Ceramics
Facility
Students prepare, mill, and characterize ceramic
powders and then fabricate them by pressing, isostatic pressing, slip casting,
extrusion, hot pressing, and sinter forging. Equipment includes a hot isostatic
press for firing at temperatures up to 2,300° C and an ultrasonic machine
tool for drilling, planing, and milling ceramic particles.
Central Laboratory
for Materials Mechanical Properties
The Central Laboratory
for Materials Mechanical Properties (CLaMMP) contains testing machines
and accessories for conducting educational, research, and outreach experiments
on most solid materials. The lab is available for use for both the Northwestern
community and non-Northwestern researchers on an hourly-fee basis. The laboratory
is directed by Prof. Katherine Faber and Prof. David Dunand and is managed
by Mark Seniw.
Electronic
and Photonic Materials Characterization Laboratory
This laboratory contains spectrophotometer systems
for determining optical properties of materials, including photoluminescence,
photoconductivity, and photocapacitance. A Fourier transform infrared system
is available for high-resolution studies. A Hall Effect analyzer, an ECV profiler
(for carrier concentration measurements), a curve tracer (for semiconductor
device analysis), an impedance analyzer, and a spectrometer (for optical analysis)
are also available.
Electron
Probe Instrumentation Center
Various electron microscopes within the Materials
and Life Sciences Building have been consolidated in the Electron
Probe Instrumentation Center (EPIC), making for one of the world’s
most complete arsenals of routine and state-of-the-art electron microscopes.
In addition to a complete specimen preparation facility, EPIC houses the following
facilities for scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy
(TEM), and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM):
Three highly qualified microscopists manage the EPIC facilities, and regular training sessions and short courses are offered.
High-Resolution
Electron Microscope Facility
This facility,
one of only two in the US and perhaps five around the world combines a unique,
high-resolution electron microscope (capable of imaging atoms) with an extensive
set of surface science chambers for
preparing and treating samples including thin-film growth, chemical characterization
and scanning electron microscopy. A single sample can be transferred between
the different stations under very controlled vacuum conditions so that it remains
clean. The microscope is interfaced with a set of computers for high-speed
image analysis and interpretation. Various other types of software, for instance
a Public Domain electron crystallography code edm as
well as code for Direct Methods called fs98 are
also available.
Impedance
Spectroscopy Facility
This laboratory houses Agilent Technolgies 4192A
and Solartron 1260 impedance analyzers, fully computer-controlled, for making
frequency-dependent impedance/dielectric spectroscopy studies of materials.
Recent materials and topics under investigation include fiber-reinforced composites,
the aging of polymer wiring insulation in aerospace applications, interface/electrolyte
characterization of solid oxide fuel cells, and the characterization of thin
film electroceramics for grain vs. grain boundary effects. The potential also
exists for the characterization of soft materials, including biological and
biomaterials.
Materials Processing and Crystal Growth Facility - CLEANROOM
The facility is devoted to materials processing, crystal growth, device fabrication, and electronic & photonic materials. An extensive list of equipment is available in the Materials Processing and Crystal Growth Facility (MPCGF) of the Materials Research Center (MRC). The facility provides microfabrication tools for general use by the Northwestern community, government and industrial researchers. Various techniques are available for the growth, preparation, and processing of a wide range of single or polycrystalline material in both bulk or thin film form. Assisted use and training of equipment within the MPCGF is available to provide the necessary expertise.
The MPCG cleanroom laboratory has been expanded by the addition of 2000 sq. ft. cleanroom complex in Cook Hall which provides microfabrication and thin film processing capabilities. This provides a centralized resource for the deposition of metal, semiconductor and dielectric thin films, photolithography, processing, and metallization. The equipment available can be used for metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), physical vapor deposition (PVD) (e-beam and thermal evaporation), controlled doping, and reactive ion etching (RIE). Standard processes have been established along with an expansion of the pre-existing photolithographic capabilities.
Techniques available to the researcher in the MPCGF for materials preparation
and crystal growth include Czochralski, Bridgman-Stockbarger, modified Bridgman,
floating zone, zone refining, zone leveling, levitation melting, strain anneal,
aqueous growth, and arc melting. These techniques can be accomplished in
vacuum, or a variety of other atmospheres depending on the method.
There is also equipment for in-process characterization including Hall effect,
4 point probe, Nomarski microscope, thin film profilometer, thin film analyzer
with refractive index analysis and wire bonding tools.
Nano-Tip Preparation
Sub-Facility
Located in the Optical Microscopy and Metallography
Facility (below). Equipment is available for preparation of controlled geometry
tips used for AFM, STM and related techniques. This includes capabilities to
attach nanotubes or nanoparticles to tip ends via micromanipulation. Visit
the Nano-Tip Preparation Sub-Facility.
NUANCE integrates
three existing complementary instrumentation facilities at Northwestern University:
NIFTI, EPIC, and Keck-II --consolidated into contiguous space under a unified
management umbrella.
The three facilities are unique, centralized,
and integrated resources for the NU community and beyond. Integration permits
synergy among instruments, techniques, training, service, and technical staff.
EPIC (Electron
Probe Instrumentation Center), part of the Materials
Research Center at Northwestern University, has an array of scanning and
transmission electron microscopes (SEM and TEM) as well as a comprehensive
specimen preparation facility.
NIFTI (Nanoscale
Integrated Fabrication, Testing and Instrumentation) user facility was established
with the support of NSF-NSEC and the State of Illinois. It primarily comprises
of scanning probe and related lithography instrumentation for patterning, fabrication
and localized measurements.
Keck-II (Keck
Interdisciplinary Surface Science Center), established in 2001 through the
support of W. M. Keck Foundation, has state-of-the-art surface science and
related instrumentation, including XPS, ToF SIMS,UHV STM/AFM, among others.
Northwestern
University Center for Atom-Probe Tomography (NUCAPT)
Cook Hall, 1086, Tel: (847) 491-7826
Facility Director: David
M. Seidman, MSE
Facility Manager: Dieter Isheim,
MSE
Understanding the properties and performance of materials requires knowledge
of their characteristic structures and local compositions, often at an atomic
scale and in three dimensions. NUCAPT is a laboratory where such measurements
can be performed with atom-probe tomography. The microstructural features
studied might typically be of the following types: Composition of second-phase
precipitates or inclusions (down to 1nm diameter) or small clusters, compositional
variation in modulated structures, layer-by-layer analysis of ordered phases
or multi-layer thin-film structures, dopant profiles of semiconductor structures
(transistors), and observation of interfaces (e.g. chemistry of grain boundaries).
EQUIPMENT:
1. LEAP 3000X manufactured by Imago
Scientific Instruments: This instrument,
a local electrode atom-probe (LEAP) tomograph, has
an ultrafast detector capable of collecting up to
72 million atoms per hour. Atoms are evaporated from
the sample surface either by voltage or laser pulses
and a computer reconstructs a three-dimensional image
with both the chemical identity and positions of
individual atoms, with a depth resolution of a single
atomic plane of 0.1 - 0.3 nm. A microelectrode allows
the analysis of microtips, prepared by FIB (ion-milling
and/or lift-out technique to target specific features),
or wire tips prepared by conventional electropolishing.
A forthcoming upgrade will feature increased data
collection rates, digital field-ion microscopy and
a larger field-of-view.
2. Three-dimensional Atom Probe (3DAP) for wire specimens,
with voltage-pulsed field-evaporation, energy compensating reflectron lens
for high mass resolution, and phosphor-screen based field-ion microscopy.
3. A specimen preparation laboratory for preparing needle-shaped
specimens for atom-probe tomography. Our lab features a high-speed precision
saw to cut specimen blanks, an electropolishing station with a high-resolution
stereo-microscope, and a Simplex Electropointer automated electropolisher.
Vist the NUCAPT website here.
Optical
Microscopy and Metallography Facility
Equipment for preparing specimens for optical
analysis includes diamond/abrasive blade saws, grinding & polishing wheels,
and microscopes using reflected and transmitted light with magnifications ranging
from 6x through 1,600x. A hot stage is available for use with the transmission
microscope. Selected microscopes have Nomarski optics and polarized light
and are equipped with digital cameras. Hardness testing -- Rockwell and
microhardness (Vickers and Knoop) -- is also available.
A furnace room holds two high-temperature box furnaces,
one salt pot furnace, one low-temperature box furnace, and two high-temperature
tube furnaces.
A poster printer, dye sublimation printers and scanner
are also available in the facility. Interested users should contact Dr.
Kathleen Stair at kstair@northwestern.edu (phone
847-491-7827) for more information.
Polymer
Characterization Facility
This facility houses equipment used primarily
for polymer characterization. Molecular weights can be measured by light scattering
or solution viscosity. Thermal behavior can be studied with a differential
scanning calorimeter with thermogravimetric capabilities. Other equipment includes
density gradient columns and a spin coater. Facilities for the determination
of molecular weights and molecular weight distributions by size-exclusion chromatography
are also available.
Surface
Science Facility
This facility is open to all qualified users
interested in surface characterization. It contains a scanning Auger microprobe
with submicron resolution, scanning tunneling/atomic force microscopy (STM/AFM),
and nanoindentor. Training is offered upon request so that any interested
users can become qualified users quickly.
J.
B. Cohen X-Ray Diffraction Facility
This laboratory includes 10 standard X-ray generators,
four rotating anode units, and a variety of goniometers. Also available are
three small-angle units, an EXAFS unit, topographic units, and equipment for
work with single crystals or powders (from 2 K to 2,500 K). These units are
operated from one of the many microprocessors with UNIX-based Sun workstations,
part of a time-share system in the laboratory. Visit
the X-Ray Diffraction Facility
A full-time engineer assists qualified users and maintains
the equipment. Several courses provide training. The laboratory staff is part
of a Midwest team operating a beam line at Brookhaven National Laboratory’s
high-intensity synchrotron X-ray facility, which Northwestern students may
also use. It is also part of a beam line sector at the Advanced Photon Source
at Argonne National Laboratory.
Other
Research Facilities
Other research facilities are available for thin-film
characterization (spectroscopic ellipsometer) and for measurements of charge
transport, electron spin resonance (ESR), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).
Many other facilities are located in other departments throughout the University.
Robert
R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
Materials
Science Home | McCormick
Home | Northwestern
Home | Calendar:
Plan-It Purple | Sites
A-Z
© 2007 Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern
University
2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208-3108 | Phone: (847) 491-3537 | Fax: (847)
491-7820
Email: matsci
@.northwestern.edu | Legal
and Policy Statements