MRI: Acquisition of a NanoRaman Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) System for Multi-Property Measurements in Electronic and Other Materials

非技术描述：这项重大研究仪器奖支持西北大学（NU）收购NanoRaman AFM（原子力显微镜）系统。该仪器集成了扫描探针显微镜（SPM），用于测量纳米材料特性（形貌、摩擦、表面电位、电导率和热导率等）。利用包括共焦拉曼、尖端增强拉曼（TERS）和光致发光（TEPL）光谱的光学光谱工具。该仪器使相关的多属性测量纳米材料的结构，物理和化学性质的研究人员从广泛的背景在NU包括，机械工程，土木和环境工程，材料科学与工程，化学，地球和行星科学，和用户以外的NU。该仪器有助于发现新的电子材料和开发新的设备，从晶体管，光电探测器到先进的大脑启发计算技术。此外，该仪器被集成到现有的研究生和本科生课程在NU，以促进纳米材料的多物理的动手实验。该工具还提供了机会，教育下一代纳米科学家和工程师，并通过对小学，本科和研究生阶段代表性不足的学生进行多学科培训，使国家的STEM劳动力多样化。技术描述：NanoRaman AFM系统提供了一个通用的平台，用于相关的多属性测量，具有10 nm的横向空间分辨率和高测量精度。该仪器有助于集成多维电子材料，以利用界面和缺陷来实现新颖的电子、光电和热电现象。通过SPM，TERS，TEPL和二次谐波产生测量，该仪器允许研究混合维异质结构中的热，机械，电子和光学特性以及缺陷如何控制这些特性。具体而言，研究人员使用该仪器来表征具有可极化纳米级域的低维铁电体中的载流子浓度和带边能量调制，2D半导体晶体中单个晶界和缺陷的散热，耦合到等离子体晶格的2D货车德瓦尔斯晶体中的激子和非线性光学特性发射，以及对影响电子器件性能的钙钛矿化合物中的电子物理现象的局部研究。此外，该仪器还可用于电子材料范围之外的测量。例如，科学家们研究土壤和沉积有机物在微尺度和纳米尺度界面上的碳封存应用，可调金属有机框架用于化学传感，纳米复合材料用于增强建筑材料的性能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Non-Technical Description:This major research instrumentation award supports the acquisition of a NanoRaman AFM (atomic force microscopy) system at Northwestern University (NU). The instrument integrates scanning probe microscopy (SPM) for measurements of nanoscale material properties (topography, friction, surface potential, electrical and thermal conductivity, etc.) with optical spectroscopy tools including confocal Raman, tip-enhanced Raman (TERS), and photoluminescence (TEPL) spectroscopy. The instrument enables correlated multi-property measurements of structural, physical, and chemical properties of nanoscale materials by researchers from broad backgrounds at NU including, Mechanical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, and Earth and Planetary Sciences, and users outside of NU. The instrument facilitates the discovery of new electronic materials and the development of novel devices that range from transistors, photodetectors to advanced brain-inspired computing technologies. In addition, the instrument is integrated into existing graduate and undergraduate curricula at NU to facilitate hands-on experimentation of the multi-physics of nanoscale materials. The instrument also provides opportunities for educating the next generation of nano-scientists and engineers and diversifying the Nation's STEM workforce through multidisciplinary training for underrepresented students at grade school, undergraduate, and graduate levels. Technical Description:The NanoRaman AFM system offers a versatile platform for correlated multi-property measurements with 10 nm lateral spatial resolution and high measurement precision. The instrument facilitates integrating multi-dimensional electronic materials to leverage interfaces and defects to enable novel electronic, optoelectronic, and thermoelectric phenomena. Through SPM, TERS, TEPL, and second harmonic generation measurements, the instrument allows studies of thermal, mechanical, electronic, and optical properties in mixed-dimensional heterostructures and how defects can control these properties. Specifically, researchers use the instrument to characterize carrier concentration and band-edge energy modulation in low-dimensional ferroelectrics with polarizable nanoscale domains, heat dissipation across individual grain boundaries and defects in 2D semiconducting crystals, excitonic and nonlinear optical properties emissions in 2D van der Waals crystals coupled to plasmonic lattices, and local studies of photophysical phenomena in perovskite compounds that impact the performance of electronic devices. In addition, this instrument facilitates measurements outside the scope of electronic materials. Scientists study, for example, soil and sedimentary organics at microscale and nanoscale interfaces for carbon sequestration applications, tunable metal-organic frameworks for chemical sensing, and nanoscale composite materials for enhanced performance of construction materials.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.