Acquisition of an Atomic Force Microscope for Mechanical and Magnetic Property Measurements in Small Dimensions and Student Training

9975924 baker这笔拨款将为购买原子力显微镜（AFM）提供部分支持，该显微镜将被修改为用于测量亚微米范围内的机械和磁性。标准的AFM位移传感器将被负载位移传感器所取代，这种传感器既可以用于扫描力形貌成像，也可以用于仪器识别（“纳米压痕”）和划痕（纳米划痕）测试。原子力显微镜的扫描仪将被修改，以纳入一个包含电磁铁的样品级。该阶段将用于在新型磁阻和磁致伸缩材料的磁力显微镜测量中应用垂直和平行于薄膜样品的磁场。这将是一个共同的工具。它将被设置为进行机械性能或磁性测量，并将在这种配置中保持一段时间。这台设备机器的加入将使研究人员能够在一些正在进行的项目中迅速获得有价值的信息，并将促进研究小尺寸材料特性的新努力。此外，两位研究者都是本科生研究和拓展项目的积极赞助者。他们的本科生和研究生将随时可以使用这台机器，并享受随之而来的教育好处。大约20%的机器时间将提供给其他研究人员和新项目，希望在小尺寸材料特性领域激发新的成果。该设备将大大加强学生的研究和教育培训，并使薄膜材料的机械和磁性能以及新现象成为可能。

9975924BakerThis grant will provide partial support for the acquisition of an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) which will be modified to be used to make measurements of mechanical and magnetic properties in the submicrometer regime. The standard AFM displacement sensor will be replaced with load-displacement transducers which can be used both for scanning force topography imaging and for instrumented identation ("nanoindentation") and scratch (nanoscratch") testing. The AFM's scanner will be modified to incorporate a sample stage that contains an electromagnet. This stage will be used to apply fields perpendicular and parallel to thin film samples during magnetic force microscopy measurements in novel magnetoresistive and magnetostrictive materials. This is to be a shared instrument. It will be set up to conduct either mechanical property or magnetic property measurements and will remain in this configuration for some time. The addition of this equipment machine will enable the investigators to obtain valuable information rapidly in a number of ongoing projects and will facilitate new efforts to investigate the properties of materials in small dimensions. In addition, both investigators are very active sponsors of undergraduate research and outreach programs. Their undergraduate and graduate students will have ready access to this machine with attendant educational benefits. Approximately 20% of the machine time will be made available to other researchers and to new projects in the hope of stimulating new results in the area of materials properties in small dimensions.%%%This equipment will significantly enhance the research and educational training of students, and enable mechanical and magnetic properties as well as new phenomena, in thin film materials.