MRI: Acquisition of a NanoRaman Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) System for Multi-Property Measurements in Electronic and Other Materials

非技术描述：该主要研究仪器奖支持西北大学（NU）获得NanoRaman AFM（原子力显微镜）系统。该仪器集成了扫描探针显微镜（SPM），用于测量纳米级材料性能（形貌、摩擦、表面电位、电导率和导热性等），以及光学光谱工具，包括共聚焦拉曼、尖端增强拉曼（TERS）和光致发光（TEPL）光谱。该仪器使来自东北大学机械工程、土木与环境工程、材料科学与工程、化学、地球与行星科学等专业背景的研究人员以及北大以外的用户能够对纳米级材料的结构、物理和化学特性进行相关的多属性测量。该仪器促进了新电子材料的发现和新设备的开发，从晶体管、光电探测器到先进的大脑启发计算技术。此外，该仪器还被整合到北大现有的研究生和本科生课程中，以促进纳米材料多物理场的动手实验。该仪器还为培养下一代纳米科学家和工程师提供了机会，并通过对小学、本科和研究生阶段代表性不足的学生进行多学科培训，使美国的STEM劳动力多样化。技术描述：NanoRaman AFM系统为相关的多属性测量提供了一个通用的平台，具有10纳米的横向空间分辨率和高测量精度。该仪器有助于集成多维电子材料，利用界面和缺陷来实现新的电子、光电和热电现象。通过SPM、TERS、TEPL和二次谐波产生测量，该仪器可以研究混合维异质结构的热、机械、电子和光学特性，以及缺陷如何控制这些特性。具体来说，研究人员使用该仪器来表征具有极化纳米级畴的低维铁电体中的载流子浓度和带边能量调制，二维半导体晶体中跨越单个晶界和缺陷的散热，耦合等离子体晶格的二维范德华晶体中的激子和非线性光学特性发射，以及钙钛矿化合物中影响电子设备性能的光物理现象的局部研究。此外，该仪器便于在电子材料范围之外进行测量。例如，科学家们在微尺度和纳米尺度的界面上研究土壤和沉积有机物，用于碳固存应用，用于化学传感的可调谐金属-有机框架，以及用于增强建筑材料性能的纳米尺度复合材料。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Non-Technical Description:This major research instrumentation award supports the acquisition of a NanoRaman AFM (atomic force microscopy) system at Northwestern University (NU). The instrument integrates scanning probe microscopy (SPM) for measurements of nanoscale material properties (topography, friction, surface potential, electrical and thermal conductivity, etc.) with optical spectroscopy tools including confocal Raman, tip-enhanced Raman (TERS), and photoluminescence (TEPL) spectroscopy. The instrument enables correlated multi-property measurements of structural, physical, and chemical properties of nanoscale materials by researchers from broad backgrounds at NU including, Mechanical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, and Earth and Planetary Sciences, and users outside of NU. The instrument facilitates the discovery of new electronic materials and the development of novel devices that range from transistors, photodetectors to advanced brain-inspired computing technologies. In addition, the instrument is integrated into existing graduate and undergraduate curricula at NU to facilitate hands-on experimentation of the multi-physics of nanoscale materials. The instrument also provides opportunities for educating the next generation of nano-scientists and engineers and diversifying the Nation's STEM workforce through multidisciplinary training for underrepresented students at grade school, undergraduate, and graduate levels. Technical Description:The NanoRaman AFM system offers a versatile platform for correlated multi-property measurements with 10 nm lateral spatial resolution and high measurement precision. The instrument facilitates integrating multi-dimensional electronic materials to leverage interfaces and defects to enable novel electronic, optoelectronic, and thermoelectric phenomena. Through SPM, TERS, TEPL, and second harmonic generation measurements, the instrument allows studies of thermal, mechanical, electronic, and optical properties in mixed-dimensional heterostructures and how defects can control these properties. Specifically, researchers use the instrument to characterize carrier concentration and band-edge energy modulation in low-dimensional ferroelectrics with polarizable nanoscale domains, heat dissipation across individual grain boundaries and defects in 2D semiconducting crystals, excitonic and nonlinear optical properties emissions in 2D van der Waals crystals coupled to plasmonic lattices, and local studies of photophysical phenomena in perovskite compounds that impact the performance of electronic devices. In addition, this instrument facilitates measurements outside the scope of electronic materials. Scientists study, for example, soil and sedimentary organics at microscale and nanoscale interfaces for carbon sequestration applications, tunable metal-organic frameworks for chemical sensing, and nanoscale composite materials for enhanced performance of construction materials.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.