Acquisition of a Variable-Temperature Scanning Probe Microscope System for Materials Research and Education

Florida State University, Tallahassee FL

Investigators

Abstract

This award from the Instrumentation materials Research program to Florida State University is for the acquisition of a variable-temperature scanning probe microscope system. The instrument will be used for studying microstructures not only at the nano-scale but also on the meso-scale, particularly at high sample temperatures, with applications in thin film semiconductors, semi-crystalline polymers, high-temperature superconductors, and nanostructures of superplastic and precipitation hardening materials. Methods to extend the temperature range capability of atomic force microscopy (AFM) to temperatures in excess of 1500 K will be investigated by the addition of thermocouple sensors on the heat-sensitive probe assemblies, and modification of the sample mounting configuration to minimize the volume being heated. This extremely large temperature range will provide scientists from FAMU-FSU College of Engineering with the opportunity to observe and investigate in-situ such phenomena as superconductor vortex structures, crystal reorientation, texture evolution, internal stress development and phase transformation. The information obtained from SPM may be used to complement the data acquired with other techniques, and thereby expand knowledge of the micromechanisms of deformation and phase transformation. The surface atomic arrangement will be used to obtain texture in bulk materials, even at high temperatures. The instrument will be used for instruction at both the undergraduate and graduate level, providing the opportunity for students to work with a truly state-of-the-art instrument at the forefront of materials research. %%% This award from the Instrumentation materials Research program to Florida State University is for the acquisition of a variable-temperature scanning probe microscope system. The relatively new field of scanning probe microscopy has opened up an enormous number of opportunities for detailed atomic-scale study of dynamic surfaces. The fundamental principle behind the technique is the precision electrical manipulation of a needle probe whose tip is less than one-thousandth the diameter of a human hair. Simply by changing the material of the needle probe, the instrument can be converted to respond to differences in magnetic field, temperature, electron density and even chemical reactivity- all on the atomic scale. This instrument is capable of performing measurements on samples over the temperature range of 25 degrees above absolute zero, to over 1500 degrees. This remarkable temperature range will enable users to investigate a wide range of surface phenomena and material properties, including high temperature superconductors, shape-memory metallic alloys, high-purity semiconductors, and novel types of polymer materials. The instrument will be maintained by the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, a jointly managed program of Florida State University, and Florida A&M University, a Doctoral-granting historically black university. Approximately 50% of the engineering students are minorities, and over 25% are women. The instrument will be used for instruction at both the undergraduate and graduate level, providing the opportunity for students to work with a truly state-of-the-art instrument at the forefront of materials research. ***