Development of an Infrared Spectrometer/Scanning Probe Microscope for Materials Characterization at High Spatial Resolution

开发用于高空间分辨率材料表征的红外光谱仪/扫描探针显微镜

• 批准号: 0320695
• 负责人: F. James Boerio
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Cincinnati Main Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-08-01 至 2007-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0320695&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Development; Infrared; Spectrometer; Scanning; Probe

The goal of this project is to construct a powerful new research instrument for determining the composition of materials at sub-micron spatial resolution. The key feature of the new instrument will be the use of a scanning probe microscope (SPM) to detect the absorption by materials of infrared radiation from a Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. Ultimately, the spatial resolution of this instrument is expected to approach 50 nm. This spatial resolution is at least two orders of magnitude better than that of infrared microscopes that are limited by diffraction effects to a spatial resolution that is approximately equal to the wavelength of infrared radiation (~ 2.5 - 25 mm). Since an SPM will be used as an infrared "detector," the best features of FTIR and SPM systems will be integrated into a single powerful instrument that can provide information about variations in the surface composition, topography, and properties of materials at high spatial resolution. Two general approaches will be employed. In one, the SPM will be used to measure the thermal expansion that occurs when a sample absorbs infrared radiation. Signals from the SPM will be routed to the external input of the FTIR where functions such as signal averaging and Fourier-transformation will be performed to yield the infrared spectrum of the sample. The FTIR spectrometer will be operated in a step-scan mode and the infrared radiation will be modulated at a frequency of about 100 kHz to limit the thermal diffusion length and enhance the spatial resolution of the instrument. The second approach will be similar except that the SPM will be equipped with a miniature resistance thermometer that will be used to measure the increase in temperature of a sample when it is illuminated with infrared radiation. This new research instrument will be used extensively in research concerned with gradients that occur in composition, structure, and properties of materials near interfaces in adhesive joints and composite materials and in research concerned with phase separation in elastomers having a bimodal distribution of long and short chains. A novel aspect of the research plan is to make the FTIR/SPM available to remote users over the Internet.

本项目的目标是建立一个强大的新型研究仪器，用于在亚微米空间分辨率上确定材料的组成。新仪器的主要特点将是使用扫描探针显微镜（SPM）来检测材料对傅里叶变换红外光谱仪（FTIR）红外辐射的吸收。最终，该仪器的空间分辨率有望接近50纳米。这种空间分辨率比受衍射效应限制的红外显微镜至少好两个数量级，其空间分辨率大约等于红外辐射的波长（~ 2.5 - 25mm）。由于SPM将用作红外“探测器”，因此FTIR和SPM系统的最佳功能将集成到一个强大的仪器中，该仪器可以以高空间分辨率提供有关表面成分，地形和材料特性变化的信息。将采用两种一般方法。其中，SPM将用于测量样品吸收红外辐射时发生的热膨胀。来自SPM的信号将被路由到FTIR的外部输入，在FTIR中，信号平均和傅里叶变换等函数将被执行以产生样品的红外光谱。FTIR光谱仪将以步进扫描方式工作，红外辐射将被调制在约100 kHz的频率上，以限制热扩散长度并提高仪器的空间分辨率。第二种方法是类似的，除了SPM将配备一个微型电阻温度计，用于测量样品在红外辐射照射下的温度升高。这种新的研究仪器将广泛应用于研究粘合接头和复合材料界面附近材料的组成、结构和性能的梯度，以及研究长链和短链双峰分布的弹性体的相分离。该研究计划的一个新颖方面是使FTIR/SPM通过Internet提供给远程用户。