Conventional X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) provides fundamental information on chemical, molecular, electronic, and compositional properties of surfaces and interfaces under ultra-high vacuum conditions. Near ambient pressure XPS (NAP-XPS) significantly extends the depth and breadth of scientific inquiry of conventional XPS by enabling analyses in the presence of a background gases near atmospheric pressures. The NAP-XPS system will enhance interdisciplinary research and education programs throughout the scientific and engineering communities at Oregon State University (OSU) and the Pacific Northwest. The system will be operated and managed as part of the Oregon State University Materials Synthesis & Characterization (MaSC) Facility, an open user resource for researchers from all academic, government, and industrial laboratories. In partnership with Saturday Academy and the Education Partnerships Program at OSU, the principle investigators will offer for middle school students and teachers new summer science camps and workshops covering current topics in energy and materials research. These efforts will be extended to public informal education programs, encompassing the latest research advances in Materials, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Community, and Sustainability.
Interdisciplinary research in materials, devices, and processing provides the knowledge base to advance activities in many scientific and engineering fields, including materials synthesis, catalysis, energy conversion, electronic devices, and bio and environmental sensing. The detailed chemical, molecular, and compositional understanding of surfaces and interfaces enabled by the NAP-XPS provides unique insight into complex systems and guides improvements in material, device, and processing sciences. The NAP-XPS has capabilities that are not available elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest. The instrument will enable measurement of XPS spectra covering pressure ranges over 11 orders of magnitude (5x10-10 to 20 mbar) and sample temperatures between 200 and 723 K. This system will enhance collaborative projects and programs across material science, chemistry, physics, chemical engineering, and electrical engineering. Areas of research include the synthesis and study of model catalytic, optical, piezoelectric, and electronic materials prepared by solution and vacuum-based methods; determining the role of partial pressure and temperature on adsorption state of probe molecules on model catalytic systems; evaluating thermal-stimulated processes for state-of-the-art directly patterned inorganic hardmasks; spectroscopy of electronic and optoelectronic devices including band-alignment for interfaces related to solar cells and metal-insulator-metal diodes; and functionalization and defect passivation of thin films and nanomaterials for electronic and optoelectronic applications.
