Nanometer Scale Characterizaton in Undergraduate Labs Using a Lateral Force Microscope

pi申请资金购买横向力显微镜（LFM）和控制站，以创建一个更高水平的本科实验课程。这门实验课程的题目是“用横向力显微镜进行纳米尺度的定量表征”，旨在显著改善目前本科教学中现代纳米尺度材料表征的课程。显微镜将安置在现有的初级实验物理实验室，并由部门技术人员维护。我们估计每学期将有大约20名来自理学院和工程学院的本科生选修这门课程（每年总共约0人，包括夏季课程）。本实验课程提供了几个实验：粗糙表面的缩放、薄膜中的电子平均自由程、表面抛光中的粒子-表面相互作用，以及集成电路（IC）芯片的结构。实验课开发的材料和实验项目也将部分用于校内其他实验课，如实验物理实验室（物理系）、结构与性能实验室（材料科学工程系）和集成电路制造实验室（电气、计算机与系统工程系）。跨学科的实验课程将拓宽物理学家发明的纳米尺度表征工具的应用，并为更广泛的本科生使用。感兴趣的本科生在这门新的实验课程中学到的知识和技能将为他们进入现代技术的工作场所做好更好的准备。实验课程将在每年的春季和秋季学期开设。在大多数其他实验课程不提供的夏季，LFM实验课程将提供给感兴趣的URP（本科生研究参与）学生和NSF赞助的REU（本科生研究经验）项目参与者（PIs GCW是项目主任之一）。

The PIs request fund to purchase a lateral force microscope (LFM) and a control station to create an upper level undergraduate lab course. This lab course is entitled "Quantitative Nanometer Scale Characterization Using a Lateral Force Microscope" and is aimed to significantly improve the present program of undergraduate instruction in the area of modern nanometer scale characterization of materials. The microscope will be housed in the existing junior Experimental Physics Lab and maintained by a department technical staff. We estimate that about 20 undergraduate students from both the School of Science and School of Engineering will take the course each semester (total ~0 per year, including a summer session). This lab course offers several experiments: scaling in rough surfaces, electron mean free path in thin films, particle-surface interaction in surface polishing, and structures of integrated circuit (IC) chips. The materials and experimental projects developed in the lab course will also be partially used by other lab courses on campus such as Experimental Physics Lab (Physics Department), Structures and Properties Lab (Materials Science Engineering Department), and IC Fabrication Lab (Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering Department). The interdisciplinary lab course will broaden the applications of a nanometer scale characterization tool invented by physicists and be used by a wider range of undergraduate students. The knowledge and skill that interested undergraduates learn in this new lab course will better prepare them for entering a work place with modern technology. The lab course will be offered spring and fall semesters annually. In the summer where most other lab courses will not be offered, the LFM lab course will be offered to interested URP (Undergraduate Research Participation) students and NSF sponsored REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program participants (one of the PIs GCW is the Program Director) who come from other colleges.