Equipment List

Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) measures weight changes in a material as a function of temperature (or time) under a controlled atmosphere. Its principal uses include measurement of a material's thermal stability and composition. The Q50 features a vertical beam balance design (sample capacity: 1000 mg) that supports precise TGA (balance sensitivity: 0.1 µg) measurements.

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State-of-the-art ellipsometer for measuring spectroscopic, generalized, and Muller matrix ellipsometry. The RC2 can be used to determine optical constants and thickness of multilayers or bulk materials, as well as reflectance and transmission as a function of angle of incidence, polarization, and wavelength, including highly anisotropic materials and microstructured samples.

Wavelength range: 193 nm to 1690 nm; Angle of incidence: 45° to 90°; Temperature: 5°C to 600°C

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Rapid Thermal Annealing Furnace MTI 1200X-4-RTP

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The SAMCO RIE-10NR is a cutting-edge, fully automated Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) system specifically designed to meet the rigorous process demands of fluorine chemistry for research and production purposes. With precision, it executes etching operations, ensuring minimal sidewall deterioration and exceptional selectivity between various materials. Its capabilities extend to processing wafers up to 8 inches in diameter, showcasing its versatility in handling diverse requirements.

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The Kratos Supra+ XPS features: Excitation Sources Dual Anode X-ray Source: Mg, Al Monochromatic Xray Source: Al Detection System Small Area Extraction Optics: Hybrid Spherical Capacitor Electron Energy Analyzer for Spectroscopy and 2-D Imaging

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Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) measures the light scattered by individual particles undergoing Brownian motion in a liquid. The particles are tracked in real-time, allowing high-resolution particle size analysis. In addition, the particles within the cell volume are counted to obtain particle concentration. The NanoSight NS300 employs the NTA technique allowing for the analysis of particles up to 1 µm in diameter within a 250 µL cell volume. 

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The Thermo Nicolet iS50 Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectrophotometer is equipped to measure transmission, specular and diffuse reflection, diffuse transmission, and attenuated total reflection (ATR) in the mid-IR. Ranges vary for different accessories within 400 cm^-1 to 7800 cm^-1. FT-Raman can be measured with an excitation of 1064 nm.

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The Advanced Dicing Technology (ADT) 7122 is an automatic wafer dicer with an 8" diameter (or 200 mm x 200 mm square area) dicing area.

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The Beckman Optima™ Ultracentrifuge is a preparative ultracentrifuge that can be used to quickly separate particles according to their densities.

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The ThermoFisher Glacios is a high-end, 200kV X-FEG cryogenic transmission electron microscope (CryoTEM) optimized for Single Particle Analysis (SPA), electron tomography, and micro-electron diffraction (microED). The Glacios is equipped with industry-leading Autoloader grid manipulation technology controlled by the ThermoFisher EPU software, allowing users to assess sample quality in a contamination-free environment. The microscope is also equipped with a Volta Phase Plate and Falcon4 Direct Electron Detector, making the Glacios both a stand-alone system for high-resolution SPA data acquisition, and a tool for pre-optimization of sample quality before transfer to a Krios CryoTEM system.

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The Novocontrol Analyzer is designed for the electric/dielectric characterization of materials. Frequency response analysis, dielectric/impedance spectroscopy and conductivity spectroscopy can be performed with this instrument. This modular system features the Novocontrol Alpha-A frequency response analyzer combined with PHECOS Lite temperature control system. Samples are sandwiched between two circular, gold plated electrodes, then placed into the instrument for testing. Results can be analyzed as measured or re-plot to fit various equations such as Arrhenius or Cole-Cole plots. Parameters for the Concept 47 system are listed below.

Frequency range – 3 µHz – 20 MHz

Temperature range – -35 °C – 150 °C

Sample diameter options – 40 mm, 30 mm, 20 mm

Electrode configurations – 2-wire modes available

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Karl Fischer (KF) Titration is a widely used technique for the quantification of water content in materials. The water content is identified through a chemical reaction that directly consumes water. The fundamental chemical process is called the Bunsen Reaction and is given below:

2H₂O + SO₂ + I₂ à  H₂SO₄ + 2HI

From the reaction equation it is clear that the amount of water in the reaction is directly proportional to the amount of iodine required to consume it. Water content in samples can therefore be directly and accurately obtained by measuring the amount of iodine used in the reaction. The MRL has two compact instruments available for KF Titration experiments. This combination enables water content analysis from 100% water down to parts-per-million (ppm) levels.

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Karl Fischer (KF) Titration is a widely used technique for the quantification of water content in materials. The water content is identified through a chemical reaction that directly consumes water. The fundamental chemical process is called the Bunsen Reaction and is given below:

2H₂O + SO₂ + I₂ à H₂SO₄ + 2HI

From the reaction equation it is clear that the amount of water in the reaction is directly proportional to the amount of iodine required to consume it. Water content in samples can therefore be directly and accurately obtained by measuring the amount of iodine used in the reaction. The MRL has two compact instruments available for KF Titration experiments. This combination enables water content analysis from 100% water down to parts-per-million (ppm) levels.

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The ThermoFisher Vitrobot (Vitrification Robot) Mark IV is a fully PC-controlled cryo-plunger for vitrification (= rapid cooling) of aqueous samples used later in cryo-electron microscopy

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The PM6 provides automated precision lapping and polishing capabilities for a wide variety of semiconductor, optoelectronics, microelectronics and geological applications. The system includes capabilities for wafer bonding.

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Ultraviolet (UV) ozone cleaners have proven highly effective in non-acidic, dry, and non-destructive atomic cleaning processes. Utilizing intense UV light at wavelengths of 185 nm and 254 nm, they efficiently eradicate organic contaminants. The 185 nm wavelength generates ozone in the presence of oxygen, while the 254 nm wavelength activates organic molecules on surfaces. This dual mechanism swiftly destroys and eliminates organic contaminations. 

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The Heidelberg MLA 150 Maskless Aligner is a high-speed direct-write photolithography tool.  It does not physically contact the substrate, uses a micro-mirror array to expose the pattern only in the desired locations.

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Wire bonding is a method of connecting metallic wires to electronic devices. The wire bonds are performed using ultrasonic transducers that convert a high frequency electronic signal to mechanical energy in the ultrasonic range (63kHz).

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The SCS Labcoter2 Parylene deposition system performs reliable and repeatable Parylene conformal coatings to many different types of components such as circuit boards, sensors, wafers, medical devices, MEMS and elastomeric components. Parylene coatings provide a highly effective chemical and moisture barrier with high dielectric and mechanical strength.

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The Hydrogen Vacuum Furnace is dedicated to annealing of materials under hydrogen and vacuum environment.

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The Graphene Furnace is solely dedicated to the growth of high-quality graphene and carbon nanotube materials.

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The Cameca Local Electrode Atom Probe (LEAP) 5000XS uses field evaporation of atoms from a needle-shaped specimen to generate three-dimensional (3D) information at near atomic resolution and possessing chemical sensitivity that can reach parts per million.

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AJA E-beam evaporator 1 has an electron beam gun assembly with six source crucibles.

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The D8 diffractometer employs a multiple configurations which can be easily selected from the instrument control software between Bragg-Brentano focusing configuration, parallel beam configuration and high-resolution configuration for the most common x-ray diffraction methods and reflectometry.

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This equipment was funded through the Illinois MRSEC, NSF Award Number DMR-2309037.

TDTR is a modality of femtosecond pump/probe spectroscopy. It is used to observe optically-induced changes in optical properties on a 100’s of fs time-scale.

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Room-temperature and cryo-sectioning of biological and industrial specimens

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A single-tilt holder for cryo transfer and tomography of thin-film frozen-hydrated/vitrified specimens. For transmission electron microscopes (TEMs) with a wider gap pole piece (an approx. 5 mm gap for tomographic studies)

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The Model 685.O precision etching coating system (PECS™) II is a table top broad beam argon milling tool for polishing as well as coating samples.

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The EA 300 Series Laser-based Elemental Analyzer from Keyence uses laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for elemental analysis.

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The Keyence VK-X1000 employs a 404 nm laser to map and measure the surface of samples through confocal scanning or widefield focus variation.

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The Talos F200X G2 is a 200 kV FEG Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (S/TEM) that combines outstanding quality in high-resolution STEM and TEM imaging with high throughput EDS signal detection and 3D chemical characterization with compositional mapping. It is designed for fast, precise and quantitative characterization of nano-materials. It accelerates nano-analysis of materials based on higher data quality, faster acquisition, and simplified and automated operation. The system’s Constant-Power™ X-TWIN lens delivers outstanding optical performance to help ensure an optimal balance of contrast and resolution.

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The FEI Themis Z is and advanced analytical scanning/transmission electron microscope (STEM/TEM) from Thermo Fisher Scientific Company that operates between the electron energy of 60 to 300 keV with a Schottky electron emitter, an electron energy monochromator, and a 5th order probe spherical aberration corrector.

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The Oxford OptistatDry BLV is a bottom-loading cryostat for spectroscopy consists of a compact cryostat with optical access, cooled by a closed-cycle refrigerator. This cryogen free cryostat is capable of cooling samples to under 5 K without the need for liquid cryogens.

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The Montana Cryostation s200 is a closed-cycle optical cryostat used to control the temperature and vacuum parameters of a 200 mm-diameter integrated sample environment to under 5 K without the need for liquid cryogens.

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This ABB solar simulator provides uniform illumination over an area of 2” x 2” at an output of 1 SUN.

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The Hysitron (now Bruker) PI 95 In-Situ TEM Picoindenter is for quantitative, direct-observation, nanomechanical testing inside TEM.

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The FEI Vitrobot (Vitrification Robot) Mark III (Type FP 5350/61) is a fully PC-controlled cryo-plunger for vitrification (= rapid cooling) of aqueous samples used later in cryo-electron microscopy.

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The Polaron Carbon String Coater use carbon rod and carbon string as the evaporation source respectively.

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The Tergeo-EM plasma cleaner can be used to remove hydrocarbon contaminations on TEM and SEM samples.

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The Princeton WS-25 Precision Wire Saw can perform cuts using a  diamond dotted wire as well as with free abrasive method by using thin tungsten wire moistened with an oil or glycerin-suspended abrasive slurry.

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The Fischione 1020 plasma cleaner can be used for gently removed organic contamination from both TEM and SEM samples and specimen holders by using Argon-oxygen high frequency plasma. The plasma cleaner has an automated timer control and accepts TEM specimen holders and SEM holders.

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The Cressington 108 carbon coaters use carbon rod as the evaporation source. It is generally used for coating SEM or TEM samples where metal coatings need to be avoided. It offers the choice of either manual or automatic evaporation. In manual mode the evaporation source can be operated in "pulse" or "continuous" modes.

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The Au-Pd sputter coater is used for producing an even coating on the surface of the specimen. The coating will help inhibit charging, reduce thermal damage, and improve secondary electron emission which are beneficial for Scanning Electron Microscopy.

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The Au-Pd sputter coater is used for producing an even coating on the surface of the specimen. The coating will help inhibit charging, reduce thermal damage, and improve secondary electron emission which are beneficial for Scanning Electron Microscopy.

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The MultiPrep™ System enables precise semiautomatic sample preparation of a wide range of materials for microscopic (optical, SEM, TEM, AFM, etc.) evaluation. It can be used for parallel polishing or angled polishing.

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Vibratory polishing is an effective final polishing technique that is widely used with metals that are difficult to polish. The vibrations in both vertical and horizontal directions produced by electromagnetic forces induce the sample to move about its axis and around the cloth periphery. The vibration amplitude is adjusted to a level just adequate to produce smooth movement around the bowl. The gentle polishing greatly reduced the surface residual stress and strain.

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The MRI-150 low-speed diamond saw equips with a digital micrometer and digital speed display controller. It is a tool for cutting/dicing/slicing materials (metals, ceramic, etc) up to an inch thickness. Cutting fluid is drawn from the reservoir by the blade to cool the sample.

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The TechCut 4™ is a precision low speed saw excellent for cutting smaller, delicate samples. The pivoting cutting arm has adjustable weights to apply or counterbalance downward force to the sample during sectioning. Cutting fluid is drawn from the reservoir by the blade to cool the sample. With a 3" to 6" blade range, samples up to 2" thick can be sectioned.

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The Well Precision Diamond Wire Saw is used for precise cutting of small samples. It uses a stainless steel wire with diamonds embedded into the surface of the wire as the “cutting tool”. The wire is wound onto a drum which mounts onto a precision reciprocating motor. The wire diameters range from 0.06mm (0.002 in.) to 0.70mm (.028 in.).

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It is fast and reliable mechanical method of pre-thinning TEM sample to near electron transparency to greatly reduce ion milling times and uneven thinning. Advantages includes: Large transparent areas; stronger specimen with a thick supporting rim to protect and strengthen the specimen after dimpling; accurate depth and thickness control.

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Buehler MetaServ 250 (2 identical pieces), Room MRL B56

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Measures photo-excited fluorescence of liquid samples. Excitation ranges from 200 nm to 800 nm. Emission between 200 nm and 900 nm. Samples can be heated or cooled from -20°C to 100°C.

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The OL 750 is a spectroradiometric measurement system for internal and external quantum efficiencies (IQE, EQE). It is equipped with a white light bias accessory that allows solar cells' active area to be brought up to a typical operating energy level while simultaneously measuring the spectral response.

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Measures I-V curves under solar spectrum or monochromatic illumination.

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The Zeiss LSM 7 Live confocal fluorescence line-scanning microscope is a fast imaging system capable of 120 frames per second at 512 x 512 pixels, which enables analyzing high-speed processes with a time resolution of a few microseconds.

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Fast and easy preparation of high-quality, site-specific, TEM and atom probe samples using the Sidewinder HT ion column and EasyLift™ system for precise milling and in-situ sample manipulation and lift-out. To achieve the high-quality results, final polishing with low-energy ions is required to minimize surface damage on the sample. The Sidewinder HT provides high-resolution imaging and milling at high voltages, but has also good low-voltage performance (to 500V), enabling the creation of high-quality TEM lamella.

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Differential Thermal Analyzer (DTA) uses a two-pan system to measure the heat flux difference between an empty pan (or one with a reference material) against the temperature of a sample of specific weight. The DTA-50 system uses temperatures in the range between room temperature and around 1400 oC to determine thermal transitions such as glass transitions, crystallization, phase changes, melting, stability, cure kinetics, etc. While it is not as sensitive as a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), it is more versatile for harder materials, as our DSC system cannot operate above 400oC. The DTA-50 instrument is calibrated to 1100oC for accuracy.

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The Raith EBPG5150 Electron Beam Lithography System is an ultra-high performance e-beam writer for nanometer-scaled device fabrication.

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Temescal Ebeam evaporator 4 has an electron beam gun assembly with six automatically selected source crucibles. Currently approved deposition materials are metals only including Au, Ag, Pt, Pd, Cu, Cr, Ti, Ni, Fe, Al. The maximum thickness of a single layer is limited to 300 nm. Thirteen 4-inch wafers or sample holders can be accommodated in the loadlock chamber for line-of-sight deposition. Deposition rate and thickness of material are monitored and controlled automatically. The system is fully automated with computer interface. Programmable deposition recipes are provided.

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Temescal Ebeam evaporator 2 has an electron beam gun assembly with six manually selected source crucibles. Currently approved deposition materials are metals only including Ag, Cu, Cr, Ti, Al, Ni, Fe, Si, Ge. The maximum thickness of a single layer is limited to 200 nm. 13 4-inch wafers or sample holders can be accommodated in the loadlock chamber for line-of-sight deposition. Deposition rate and thickness of material are monitored. Power of ebeam for deposition is controlled manually by user.

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The Harrick Plasma PDC-32G Cleaner is low-cost bench-topinductively coupled plasma device. It may be employed in a broad range of surface engineering applications, including nanoscale surface cleaning, surface preparation and surface modification/treatment.

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Raith eLine EBL system is an electron beam lithography system that has a ZEISS SEM column equipped with a Thermal Field Emission electron gun. The accelerating voltage can be operated at 10 - 30kV. It is capable of patterning ultra fine features with resolution down to 10 nm in PMMA ebeam resist. It has a standard 30 μm aperture along with 7.5 up to 120 µm aperture. Standard write field size is 100 μm and ranges between 1µm to 1 mm. Field stitching error is typically less than 40 nm. Standard sample holder can accommodate up to 5” wafer. Eight sample clips can be used for smaller sample with sample size from 1 to 3 cm. GDSII CAD file is standard file format and can be converted from other CAD files such as Autocad DXF file.

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AJA sputter coater 1 is an AJA ATC 2000 sputter system with four A320 XP UHV magnetron sputter guns capable of sputtering conductive and dielectric materials using DC and RF Argon plasma. Co-sputtering (up to three guns, two DC and one RF power supply) is available. The system accommodates 2” targets (1/4” thick) including various materials such as Cr, Ti, Cu, Mo, Al, Ag, Mg, Ni, Fe, Co, Si, Ge, W, ITO, SiO2, Si3N4 and MgO. Sample holder size is 4” in diameter. Substrate heating is available at up to 400 C. Reactive sputtering with O2 and N2 is also available.

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AJA sputter coater 2 is an AJA ORION 3 sputter system with three ST20 ORION magnetron sputter guns capable of sputtering conductive and dielectric materials using DC and RF Argon plasma. Co-sputtering (up to three guns, two DC and one RF power supply) is available. The system accommodates 2” targets (1/4” thick) including various materials such as Cr, Ti, Cu, Mo, Al, Ag, Pt, Pd, Mg, Ni, Fe, Co, Si, Ge, W, ITO, SiO2, Si3N4 and MgO. Sample holder size is 4” in diameter. Reactive sputtering with O2 is available.

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The Optics 11 Life Piuma soft materials nanoindenter uses cantilever-based nanoindentation (similar to AFM force curves) to determine the Young’s modulus of samples ranging from a few tens of Pascals to 1 GPa. The Piuma is generally more user-friendly and versatile to work with than a traditional AFM, especially for biological samples, without compromising data quality. Operation in air or fluid and automated grids of indentations are simple to set up. Probes are constructed with spherical borosilicate glass tips ranging from 6 – 500 µm diameter (similar to colloidal probe AFM design).

(Please inquire in advance whether your samples satisfy the biosafety level requirements of the MRL).

Sample Conditions Supported by the Piuma:

• Dry, Wet, or Submerged in Liquid
• Size range: From 100 µm diameter to 12 mm on a side
• Shape: Flat, curved, complex topography, porous
• Young’s Modulus / Stiffness range: 5 Pa to 1 GPa

Piuma Technical Specifications

• Probe Tip Sizes: 6 – 500 µm diameter borosilicate spheres
• Probe Cantilever Spring Constant: k = 0.03 N/m – 150 N/m
• Force Sensitivity Range: 1 nN – 2 mN
• Maximum Piezo Motor Displacement: 20 µm
• Stage Motors (X,Y,and Z-axes): 1 µm minimum, 12 mm maximum displacement
• Single Indentation or Surface Mapping
• Automated Find Surface
• Measurement Mode: Quasi-Static (Closed Loop Piezo Motor Displacement)
• Camera: 10x magnification, overhead view

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The JEM-1400 uses a LaB₆ filament electron gun with acceleration up to 120 kV and is also capable of lowering it down to 40 kV if required (in order to minimize sample radiation where necessary). The tool is capable of a point-to-point resolution down to 0.38 nm and lattice imaging down to 0.2 nm.

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The Vista One PiFM-Raman microscope from Molecular Vista enables nano-IR measurements with very high resolution (~10nm lateral resolution for mapping and spectroscopy) in the wavenumber range 1908 - 752 cm^-1.

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The Axia ChemiSEM is a new generation of scanning electron microscope, designed to provide the most efficient SEM-EDS user experience possible. Low-vacuum mode will provide several advantages when dealing with non-conductive samples; not only does it enable charge-free imaging, but it also allows an increase in the material contrast and the use of higher beam currents to perform chemical analyses.

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This equipment was funded through the Illinois MRSEC, NSF Award Number DMR-2309037.

The XploRA PLUS Raman Microscope head-based tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) and tip enhanced photoluminescence (TEPL) from Horiba, Inc. is a fully integrated TERS/TEPL system based on SmartSPM state of the art scanning probe microscope (SPM) and XploRA Raman micro-spectrometer.

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Enables time-resolved measurements of luminescent emission spectra upon photoexcitation (fluorescence and phosphorescence) to determine the lifetime of emitting states with single photon sensitivity and < 1 ns temporal resolution. Several excitation wavelengths are available in the range from 380 nm to 900 nm.

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TDTR is a modality of femtosecond pump/probe spectroscopy. It is used to observe optically-induced changes in optical properties on a 100’s of fs time-scale. Primarily applied to study thermal properties of thin films and across interfaces, our two custom-built instruments, have accessories to allow for time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr-effect measurements. These instruments are based on Spectra-Physics Tsunami ultrafast Ti:sapphire lasers.

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The Cary spectrophotometers are able to do measurements of transmission and reflection in the UV, visible, and near-IR (190 nm to 3300 nm). Modes of measurement include transmission, absolute specular reflection, integrated total fluorescence, diffuse transmission (190 nm to 2500 nm), diffuse reflection, and combined diffuse reflection and transmission (190 nm to 2500 nm).

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Conventional widefield inverted materials microscope equipped with C-DIC, TIC, polarization, brightfield, and darkfield in reflected or transmitted illumination.

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Fast high-resolution confocal Raman/PL microscopy with excitation at 532 nm and 785 nm.

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The JSM-7000F SEM offers very high resolution, a multi-purpose specimen chamber, a motorized automated specimen stage, one-action specimen exchange, and ideal analytical geometry with large probe current at small probe diameter to meet the needs for high performance characterization of nanostructures using techniques including EDS, WDS, EBSD, and CL.

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As of November 2021, the Hitachi S4800 now has powerful EDS capability with the installation of Oxford’s Ultim Max 100mm² large area silicon drift detector.  It allows video rate electron and chemical imaging in real time with live tracing features to remember where you already looked and what elements were located there.

The Hitachi S-4800 SEM features: - High Resolution Low Voltage imaging - Beam deceleration (ultra-low landing voltages (100-500 V) for shallow surface topography) - Controlled signal mixing (combination of secondary electron and back scattered electron) - Pure BSE imaging at low voltages

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The JSM-6060LV is a general purpose high-performance scanning electron microscope with excellent secondary electron imaging and backscattered electron Imaging resolution.

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The Helios NanoLab 600i is an advanced SEM/FIB DualBeam™ workstation for ultra-high resolution imaging and focussed Ga+ ion beam milling for nano-prototyping, nano-machining, nano-analysis, and sample preparation for TEM and atom probe.

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The H-9500 is a high resolution 100-300 kV ETEM with a LaB6 electron gun equipped for study of dynamic material reactions down to the atomic scale.

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The JEOL 2100  is a conventional TEM with large pole piece gap. It is optimized for BF/DF imaging, diffraction and high sample tilts. Also capable of imaging ultrathin biological tissue sections. It operates at 200kV. The 2100  is equipped with a combined video rate/slow scan camera for real time imaging and final image recording. It has a low-dose mode. A high tilt is available with +/-70 degrees using a special tip for the single tilt holder. Cryo transfer stage, double tilt heating, and liquid N2 stages are available.

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The 2010LaB6 is a conventional TEM. It is optimized for BF/DF imaging, diffraction and high sample tilts.

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Gatan Cryo-PIPS has additional capabilities in addition to the features of the Gatan PIPS

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Fast elemental analysis using x-ray fluorescence with enhanced energy resolution (20-30 eV) using wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy.

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Lindberg Three Zone 2 Inch - Tube oxidation/annealing furnace – max temperature 1100°C

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The Kurt J. Lesker Nano36 will evaporate a metal film under high vacuum while measuring the thickness in-sit by a thickness monitor. Up to three different materials can be loaded in one batch, and the evaporation sources are sufficiently isolated from each other by shields to prevent cross contamination.Currently the system is configured for Au, Ag, Cu and Cr evaporation. Due to the limited capacity of tungsten boat and rod, the thickness limit is 200nm/boat for Au, Ag, Cu, and 40nm/rod for Cr.

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Plasma-Therm plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system is used for depositing Si3N4 dielectric films. The silicon nitride film is typically used for capacitor dielectrics, chemical passivation layers, electrical insulators, reactive ion etching masks, and optical anti-reflective coatings.

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The Savannah S100 ALD systems deliver outstanding deposition results and provide maximum experimental flexibility for ALD research, development, and production applications.

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This equipment was funded through the Illinois MRSEC, NSF Award Number DMR-2309037.

The AJA Orion-8 Magnetron Sputtering System is a high performance thin film deposition tool meant to deliver maximum performance and results for our research community. The system is equipped with a fast-cycle load-lock system which eliminates the need to vent the process chamber to load substrates, reducing the pump down time and contaminations of targets and interior chamber surfaces. It utilizes a motorized rotating substrate holder to achieve excellent uniformity. This machine is featured with complete recipe control to deliver best process reproducibility.

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Plasma-therm 790 MF is a stand-alone Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) system with showerhead gas distribution and water cooled RF platen. The chamber could reach a base pressure in the 3x10-5Torr range, and it can be operated in the pressure range of 10mTorr to 100mTorr. The following gases are installed: CF4, CHF3, SF6 and O2.The flow rate for each gas is set by a mass-flow controller (MFC), and the pressure is controlled separately by a throttle valve between the chamber and the pump. All system functions are controlled from the computer. The control program has both manual and automatic modes.

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Nano-master NPC 3000 is a bench-top Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) system with showerhead gas distribution and water cooled RF platen. It is designed to meet a wide range of needs including sample cleaning, photoresist stripping, surface modification, polymer etching and silicon etching. The chamber opens from the top for wafer loading or unloading. It can accept up to 8" (200 mm) wafers.

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March CS-1701 reactive ion etcher is a bench-top system with water cooled RF platen. It is capable of etching photoresist, polymer and graphene. This system could be operated under manual mode or auto mode.

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The Commonwealth Scientific Ion Milling & Thermal Evaporator System is a unique system which integrates the ion milling and thermal evaporator capabilities into one system.

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MRL provides the following acids for cleanroom users. This fume hood includes DI water, nitrogen gun and hot plate.

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MRL provides the following metal etchants for cleanroom users: - Copper Etchant CE-100 - Chromium Etchant 9057 - Iron Oxide Mask Etchant ME-9028 - Gold Etchant Type TFA

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The solvent or developer fume hoods include DI water, nitrogen gun and ultrasonic bath.

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The next generation 3D laser lithography system, MRL’s Nanoscribe sets new standards in 3D micro printing and maskless lithography.

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The Karl Suss MJB_3 is a contact aligner used to expose the photoresist on samples from small pieces of 1 cm2 to substrates of 3-inch diameter or square and 300um-1mm in thickness. Masks up to 3 inches square. The resolution depends on contact mode, optics, exposure wavelength and "operator technique". Alignment is performed manually by manipulating micrometers while observing the sample and mask with a microscope.

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6" Tube oxidation furnace – max temperature 1100°C

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Reactor Vacuum Furnace - 1” tube furnace for recording pressure, temperature, vacuum, and reaction products at up to 1200°C

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High Temperature CM furnace – max temperature 1600°C (long runs) to 1700°C (short runs)

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Rapid Thermal Annealing furnace (Custom) – max temperature 1000°C

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The Siemens/Bruker D-5000 features: theta/theta vertical goniometer system with optional spinner (phi) rotation (Bragg Brentano configuration). Radiation /wavelength: Cu K-alpha, 0.15418 nm Main optics: soller slits, divergence slit, scatter slit, receiving slit, detector slit, curved graphite monochromator, scintillation detector

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The LakeShore FWPX Cryogenic Probe Station is a great characterization tool for taking electrical measurements in a temperature range from 77 K  up to 475 K, and in a vacuum environment down to 10^-5 Torr. The electrical signals are taken through the Agilent 4155C Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer which has 4 SMU units with a voltage output range of -100 to 100 V and a current output range of  -100 to 100 mA. Users can perform temperature-dependent measurements of I-V and quasi-static C-V curves, and other high and low frequency tests. An optical camera with 10 μm spatial resolution is available for sample alignment.

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The PANalytical MRD system #2 features: theta/2theta vertical four-circle system with phi, psi rotations and x,y,z sample translation, proportional detector and high-speed PIXcel line detector (pixel size 55 microns). Radiation / wavelength: Cu K-alpha, 0.15418 nm

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High-speed SAXS, WAXS, GI-SAXS, GI-WAXS data collection using a three-module Pilatus 300 detector with optional environmental controls.

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The Probe Station facilitates electrical measurements at room temperature and in ambient conditions. Electrical contact is made via probe tips (5 µm tungsten standard) which are attached to micropositioners with 80 turns per inch resolution. The electrical signals are taken through the Agilent 4155C Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer which has 4 SMU units with a voltage output range of -100 to 100 V and a current output range of  -100 to 100 mA. Users can perform temperature-dependent measurements of I-V and quasi-static C-V curves, and other high and low frequency tests.

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The Agilent 4155C is an electronic instrument for measuring and analyzing the characteristics of semiconductor devices. This instrument allows you to perform both measurement and analysis of measurement results. The 4155C has four highly accurate source monitor units (SMUs), two voltage source units (VSUs), and two voltage measurement units (VMUs). It can perform three types of measurements: sweep measurement, sampling measurement, and quasi-static C-V measurement.

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Back-scattering Laue with data acquisition using a fast 2D detector; sample stage with multi-axis rotations and full translation capabilities controlled by multi-function joystick allowing for real time sample movement/rotation with simultaneous data visualization; optical camera setup to allow for precision alignment of sub-mm crystals or exploration of the position dependence of diffraction patterns. Laue pattern processing and indexing using NorthStar Real-Time Orientation software.

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Fast measurements in a small, table-top foot print, automated analysis of up to 12 samples in a single run. Radiation: non-monochromatic or filtered Rh x-ray source

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- Automatically calculate and display sheet resistance results - Self test against external precision resistor, 100Ω - Output currents up to 99.99mA and down to 10nA - Compliance voltage up to 40V - Accuracy of the instrument within 1% across whole range.

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The NEC Pelletron accelerator can accelerate H and He ions to 2 MeV for He+ and 3 MeV for He2+. There is a single beam line for RBS and ERDA experiments.

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For single wavelength, multiple angle ellipsometry.

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For spectroscopic ellipsometry. - Measure optical constants and thickness of multilayers or bulk materials, as well as reflectance and transmission as a function of angle of incidence, polarization, and wavelength. - Wavelength range: 240 nm to 1700 nm; - Angle of incidence: 12° to 90°; Temperature: 10 K to 700 K

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The Ramé-Hart Model 250 Contact Angle Goniometer / Tensiometer is equipped with a wide range of method-based interfacial analysis tools for working with pendant, inverted pendant, sessile, and captive bubble drops to obtain contact angle, surface energy, and surface and interfacial tension.

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Measures luminescent emission spectra upon photoexcitation (fluorescence and phosphorescence) and Raman scattering. Our custom-built experimental setup has discrete excitation wavelengths available in the range from 266 nm to 1050 nm. It allows for measurements from 4.2 K to 300 K using a liquid He bath cryostat.

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The PHI TRIFT III is a Time of Flight SIMS, which uses a pulsed primary beam to generate secondary ions which are mass separated by the amount of time it takes for the secondary ion to reach the detector. This produces a full mass spectrum from each primary pulse. The primary strengths of TOF-SIMS are surface/near surface analysis with low detection limits, isotopic analysis, imaging, and rapid depth profiling. Sensitivity to hydrogen, lithium, and elemental isotopes allow for measurements on metal, semiconductor, polymer, and biological samples.

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Surface profilometry is a contact measurement technique in which a diamond-tipped stylus is used to measure surface topography as it moves across the surface of a specimen.

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Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) measures heat effects associated with phase transitions and chemical reactions as a function of temperature.

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Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) measures weight changes in a material as a function of temperature (or time) under a controlled atmosphere. Its principal uses include measurement of a material's thermal stability and composition. The Q50 features a vertical beam balance design (sample capacity: 1000 mg) that supports precise TGA (balance sensitivity: 0.1 µg) measurements.

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Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) measures mechanical properties of samples. Its principal uses include measurement of a material's Young's modulus or viscoelastic properties as a function of temperature (or time). Testing can be performed in either tensile or cantilever bending geometries.

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The Malvern Zetasizer Nano ZS is a multipurpose light scattering instrument. It is outfitted with a 633nm red laser and is designed to analyze nanoparticles, small molecules and polymers in liquid media. The instrument has a temperature range of 0 °C – 90 °C. Results are laid out in both table and report format; both of which can be exported at the end of the experiment. Available techniques and instrument accessories are detailed below.

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This AFM is on an inverted optical brightfield/fluorescence microscope and is in a Biosafety Level 2 lab.

The MFP-3D-Bio from Asylum Research (with optional brightfield/fluorescence microscopy integration) features a closed-loop, low noise, high precision scanner for use with samples in air or fluid. Maximum lateral scan size is 90 µm x 90 µm, and maximum vertical range is 28 µm (closed loop, or 40 µm open loop).

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These two AFMs from Asylum Research feature closed-loop, low noise, high precision scanners, with Q-controlled AC modes (with phase imaging), piezo response imaging, contact mode with lateral force, and detailed force-distance measurements. These systems allow scanning in air or liquid environments, and have extensive nanomanipulation and nanolithography capabilities. Maximum lateral scan size on these instruments is 90 µm x 90 µm, and maximum vertical range is 15 µm.

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The Cypher is a state-of-the-art AFM from Asylum Research, featuring exceptionally low noise and fast scanning capabilities in addition to advanced scanning modes in air or liquid environments. Maximum lateral scan size on this instrument is 30 µm x 30 µm, and maximum vertical range is 5 µm.

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In Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), an electrically-biased tip is scanned very close to a surface (about an atomic diameter away). The current flow between the tip and the sample (due to quantum tunneling) strongly depends on the tip-surface gap; this relationship can be used to generate a surface topography map. Atomic-scale topographic resolution is achievable. All samples for STM must be at least somewhat electrically conductive.

STM mode on the Cypher serves in part as a testbed for determining whether STM is a viable experimental technique for samples before investing effort into UHV STM measurements. Additionally, the ambient conditions on this instrument permit STM measurements of samples which may not respond well to vacuum environments. This STM can do imaging and I-V curves but is not currently able to perform dI/dV measurements.

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The Hysitron TI 950 TriboIndenter at the Materials Research Laboratory is a versatile instrument with capabilities beyond traditional quasistatic nanoindentation. In addition to a standard transducer which can apply micronewton-to-few-mN loads over a displacement range of several micrometers, a high load transducer allows indents to be made at loads of up to 2.8 N over a displacement of up to 90 microns.

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