MRI-R2: Development of a Scanning Tunneling Microscope for Optical Spectroscopy

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0960211LonerganU. of Oregon EugeneTECHNICAL ABSTRACT: This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The ability for spectroscopic characterization with nanoscale spatial resolution is crucial for the development of novel technologies based on nanoscale and molecular materials. However, currently available techniques are often limited by such factors as low spatial resolution (optical spectroscopies), lack of chemical specificity/spectral resolution (current-voltage spectroscopies), and lack of control over the local nanoscale environment of the experiment. This proposal aims to develop a Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) capable of a range of novel STM-based optical spectroscopies with spatial resolution down to the atomic scale. The design of the new STM instrument uniquely combines the atomic-scale stability and cleanliness of a cryogenic Ultra-High Vacuum STM, with high collection efficiency (up to 35%) of photons emitted from the STM junction. The new STM will allow atomic-scale investigations of a wide range of fundamental problems associated with charge and energy transfer in molecular, polymer and ionomer systems; charge transport through nanostructures; optical properties of nanostructures; and catalysis. The instrument will be housed in the Center for Advanced Materials Characterization in Oregon, a shared user facility that serves the research community in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. The wide availability of the instrument will enhance research and educational opportunities in physics, chemistry and materials science throughout Oregon. The visually compelling and illustrative nature of the data obtained by the new STM will make it a highly effective tool for classroom instruction as well as student recruitment and outreach activities. NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT: This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Scanning Probe Microscopy is a diverse family of imaging techniques that have proven to be invaluable in investigations of fundamental properties of nanoscale materials. A Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) is one such example, an instrument capable of imaging with atomic resolution. However, conventional STM techniques provide only limited information about the local chemical structure and optical properties of the sample. The present proposal aims to develop an STM instrument with unique analytical capabilities enabled by a range of novel STM-based optical spectroscopic techniques that will be able to provide detailed information about the local chemical and electronic structures of the sample. These new optical spectroscopic techniques are made possible by a novel STM design that affords high light collection efficiency. In addition to the high-resolution spectroscopic characterization of new materials, the new STM will allow investigations of a wide range of fundamentally important processes associated with charge and energy transfer in molecular, polymer and nanoscale systems; as wells as formation of bonds in chemical reactions and catalysis. The instrument will be housed in the Center for Advanced Materials Characterization in Oregon, a shared user facility that serves the research community in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. The wide availability of the instrument will enhance research and educational opportunities in physics, chemistry and materials science throughout Oregon. The visually compelling and illustrative nature of the data obtained by the new STM will make it a highly effective tool for classroom instruction as well as student recruitment and outreach activities.