MRI: Acquisition of Near-Field and UV Raman Instruments

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With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation Program, Drexel University will be able to acquire new kinds of Raman instrumentation, for ultraviolet (UV) radiation sources and scanning near-field optical microscopes (SNOM). These systems dramatically expand capabilities of Raman spectroscopy and allow addressing new problems, that cannot be resolved using conventional instruments, and to discover fundamental nanoscale phenomena in materials. An example of use of UV Raman is analysis of carbon bonding in diamond, amorphous carbon, graphite, nanotubes and fullerenes. Very thin surface layers of semiconductors or monolayers of organic molecules can be studied using UV Raman spectroscopy. Near-field Raman spectroscopy is of principal importance for electronic devices, interfaces, carbon nanotubes and other submicrometer objects, where a better spatial resolution compared to other Raman instruments can make a great difference. Raman SNOM may allow a breakthrough of Raman spectroscopy into nanotechnology.The new instruments will be an integral component of a new Raman facility at Drexel University. This will create a unique combination of Raman instruments, which will support materials research and nanotechnology programs in such diverse areas as novel carbon nanostructures, semiconductor films and devices, nanolaminate ceramics, composites and biomaterials. Graduate and undergraduate students from Drexel University and University of Pennsylvania will use the spectrometers, researchers from local companies and high school students.%%%With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation program Drexel University will be able to acquire microspectrometers using ultraviolet (UV) radiation sources and scanning near-field optical microscopes. These systems dramatically expand capabilities of Raman spectroscopy and allow addressing new problems, that cannot be resolved using conventional instruments, and to discover fundamental phenomena in materials. An example of use of UV Raman is analysis of carbon bonding in diamond, diamond-like carbon films and other novel carbon materials. Another advantages of UV over visible Raman are a lower background increase with temperature, which allows for high temperature measurements on a variety of materials, lower fluorescence and resonance enhancement. Very thin surface layers of semiconductors or monolayers of organic molecules can be studied using UV Raman spectroscopy. Near-field Raman spectroscopy is of principal importance for electronic devices, interfaces, carbon nanotubes and other submicrometer objects, where a better spatial resolution compared to other Raman instruments can make a great difference.New instruments will be an integral component of a new Raman facility at Drexel University. This will create a unique combination of Raman instruments, which will support materials research and training and nanotechnology programs in such diverse areas as novel carbon nanostructures, semiconductor films and devices, nanolaminate ceramics, composites and biomaterials.