Equipment: MRI: Acquisition of an In-Situ Infrared Spectroscopic Ellipsometer

Alfred University, Alfred NY

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports the acquisition of a state-of-the-art in-situ infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry system that utilizes real-time data collection to characterize target specimens’ refractive index dispersion across an ultra-wide thermal-spectral window. The instrument meets a critical need to support multi-disciplinary research and education programs including Ceramic Engineering, Glass Science, Materials Science & Engineering, Biomaterials Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering at Alfred University as well as the greater western New York State region. The research projects enabled by this instrument have potentially major technological impacts on core interests of faculty and their collaborators, including glass photonics, fundamental glass physics, electro and high temperature ceramics, biomedical sensors, and additive manufacturing. Acquisition of this optical characterization capability will promote new and deeper connections to regional and national industries and academies. Education on campus will be strengthened by incorporating the instrument, data analysis, and interpretation into undergraduate and graduate courses, thus providing an authentic hands-on experience. The in-situ infrared spectroscopic ellipsometer, when combined with an existing visible-near-infrared model at Alfred University, would enable a first-of-its-kind versatile system with an ultra-wide thermal-spectral measurement window of -70 to +600℃ and 293nm to 30μm, respectively. Upon acquisition of the infrared system and integration into our existing one, Alfred University will be the only institution in western New York State with such unique versatility on temperature-wavelength measurement domain, thus expecting to have great impact on academic institutions and industrial partners. Data collected from ellipsometry will be cross correlated to a variety of other in-situ metrology tools at Alfred University including x-ray diffractometers, Raman spectrometer, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer, and transmission and scanning electron microscopes. They anticipate that the system will become a centerpiece in making transformational progress in our research areas of interest. Through Alfred University’s long-standing New York State funded Center for Advanced Ceramic Technology and new state-funded Advanced Manufacturing Center, acquisition of this optical characterization capability will allow them to further enhance industrial interactions. With integration into the institutions’ management structure, the instrument will be marketed for use by industry and is expected to draw additional corporate users. Their strong history of industrially funded research includes collaborations with 50 companies, and these relationships are expected to draw a continuous stream of corporate users. The instrument will also be included into their campus tours and outreach efforts, where the state-of-the-art instrument may help attract young people’s interest in science and engineering during high school visits and similar on-campus engineering events. 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.