Acquisition of a Scanning Probe Microscope System for Research and Education in Nanomagnetism and Spinelectronics

这笔拨款支持华盛顿大学购置扫描探针显微镜（SPM）系统，用于纳米级磁性和自旋电子学的研究和教育。此次收购将从质量和创造性上加强西澳大学的教育和研究活动。新的SPM系统将使磁力显微镜、高分辨率纳米操作、纳米光刻和隧道光谱具有高速、高分辨率成像和计量功能，并将提供SPM扫描技术的整个范围。此外，它将包括隧道- afm和传导- afm模式，以测量电流（成像）或电流-电压特性（光谱）的空间，作为位置的函数。具体来说，它将为最近资助的自组装纳米晶体阵列、原子工程薄膜异质结构中的交换偏置和硅基自旋电子学的磁性氧化物半导体等项目提供重大推动力。它还将补充微磁成像/建模的工作，并支持自旋分辨量子电导、交换弹簧磁薄膜结构和软光刻纳米结构和混合材料的可控畴壁散射的探索性项目。磁性材料和器件是信息存储和检索技术的核心。在不久的将来，磁性数据存储技术将与使用硅基半导体器件的数据处理技术相结合，从而实现更快的访问、更低的功耗、更长的使用寿命和更强的可移植性。这种“自旋电子学”设备也可能导致新的和革命性的量子计算策略。新的SPM系统将有助于解决这些相关的科学和技术挑战。该仪器将被整合到磁学、中尺度工程和自旋电子学领域的研究生和本科生的教学、教育和培训中，并被纳入华盛顿大学材料科学、物理和化学系以及纳米技术跨学科博士项目。它将大大加强西澳大学在这些领域的研究和教学基础设施，以及在快速发展但关键的技术领域培养具有专业知识的下一代科学家和工程师。华盛顿大学有广泛的项目来鼓励研究和教学的多样性。我们将积极与这些组织合作，特别是与那些旨在增加妇女和不同背景的人参与科学、工程和数学的项目合作。新的SPM系统将提供给这些项目的参与者。

This grant supports the acquisition of a scanning probe microscope (SPM) system for research and education in nano-scale magnetism and spin electronics at the University of Washington. This acquisition will qualitatively and creatively enhance the education and research activities at UW. The new SPM system will enable magnetic force microscopy, high-resolution nanomanipulation and nanolithography and tunneling spectroscopy with high speed, high resolution imaging and metrology features, and will provide the entire range of SPM scanning techniques. In addition, it will include tunneling-AFM and conducting-AFM modes to measure either electrical current (imaging) or current-voltage characteristics (spectroscopy) spatially, as a function of position. Specifically, it will provide significant impetus to recently funded projects on self-assembled nanocrystals arrays, exchange bias in atomically engineered thin film hetero-structures and magnetic oxide semiconductors for silicon-based spintronics. It will also complement efforts in micromagnetic imaging/modeling and support exploratory projects on spin-resolved quantum conductance, controlled domain wall scattering in exchange-spring magnetic thin film structures and soft-lithography nanostructures and hybrid materials. Magnetic materials and devices are central to the technology of information storage and retrieval. It is also believed that in the near future the technology of magnetic data storage will be integrated with that of data processing using silicon based semiconductor devices leading to faster access, lower power consumption, longer life time and more portability. Such "spinelectronics" devices may also lead to new and revolutionary quantum computing strategies. The new SPM system will help to address these related scientific and technological challenges.This instrument will be integrated into the teaching, education and training of graduate and undergraduate students in the areas of magnetism, mesoscale engineering and spinelectronics, and enrolled in the departments of materials science, physics and chemistry as well as the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in nanotechnology at the University of Washington. It will significantly enhance the infrastructure for research and teaching in these areas at UW as well as the training of the next generation of scientists and engineers with expertise in a rapidly developing but critical area of technology. The UW has a wide range of programs to encourage diversity in research and teaching. We will actively work with these organizations and specifically the programs initiated to increase the participation of women and people of diverse backgrounds in science, engineering and mathematics. The new SPM system will be made available to the participants in these programs.