The MRL Laser and Spectroscopy suite is a user-oriented, user-friendly facility that provides the modern photon-based analytical capabilities essential to today’s materials science. These services emphasize the study of optical properties of materials and interfaces, and the relation to microstructural and microchemical composition, phase transitions, crystalline, electronic, and defect structure of materials, surfaces, and interfaces.

Techniques

Contact Angle Goniometry

This technique is used to quantify the wettability of a solid surface by a liquid, as well as determining surface free energy, surface tension, and interfacial tension between materials.

Ellipsometry

Ellipsometry is an optical method used for the characterization of surfaces and thin film layers by measuring the change in polarization of light reflected or transmitted from them. Commonly used to determine layer thickness and optical constants, in some cases ellipsometry can also be applied to determine composition, crystallinity, roughness, and other material properties associated with changes in optical response.

Light Sources

We have a varied assortment of lamps and pulsed and continuous-wave lasers, including a supercontinuum 480 nm to 2400 nm pulsed laser and several ultrafast (<0.5 ps pulse width) laser sources.

Microscopy

The microscopy suite in the Laser and Spectroscopy Facility encompasses a wide variety of instruments for imaging and mapping of material properties. Available modalities include confocal Raman and fluorescence microscopy, scattering scanning near-field FTIR spectroscopy, C-DIC, TIC, polarization, phase, brightfield, and darkfield. Available geometries are inverted and upright using reflected or transmitted illumination.

Spectroscopy

Spectroscopy uses the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter to characterize optical, thermal, mechanical and electronic properties of materials. The MRL facilities include conventional, state-of-the-art spectroscopic tools in addition to techniques and instrumentation developed in house.