Urgent repair and upgrade of high-vacuum variable-temperature scanning probe microscope

高真空变温扫描探针显微镜紧急维修升级

• 批准号: RTI-2020-00706
• 负责人: Fanchini, Giovanni
• 金额: $ 10.1万
• 依托单位: University of Western Ontario
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Research Tools and Instruments
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=693513
• 关键词: Urgent; repair; upgrade; vacuum; variable

RTI funds are required to return to a state of research readiness a high-vacuum, variable-temperature scanning probe microscope (SPM). With a moderate investment, the proposed upgrade will bring back to operation an existing piece of equipment originally worth more than four times the requested RTI funds and will double its research lifetime. This instrument is the only one of its kind currently available at Western University, and is vital to carry out a number of time-sensitive projects from the applicant team, for which delicate samples cannot be transported to another location. Such projects include bringing existing industrial partnerships to the next level, as well as enhancing new discovery research by team members in the critical areas of organic materials, surfaces and interfaces, biomaterials growth, and nanoscale electrical transport in the 25K-300K temperature domain. SPMs are a class of imaging techniques that form maps of surface and subsurface features using nanosized physical probes. The Scienta Omicron VT for which urgent repair and upgrade is required is an advanced SPM capable of multiple SPM techniques, including, but not limited to: atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and Kelvin-probe microscopy (KPM). Research activities from applicant team members are highly focused on such techniques, with extensive experience in handling instruments of this kind. In addition, due to the unique expertise of the PI in scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM), we are here proposing to use this system for cryogenic SNOM at variable temperature. SNOM is an SPM-based nano-optical technique that is capable to obtain super-resolution images beyond the diffraction limit. Fanchini's group has specific expertise in SNOM imaging of plasmonic nanostructures for solar cell efficiency enhancement, plasmonic optical waveguides, and for contact-free imaging the thermal conductivity of nanostructured thin films at the nanoscale. Super-resolution, contact-free, thermal conductivity imaging at variable temperature will be made possible via cryogenic SNOM. This will open unprecedented opportunities towards the fundamental physical understanding of thermal transport, both electron-driven and phonon-driven, in a host of 2D, nanostructured and organic materials, many of which supplied by co-applicants and collaborators at Western. Research in cryogenic SNOM will be unique to Canada and awaits this repair and upgrade to be carried out. Because SPM techniques do not involve elevated budget costs, they are very popular assets in several non-destructive materials characterization facilities, not only in academia, but also several industry-based R&D centers in the materials manufacturing sector. Thus, the repaired and upgraded high-vacuum, variable-temperature SPM will provide our highly-qualified personnel (HQP) with hands-on and essential experiential training in this highly marketable area of advanced materials characterization.

RTI基金必须返回研究准备就绪状态，以一种高vacuum，可变的扫描探针显微镜（SPM）。拟议的升级将带来适度的投资，将使现有的设备回到运营，最初价值是所需的RTI资金的四倍以上，并将其研究寿命翻了一番。该乐器是西方大学目前唯一可用的工具，对于从申请人团队中进行许多时间敏感的项目至关重要，该项目无法将精致的样本运送到另一个位置。这些项目包括将现有的工业伙伴关系提升到一个新的水平，以及在有机材料，表面和界面关键领域的团队成员的新发现研究，生物材料的增长以及25K-300K温度域中的纳米级电运运输。 SPM是一类成像技术，使用纳米化物理探针形成表面图和地下特征的地图。需要进行紧急修复和升级的科学OMICRON VT是一种能够使用多种SPM技术的高级SPM，包括但不限于：原子力显微镜（AFM），扫描隧道显微镜（STM）和Kelvin-Probe-Probe Probobepopicy（KPM）。申请人团队成员的研究活动高度关注此类技术，并在处理此类工具方面具有丰富的经验。此外，由于PI在扫描近场光学显微镜（SNOM）中具有独特的专业知识，因此我们在这里建议在可变温度下使用该系统进行低温SNOM。 SNOM是一种基于SPM的纳米光学技术，能够获得超过衍射极限的超分辨率图像。 Fanchini的小组在血浆纳米结构的SNOM成像方面具有特定的专业知识，以提高太阳能电池效率，等离子光学波导以及无接触式成像，以使纳米级的纳米结构薄膜的热导率。通过低温SNOM，将使在可变温度下的超分辨率，无接触式，导热率成像。这将在许多由2D，纳米结构和有机材料的托管中开放前所未有的机会，以对电子驱动和声子驱动的热运输的基本理解，其中许多是由西方的共同应用和合作者提供的。低温SNOM的研究将是加拿大独有的，并等待进行修复和升级以进行。由于SPM技术不涉及预算成本的提高，因此它们是几种非破坏性材料表征设施中非常受欢迎的资产，不仅在学术界，而且在材料制造业中的几个基于行业的R＆D中心。因此，经过维修和升级的高空，变量的SPM将在这个高级材料表征的高度销售领域中为我们高度合格的人员（HQP）提供动手和基本的体验培训。