MRI-R2: Acquisition of an X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) Surface Analysis Instrumentation for Enabling Research and Education in Greater Philadlephia

Drexel University, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

0959361 Lau "This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)." This proposed MRI-R2 application is for the acquisition of a state-of-the-art x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) surface analysis instrumentation system for the Greater Philadelphia region. The XPS system will be established as an openly accessible multi-user shared instrumentation facility at Drexel University that serves as a focal point for significantly enabling research and training activities in the scientific community in the region. Currently, there is no shared XPS facility widely accessible by different users in Greater Philadelphia. Equally important, there are a significant and diverse range of research programs In the area that have a critical need for an XPS system but have limited access to one. As such, the proposed instrumentation will address a key void in enabling leading edge research. At Drexel University, major research initiatives, including the Drexel Plasma Institute and the Drexel Nanotechnology Institute, as well as many individual faculty research projects will be enabled by the XPS system. In addition, numerous research efforts at the University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University and Rowan University will be considerably aided by easy access to such an system. Specifically, this proposal highlights emerging research activities that will be positively impacted by the XPS instrumentation, including major efforts in sustainable energy, biomedical technology, nanotechnology and advanced materials currently funded by the NSF and other agencies. These research activities require a multicapability XPS system that is able to perform quantitative surface-specific chemical analysis of all types of samples like metals, inorganics, organics, ceramics, polymers and composites. The system will provide for these research activities macro- and micro-area elemental and chemical state spectroscopy and imaging, angle resolved depth analysis, sputter depth profiling using argon and polyatomic ion guns for hard and soft materials, respectively, in situ variable temperature measurements, and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) for spectroscopy and mapping with a spatial resolution below 100 nm.