MRI: Acquisition of Atomic Layer Deposition Device for Nanoscale Materials Development Research

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Proposal: 1428500PI: Fleischer, Amy S.Title: MRI: Acquisition of Atomic Layer Deposition Device for Nanoscale Materials Development ResearchSignificanceThe new capabilities of the instrument will create an immediate and lasting impact on their ability to recruit high-quality faculty members. As Villanova hires its next generation of faculty members, it will be offer access to leading-edge equipment. The emphasis on nanomaterials fabrication and development necessitates the upgrading of their experimental facilities to attract leading researchers and educators who can make an immediate impact as they join this dynamic group. The PI and co-PIs are all dedicated to improving opportunities and access for under-represented minorities in engineering and the sciences and two of the principals on this grant are female STEM faculty members. The five PIs combined are advising 16 graduate students, 7 of whom are women, and are working with 19 undergraduate students, including 5 women. Bryn Mawr College was established in 1885 as the first institution in the US to offer Ph.D. degrees to women and the undergraduate program remains all-female, featuring 1300 women, 26% of whom are majoring in math or science. The Villanova College of Engineering also features one of the highest percentages of female students studying engineering, at almost 1/3 of the engineering school enrollment.Technical DescriptionThe Villanova Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) facility will serve as a center for collaborative nanomaterials research and development linking five faculty at three Philadelphia-region colleges and universities. The collaborating faculty have been using an existing first generation ALD device at the University of Pennsylvania, but the expansion and growth in externally funded thin film nanomaterials development research activity by the three Villanova faculty has led to difficulties in coordination and timing with the Penn facilities. The Villanova facility will greatly enhance faculty and student access and allow the overall team to greatly expand their collaborative work. The Villanova facility will feature an ALD system with significantly upgraded capabilities. The system will be faster and feature improved batch operation, allowing the scheduling of a greater volume of work, and feature the ability to do both thermal and plasma deposition. The addition of plasma deposition technology features greater precision and control of the deposition process leading to significantly higher film quality. The plasma deposition process features enhanced nucleation and growth of the films, leading to greater homogeneity and film density. The plasma process also enables the deposition of a much wider variety of thin film materials enabling critical new research areas.