MRI/RUI:Acquisition of Surface Preparation Instrumentation for Surface Physics Studies of Epitaxial Growth on Metallic Surfaces

该基金为获取表面制备仪器提供支持，用于金属表面外延生长的表面物理研究。这种新仪器将集成到一个超高真空（UHV）制备室中，该制备室是布拉德利大学现有变温扫描隧道显微镜（VT-STM）系统的一部分。这种新的仪器能力将允许布拉德利的研究工作扩大到包括金属表面的表面物理研究，增加了样品清洗/制备和样品分析系统。样品清洗仪器包括离子枪和用于金属表面溅射清洗的涡轮分子泵站，以及用于通过分子束外延进行表面改变的渗出池。样品分析包括用于表面化学成分测定的电子枪和半球形能量分析仪，以及用于表面结构测定的低能电子衍射仪（LEED）。研究项目包括测量金属同外延系统的层间扩散，金属喹啉酸盐与金属表面的相互作用，原子清洁金属表面上薄膜的初始成核和生长，以及纳米级摩擦和磨损的基本摩擦学研究，这些都是当地工业感兴趣的。随后的研究可以提高对控制表面超薄膜形成的基本原子尺度过程的理解。这种理解可能会导致开发最佳超薄膜制造技术的能力，这对于构建更快更小的纳米电子设备是必要的。布莱德利大学已经建立的材料研究和教育本科课程将通过获得新的仪器和相关的研究活动而得到极大的加强。一个重要的影响将是在学术界的科学家和工业界的工程师之间建立独特的合作关系，前者采用纳米材料研究的基本方法，后者采用实用的、应用科学的方法。建立与产业伙伴的合作，将基础研究成果有效地转化为实际技术应用，进一步为本科生提供优秀的应用科学工作相关培训经验。

The grant provides support for the acquisition of surface preparation instrumentation to be used in surface physics studies of epitaxial growth on metallic surfaces. This new instrumentation will be integrated into an ultra high vacuum (UHV) preparation chamber that is part of the existing variable temperature scanning tunneling microscope (VT-STM) system at Bradley University. This new instrument capability will allow the research efforts at Bradley to be expanded to include surface physics studies of metallic surfaces by the addition of sample cleaning/preparation and sample analysis systems. The sample cleaning instrumentation includes an ion gun and a turbomolecular pumping station for sputtering-cleaning of metallic surfaces, and an effusion cell for surface alteration via molecular beam epitaxy. The sample analysis includes an electron gun and hemispherical energy analyzer for surface chemical composition determination, and a low energy electron diffractometer (LEED) for surface structural determination. Research projects include measurement of interlayer diffusion in metallic homoepitaxial systems, the interaction of metalloquinolates with metallic surfaces, the initial nucleation and growth of thin films on atomically clean metal surfaces, and fundamental tribological studies of friction and wear at the nano-scale which are of interest to local area industry. Subsequent research could improve understanding of fundamental atomic scale processes governing the formation of ultra thin films on surfaces. Such understanding could lead to the ability to develop optimal ultra thin film fabrication techniques necessary for building faster and smaller nano-electronic devices. The established undergraduate program in materials research and education at Bradley University will be greatly enhanced through the acquisition of the new instrumentation and the associated research activities. A significant impact will be the establishment of unique collaborations between scientists in academia, with a fundamental approach to nanomaterials research, and engineers in industry, with a practical, applied science approach. Collaborations with industrial partners will be established to efficiently convert fundamental research results into practical technological applications, and further provide undergraduate students with excellent work related training experiences in applied science.