Undergraduate Labs Using a Lateral Force Microscope

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The PIs request fund to purchase a lateral force microscope (LFM) and a control station to create an upper level undergraduate lab course. This lab course is entitled "Quantitative Nanometer Scale Characterization Using a Lateral Force Microscope" and is aimed to significantly improve the present program of undergraduate instruction in the area of modern nanometer scale characterization of materials. The microscope will be housed in the existing junior Experimental Physics Lab and maintained by a department technical staff. We estimate that about 20 undergraduate students from both the School of Science and School of Engineering will take the course each semester (total ~0 per year, including a summer session). This lab course offers several experiments: scaling in rough surfaces, electron mean free path in thin films, particle-surface interaction in surface polishing, and structures of integrated circuit (IC) chips. The materials and experimental projects developed in the lab course will also be partially used by other lab courses on campus such as Experimental Physics Lab (Physics Department), Structures and Properties Lab (Materials Science Engineering Department), and IC Fabrication Lab (Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering Department). The interdisciplinary lab course will broaden the applications of a nanometer scale characterization tool invented by physicists and be used by a wider range of undergraduate students. The knowledge and skill that interested undergraduates learn in this new lab course will better prepare them for entering a work place with modern technology. The lab course will be offered spring and fall semesters annually. In the summer where most other lab courses will not be offered, the LFM lab course will be offered to interested URP (Undergraduate Research Participation) students and NSF sponsored REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program participants (one of the PIs GCW is the Program Director) who come from other colleges.