CAREER: Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy Studies of Organic Electronic Materials

这项授予德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校大卫·范登·布特教授的职业奖项得到了化学系分析和表面化学项目的支持。这项工作的主要研究目标是发展近场光学显微镜技术来研究刚性棒状聚合物聚荧烯和小分子α-六硫杂环戊烯。这两种材料在电子器件中都有很大的应用前景，并显示出依赖于薄膜形态的性能。在获得的近场图像中，薄膜的形貌应该是明显的。该提案的教育方面侧重于开发一门最先进的综合实验室课程，向本科生介绍显微镜和光谱学，并致力于提高科学交流技能。近场显微镜是一种相对较新的光学技术，可以在不发生光学失真的情况下观察表面上的非常微小的结构。在这个项目中，Vanden Bout教授将使用这种方法来检查固定在刚性绝缘支撑表面上的选定分子的形状和取向。要研究的分子是那些将构成制造分子线的基础的分子。分子线是只有几个分子厚和几个分子宽的导电路径，这是成功制造下一代微芯片电子器件的关键。

This CAREER award to Professor David Vanden Bout of the University of Texas at Austin is supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program in the Chemistry Division. The primary research objective of the proposed work is the development of near field optical microscopic techniques to study the rigid rod polymer polyfluorene and the small molecule alpha sexithiophene. Both materials have great promise for applications in electronic devices and show properties that are dependent on the thin film morphology. The thin film morphology should be evident in the near field images obtained. The educational aspect of the proposal focuses on the development of a state of the art integrated laboratory course that introduces microscopy and spectroscopy to undergraduates, and works to improve scientific communications skills as well.Near field microscopy is a relatively new optical technique that allows the viewing of very small structures on surfaces without optical distortion. In this project, Professor Vanden Bout will use the method to examine the shape and orientation of selected molecules held on a rigid insulating supporting surface. The molecules to be studied are those that will form the basis for the fabrication of molecular wires. Molecular wires are conductive paths only a few molecules thick and a few molecules wide that are the key to successful fabrication of the next generation of microchip electronic devices.