MRI: Acquisition of an FTIR spectrometer with optical cryostat for studying novel semiconductors, and ceramic and organic thin films

通过获得具有扩展光谱范围和光学低温恒温器的傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱仪，这一重大研究仪器(MRI)奖支持并增强了新泽西州拉马波学院(RCNJ)的研究和教育能力，RCNJ是一所以本科生为主的院校。该仪器将使RCNJ的一个终身教职轨道和一个终身教职教员开展几项研究活动。这些活动包括对以下方面的光谱学研究：(A)自旋电子材料，目的是在高速电子、大容量存储或量子计算等技术应用中操纵电子的自旋；(B)用于空间和核应用的硬涂层陶瓷薄膜；(C)功能聚合物单层薄膜，其在不同技术中发挥重要作用，包括液-液萃取、乳液稳定和通过自组装形成超分子结构。FTIR光谱仪还将为大量工程物理、化学、生物化学和生物专业的本科生提供研究和培训机会，将增加学院支持的研究荣誉课程的招生人数，并将吸引更多的科学和工程本科生。通过测量宽光谱范围(从THz到VIS/UV)的光反射(和/或透射率)，可以提取光学特性，如介电函数、光导、损耗函数、折射率和消光系数。反过来，这些光学参数提供了对电子能带结构和电子输运性质的关键洞察，以及对材料的化学结构和晶格动力学的了解。FTIR光谱仪具有额外的能力，将使几项研究活动成为可能，包括：(A)对块状狄拉克费米子和块状Rashba半导体单晶的依赖温度的光学光谱。其目的是加深对大块Dirac带色散起源的理解，并为确定具有强自旋轨道耦合的非中心对称半导体中的大块Rashba参数提供可靠的实验方法；(B)离子辐照对陶瓷薄膜硬涂层的影响。这项研究旨在利用光谱学作为一种非破坏性工具来评估辐照对陶瓷薄膜的晶体和化学结构的影响；(C)直接测量聚合物薄膜中官能团的取向。主要目的是为了进一步了解聚合物和蛋白质在混合单层膜中的结构和取向。

Through the acquisition of a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectrometer with extended spectral ranges and optical cryostat, this Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports and enhances the research and educational capabilities at Ramapo College of New Jersey (RCNJ), a predominantly undergraduate institution. The instrument will enable several research activities pursued by one tenure-track and one tenured faculty at RCNJ. These activities include optical spectroscopy studies of: (a) spintronics materials, aimed at manipulating the spin of electrons in technological applications such as high-speed electronics, high volume storage or quantum computing; (b) hard coating ceramic thin films for use in space and nuclear applications; and (c) monolayer thin films of functional polymers, which play an important role in different technologies, including liquid-liquid extraction, stabilization of emulsions, and formation of supramolecular structures by self-assembly. The FTIR spectrometer will also provide research and training opportunities for a significant number of undergraduate students majoring in engineering physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology, will increase the enrollment in the Research Honors course supported by the college, and will attract more undergraduate students in science and engineering.Measurements of optical reflectance (and/or transmittance) over a wide spectral range (from THz to VIS/UV) allows extraction of optical properties such as dielectric function, optical conductivity, loss function, refractive index, and extinction coefficient. In turn, these optical parameters provide critical insight into the electronic band structure and electronic transport properties, as well as into the chemical structure and lattice dynamics of materials. The FTIR spectrometer, with additional capabilities, will enable several research activities, including: (a) temperature dependent optical spectroscopy on single crystals of bulk Dirac fermions and bulk Rashba semiconductors. The goals are to advance the understanding of the origin of bulk Dirac band dispersion, and to provide a reliable experimental procedure for determining the bulk Rashba parameters in noncentrosymmetric semiconductors with strong spin-orbit coupling; (b) effects of ion-irradiation on hard coatings of ceramic thin films. This research aims to utilize optical spectroscopy as a non-destructive tool for assessing the effects of irradiation on crystal and chemical structures of ceramic thin films; (c) direct structural measurements of the orientation of functional groups in polymer films. The main goal is to further the understanding of the structure and orientation of polymers and proteins in mixed monolayer films.