IMR: Acquisition of Cryogenic STM Head and Electronics for Education and Research in Spintronic Materials

由于稀磁半导体作为“自旋电子”材料的潜在应用，最近人们对它们的兴趣激增。自旋电子学的新兴领域是基于利用电子自旋来制造功能器件的想法。该奖项来自材料研究仪器项目，将用于采购商用低温扫描隧道显微镜（STM）头和电子设备，并优化其作为超高真空（UHV）、5K、自旋极化STM的性能。该仪器将用于研究稀磁半导体的电子特性。自旋极化光谱将提供这些材料中自旋空间分布的重要数据。人们预计，实验将揭示出组成一个理论所需的主要成分，该理论成功地解释了磁性半导体中的铁磁性，并可能为科学家指明如何获得室温自旋电子材料的方向。该仪器将用于面向中学女生的为期一天的纳米科学推广项目。由于稀磁半导体作为“自旋电子”材料的潜在应用，最近人们对它们的兴趣激增。自旋电子学的新兴领域是基于利用电子自旋来制造功能器件的想法。如果我们能够成功地产生、操纵和检测自旋极化电流，新一代的设备将会出现，它将更快，需要更低的功率。这份来自材料研究仪器项目的合同将允许波士顿学院获得低温扫描隧道显微镜（STM）头和电子设备，并将其优化为超高真空、自旋极化的STM。利用低温STM，研究人员可以对表面进行原子分辨率成像，操纵原子形成人工结构，并测量材料的一个非常重要的特性，即局部态密度（LDOS）。该仪器将用于稀磁半导体的研究。对稀磁半导体的专用STM研究将为使自旋电子技术可行指明方向。这项外展计划旨在缩小女性在物理和工程领域的巨大性别差距。所有拓展计划中反复出现的主题将是通过展示纳米科学的奇迹和未来应用的潜力来激发对物理和技术的兴趣。

There has been a recent surge of interest in dilute magnetic semiconductors due to their potential application as 'spintronic' materials. The emerging field of spintronics is based upon the idea of harnessing the electron spin to make functional devices. This award from the Instrumentation for Materials Research program will be used to procure a commercially available low temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM) head and electronics and optimize it to perform as an ultra high vacuum (UHV), 5K, spin-polarized STM. The instrument will be used to study the electronic properties of dilute magnetic semiconductors. Spin-polarized spectroscopy will provide important data on the spatial distribution of spins in these materials. It is anticipated that experiments will shed some light on the chief ingredients required to make up a theory that successfully explains ferromagnetism in the magnetic semiconductors and might point scientists in the direction of how room temperature spintronic materials can be obtained. The instrument will be used in one-day outreach program on nanoscience geared towards middle school girls. There has been a recent surge of interest in dilute magnetic semiconductors due to their potential application as 'spintronic' materials. The emerging field of spintronics is based upon the idea of harnessing the electron spin to make functional devices. If we could successfully generate, manipulate and detect spin-polarized currents, a new generation of devices will emerge that will be faster and will require lower power. This award from the Instrumentation for Materials Research program will allow Boston College to acquire a low temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM) head and electronics and optimize it to perform as an ultra high vacuum, spin-polarized STM. With a low temperature STM researchers can image surfaces with atomic resolution, manipulate atoms to form artificial structures, and measure a very important property of materials, the local density of states (LDOS). This instrument will be used to study dilute magnetic semiconductors. Dedicated STM research on dilute magnetic semiconductors will point the way towards making spintronic technology viable. The outreach program is aimed at decreasing the substantially large gender-gap for women in physics and engineering. A recurring theme in all outreach programs will be to generate excitement for physics and technology by exposure to the marvels of nanoscience and the potential for future applications.