Position-Dependent Properties of Novel Electronic Materials: Tunneling, Infrared, and Electromechanical Measurements

技术：该奖项的两名主要研究人员开发了探针，用于测量小晶体和薄膜样品的红外反射率，隧道光谱和机械性能，作为位置的函数。 这些探针，红外显微镜与可调谐二极管激光器作为光源，扫描隧道microsocope与长距离扫描仪，和螺旋谐振器运动探测器，将被用来研究电子，分子和压电性能的变化作为电压，频率和距离的函数从电接触。 待研究的材料包括基于并五苯衍生物的有机半导体，正在开发用于场效应晶体管的应用，以及电荷密度波材料，正在研究作为纳米扭转致动器，目的是提高我们对其导电和压电机制的理解。 研究生将获得广泛的表征和合成技术的经验。 本科教育专业（职前教师）的暑期工作不仅可以提高他们对科学技术的理解，还可以为他们未来的职业发展开发教学工具。非技术：近几十年来，人们对使用新电子材料取代传统半导体的兴趣激增，这些材料用于从柔性显示器到机电致动器的各种设备。 许多这些材料的应用不仅面临巨大的技术障碍，而且在我们对其基本导电和机械性能的理解方面存在问题，包括电荷对位于电接触附近的组成分子的影响。 该奖项的两位主要研究人员开发了新的光学，隧道和机电探针，将用于研究电子，分子和机械性能作为距离接触的函数。 待研究的材料是将用于晶体管的新型有机半导体，以及可能用作机械致动器的非均匀电荷分布材料。从事该项目的研究生将获得不同表征和合成技术的广泛经验，为他们在工业，学术界和研究实验室的职业生涯做好准备。 此外，职前教师将在夏季协助实验室，以获得科学实验室工作的赞赏，并准备未来的教材。

Technical:The two principal investigators of this award have developed probes to measure the infrared reflectance, tunneling spectra, and mechanical properties of small crystalline and thin film samples as functions of position. These probes, an infrared microscope with tunable diode lasers as light source, scanning tunneling microsocsope with long-distance scanner, and a helical resonator motion detector, will be used to study changes in electronic, molecular, and piezoelectric properties as functions of voltage, frequency, and distance from electrical contacts. The materials to be studied include organic semiconductors based on pentacene derivatives, being developed for applications in field-effect-transistors, and charge-density-wave materials, being studied as nano-torsional actuators, with the goals of improving our understanding of their conducting and piezoelectric mechanisms. Graduate students will gain experience in a wide range of characterizational and synthetic techniques. Undergraduate education majors (pre-service teachers) will work in summers not only to improve their appreciation of scientific techniques but to develop teaching tools for their future careers.Non-Technical:In recent decades, there has been an explosion of interest in using new electronic materials to replace conventional semiconductors in devices ranging from flexible displays to electromechanical actuators. The application of many of these materials faces not only large technical hurdles but questions in our understanding of their basic conducting and mechanical properties, including the effects of charge on the constituent molecules located near electrical contacts. The two principal investigators of this award have developed new optical, tunneling, and electromechanical probes that will be used to study the electronic, molecular, and mechanical properties as functions of distance from contacts. Materials to be studied are new organic semiconductors, to be utilized in transistors, and non-uniform charge distribution materials, with possible applications as mechanical actuators. Graduate students working on the project will gain broad experience in different characterizational and synthetic techniques that will prepare them for careers in industry, academia, and research laboratories. In addition, pre-service teachers will assist in the labs in summers to gain appreciation of scientific laboratory work and also prepare future teaching materials.