Acquisition of a Facility for Electrical and Optical Characterization of Nanoscale Materials and Devices

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9977617RothbergUsing support from the Major Research Instrumentation program, instrumentation will be acquired to study the electronic properties of nanoscale materials and devices based upon these materials. The instrumentation will consist enhancements to an existing step-scan Fourier transform infrared spectrometer unit (an infrared microscope, a fast HgCdTe detector, holographic notch filters, and a cryostat) and a state-of-the-art semiconductor parameter analyzer. This instrumentation when incorporated into the exisiting Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and pulsed laser, will provide good spatial resolution (10 - 20 mm) consistent with mid-infrared (3 - 15 mm) and Raman spectral studies, the ability to study steady state and transient photo- and electroluminescence, cryogenic capabilities, and state-of-the-art electrical characterization. The enhanced instrument will be capable of doing time-resolved studies with better than 100 ns resolution. The materials research to be done with this instrument includes work on conjugated polymers that can be utilized to make light-emitting diodes and thin-film transistors, and the growth, characterization and application of nanostructured silicon materials that have potential applications as emissive devices, arrays of one-electron transistor based memories, mid-infrared detectors based on intersubband transitions, and chemical/environmental sensors. The instrument will be used by students from three degree programs (Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, and Materials Science), and usage by researchers and students in several other programs is foreseen. In addition, it is anticipated that undergraduate students will be exposed to research involving this instrument. Enhancements to existing equipment, using funds from the Major Research Instrumentation program, will provide a unique instrument to study the science and operating characteristics of novel devices that exploit mesoscopic materials. This instrument will have an impact on both the research and education infrastructure at the university.