CAREER: Combinatorial Investigation of Functional Metal-Oxide Thin Films

本CAREER项目致力于基于组合方法的功能薄膜金属氧化物的综合研究和教育研究。组合方法将用于调查单个实验中较大的成分变化。新的材料相将通过薄膜组合库和成分扩散样品的制造来探索。制备样品的方法是一种新设计的组合脉冲激光沉积系统。扫描探针显微镜将用于对样品进行快速表征。其中，扫描瞬变微波显微镜、铁磁磁共振显微镜和扫描SQUID显微镜将作为主要的筛选工具。样品质量将通过使用各种微量分析工具来解决，这些工具允许空间分辨成分和相映射。目前的重点将是用于无线通信应用的微波材料和各种磁性材料，包括铁氧体和半金属系统。除了寻找具有增强物理性质的新成分外，还将进行成分扩散实验，以系统地研究以前只能在散装样品中制造的材料中的成分-性质关系。该项目要求的实验任务涵盖基础材料合成到开发新的表征技术，这种多学科研究环境将作为培养新一代学生的典范教育背景。与其他教师合作，将开发一门以实验室为基础的组合材料研究和教育课程，主要使用现有的设备，针对高级本科生。许多课程活动将反映研究活动中开发的实际研究技术，从而将研究与教育直接联系起来。组合实验的能力，迅速覆盖范围材料与大的组成变化在一个单一的实验将被用来提供实践经验，传达材料科学的广度给学生。组合研究中对“搜索和发现”的强调使这种方法作为一种教育工具特别令人兴奋和有效。该项目涉及具有高技术相关性的材料科学主题领域的基础研究问题。该项目的范围将使学生接触到材料合成、加工和表征方面的挑战。该项目的一个重要特点是非常重视教育，并将研究与教育相结合。＊＊＊

This CAREER project addresses a comprehensive research and education study of functional thin-film metal-oxides based on combinatorial methods. The combinatorial approach will be used to survey large compositional variations in individual experiments. New materials phases will be explored through fabrication of thin-film combinatorial libraries and composition-spread samples. The method for fabricating samples is a newly designed combinatorial pulsed laser deposition system. Scanning probe microscopies will be used to perform rapid characterization of the samples. In particular, a scanning evanescent microwave microscope, a ferromagnetic reso-nance microscope and a scanning SQUID microscope will serve as the main screening tools. Sample quality will be addressed by using various microanalysis tools, which allow spatially re-solved composition and phase mapping. The immediate focus will be on microwave materials for wireless communications applications and various magnetic materials including ferrites and half-metallic systems. In addition to searching for new compositions with enhanced physical proper-ties, composition-spread experiments will be conducted to systematically study composition-property relationships in materials that had previously only been made in bulk samples. Experi-mental tasks required in the proposed program span fundamental materials synthesis to develop-ing novel characterization techniques, and this multidisciplinary research environment will serve as a model educational background to train a new generation of students.In collaboration with other faculty a lab-based Combinatorial Materials Research and Education Course using mostly preexisting equipment targeting senior-level undergraduates will be devel-oped. Many of the course activities will mirror the actual research techniques developed in the research activities, thus directly linking research with education. The ability of combinatorial ex-periments to rapidly cover a range materials with large compositional variation in a single ex-periment will be used to provide hands-on experience that conveys the breadth of materials sci-ence to students. The emphasis on "search and discovery" in combinatorial research makes this method particularly exciting and effective as an educational tool.%%% The project addresses fundamental research issues in a topical area of materials science having high technological relevance. The scope of the project will expose students to challenges in materials synthesis, processing, and characterization. An important feature of the project is the strong emphasis on education, and the integration of research and education. ***