MRI/RUI:Acquisition of Surface Preparation Instrumentation for Surface Physics Studies of Epitaxial Growth on Metallic Surfaces

这笔赠款用于购买表面处理仪器，用于金属表面外延生长的表面物理研究。这一新仪器将被集成到超高真空(UHV)制备室中，这是布拉德利大学现有的变温扫描隧道显微镜(VT-STM)系统的一部分。这一新的仪器能力将使布拉德利的研究工作得以扩大，通过增加样品清洁/制备和样品分析系统，将金属表面的表面物理研究包括在内。样品清洗仪器包括用于金属表面溅射清洗的离子枪和涡轮分子泵站，以及用于通过分子束外延进行表面改变的渗出池。样品分析包括用于表面化学成分测定的电子枪和半球能量分析仪，以及用于表面结构测定的低能电子衍射仪(LEED)。研究项目包括金属同质外延系统中层间扩散的测量，金属喹啉与金属表面的相互作用，原子清洁金属表面上薄膜的初始成核和生长，以及当地工业感兴趣的纳米级摩擦和磨损的基础摩擦学研究。后续的研究可以提高对控制表面形成超薄膜的基本原子尺度过程的理解。这样的理解可能导致开发制造更快、更小的纳米电子设备所需的最佳超薄膜制造技术的能力。通过购买新仪器和相关的研究活动，布拉德利大学现有的材料研究和教育本科课程将大大加强。一个重要的影响将是在学术界的科学家之间建立独特的合作关系，采用基本的纳米材料研究方法，而在工业工程师之间建立独特的合作关系，采用实用的应用科学方法。与行业合作伙伴建立合作关系，高效地将基础研究成果转化为实际技术应用，进一步为本科生提供优秀的应用科学工作相关培训经验。

The grant provides support for the acquisition of surface preparation instrumentation to be used in surface physics studies of epitaxial growth on metallic surfaces. This new instrumentation will be integrated into an ultra high vacuum (UHV) preparation chamber that is part of the existing variable temperature scanning tunneling microscope (VT-STM) system at Bradley University. This new instrument capability will allow the research efforts at Bradley to be expanded to include surface physics studies of metallic surfaces by the addition of sample cleaning/preparation and sample analysis systems. The sample cleaning instrumentation includes an ion gun and a turbomolecular pumping station for sputtering-cleaning of metallic surfaces, and an effusion cell for surface alteration via molecular beam epitaxy. The sample analysis includes an electron gun and hemispherical energy analyzer for surface chemical composition determination, and a low energy electron diffractometer (LEED) for surface structural determination. Research projects include measurement of interlayer diffusion in metallic homoepitaxial systems, the interaction of metalloquinolates with metallic surfaces, the initial nucleation and growth of thin films on atomically clean metal surfaces, and fundamental tribological studies of friction and wear at the nano-scale which are of interest to local area industry. Subsequent research could improve understanding of fundamental atomic scale processes governing the formation of ultra thin films on surfaces. Such understanding could lead to the ability to develop optimal ultra thin film fabrication techniques necessary for building faster and smaller nano-electronic devices. The established undergraduate program in materials research and education at Bradley University will be greatly enhanced through the acquisition of the new instrumentation and the associated research activities. A significant impact will be the establishment of unique collaborations between scientists in academia, with a fundamental approach to nanomaterials research, and engineers in industry, with a practical, applied science approach. Collaborations with industrial partners will be established to efficiently convert fundamental research results into practical technological applications, and further provide undergraduate students with excellent work related training experiences in applied science.