Development of a System for Time-resolved Studies of Film Growth and Processing and Student Training

University Of Vermont & State Agricultural College, Burlington VT

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports instrument development and student training at the University of Vermont. Faculty and students are developing a system that will enable study of the relaxation of surfaces as they are being bombarded by energetic particles in a set of processes known collectively as "energetic beam deposition." Using a very intense beam of x-rays from a synchrotron source, the atomic structure of surfaces will be investigated as these technologically important processes are occurring. The new system under development will enable, for the first time, microsecond time resolution during the in-situ study of materials' surface structures while undergoing crystal growth and etching. The system will make use of pulsed laser deposition and surface etching methods with pulse durations of <1 microsecond in order to study surface relaxation effects on this time scale. The system will permit extensive synchrotron x-ray access to the sample and incorporate standard characterization tools (e.g. RHEED) to better correlate the synchrotron results with in-house studies. Initial studies will concentrate on the fundamentals of processes that are vital for future electronics and information storage technologies. The first is pulsed laser deposition, which allows highly controlled growth of thin films by a single atomic layer at a time. The second is the erosion of surfaces with energetic ions, a process that can be used to produce nanoscale surface patterns. The basic understanding gained from these experiments could eventually lead to methods for growing new high quality materials for optoelectronics and to materials for information storage technologies such as magnetic and optical disk drives and quantum spin devices. This new instrument will provide research and educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Vermont in the areas of crystal growth, surface processing and surface analysis. Students will also gain access to a synchrotron-based materials research program.