MRI: Acquisition of a Scanning Tunneling Microscope for Development and Analysis of Nanostructures

University Of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM

Investigators

Abstract

0216171 Huffaker The PIs propose the addition of an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to the materials growth and characterization facility located at the University of New Mexico (UNM) Center for High Technology Materials (CHTM). The STM is capable of unprecedented resolution in probing nanometer scale atomic organizations and their local electronic structures. The high level of stability and positioning accuracy also makes the STM a capable nano-scale surface patterning tool. The UNM has a strong infrastructure for advanced materials research, including extensive growth and analysis facilities described below. The microscope will complement the PIs existing capabilities by allowing them to quantify materials structures and surface dynamics. Advanced materials for nanotechnology is one of their key interest areas at UNM. Very broad support for purchasing the STM capability is indicated by the level of cost-sharing from their Vice-Provost for Research, the Office of the Dean for the School of Engineering and the Director of CHTM. The UHV-STM facility will be physically located at CHTM, where they have excellent, permanent staff for system calibration and maintenance. Any UNM faculty will have access to increase participation of students and faculty in the emerging field of nanotechnology and advanced materials. To ensure the University-wide impact, the STM will be a multi-user facility for several departments (e.g., Electrical & Computer Engineering, Chemical & Nuclear Engineering, Physics & Astronomy, and Chemistry) and research centers (e.g., Center for High Technology Materials and Center for Micro-Engineered Materials). The new surface science capability will increase the PIs participation in nanotechnology and broaden their basis for attracting subsequent grants and collaborations. The proposed instrumentation will be the 1st UHV-STM at UNM with expansion ports to accommodate vacuum diagnostics and growth/deposition chambers. The instrumentation will facilitate research efforts at UNM that range from crystal growth to inorganic synthesis. The proposal highlights several applications of the variable-temperature UHV-STM at UNM such as selective growth of SiGe on nanometer size silicon structures, cross-sectional and atom-tracking STM, incorporation of magnetic atoms into QDs and nano-scale positioning of QDs. One of the immediate areas of impact is strain-driven, self-assembly of quantum dots (QDs) using both molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The proposed acquisition of the UHV-STM contributes to the School of Engineering initiative to launch a degree program in nanomaterials science and engineering (NSE). The School recognizes that this emerging field bodes rapid growth and increased demand for trained labor. Education in NSE will foreseeably translate to students' increased career potential. Within the scope of the School initiative, the proposed instrumentation will produce a knowledge base for course development and an attraction to recruit underrepresented students. The research education provides a direct vehicle to prepare undergraduate and graduate students for a career in NSE.