The objective of this project is to acquire a scanning electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) microprobe to fill a critical gap in surface analysis capabilities and greatly expand research possibilities in surface science, biosensor, nanodevices etc. at Portland State University (PSU) and beyond. The approach is to install such a state-of-the-art surface characterization instrument at the Center for Electron Microscopy and Nanofabrication, a multi-user core research facility at PSU, subsequently offer professional training and research support to internal and external researchers and students as well as technical personnel from high-tech industry, expand existing and develop new courses. The intellectual merit of this project is the unique integration of the scanning ESCA microprobe with a low-surface-damage C60 sputtering source to provide high-resolution surface analysis capabilities, not currently available at the greater Portland Area. It will allow academic researchers and industrial technical personnel to accurately identify the chemical state and composition, band structures and further understand the surface nature of inorganic and organic nanomaterials. The broad impact of this project is that it will significantly 1) Enable research activities in over 18 NSF, DOD, DOE etc. projects totaling over $10M; 2) Expand the scientific impact of planned research proposals; 3) Provide unique opportunities for the interdisciplinary research training and education via existing and newly developed courses and training programs; 4) Facilitate new faculty recruitment and advance junior faculty career development; 5) Increase inter /intra university and industry collaborations with current partners, while stimulating new collaborations with potential partners.
The objective and outcomes: This major research instrumentation (MIR) project aims at acquiring a scanning electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) microprobe to fill a critical gap in surface analysis capabilities and expand research possibilities in surface science, materials processing, nanodevice fabrication, biosensor, and alternative energy creation at Portland State University (PSU) and the greater Portland area. After two years’ collaborative efforts by the PIs and Physical Electronics (the manufacturer of the ESCA), model PHI 5000 VersaProbe scanning electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis microprobe has been successfully installed at PSU’s Center for Electron Microscopy and Nanofabrication (CEMN). This acquisition built on the investments of the NSF, Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI), the Murdock Charitable Trust, and PSU in the CEMN. The newly acquired scanning ESCA system—integrated with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), argon and C60 sputtering source—provides high-resolution surface analysis capabilities including chemical composition, oxidation and bonding states, and depth profiling capabilities in various materials from catalysts, metals, and semiconductors to soft materials such as polymers and protein that we previously lack at PSU. This new acquisition will significantly enable research and training activities in the greater Portland area. In addition to improving the capacities of PSU’s CEMN, this ESCA microprobe system will serve the needs of NSF, DOD, DOE, NIH and ONAMI grants in the Portland area, strengthening planned PSU external proposals. Moreover, the new instrument will provide unique opportunities for cross-disciplinary research, training, and education, as well as opportunities for outreach to K–12 students that could motivate them to pursue careers in science and engineering. Without doubt, this new capability at PSU will facilitate new faculty recruitment and advance junior faculty career development. The PIs and their colleagues are taking advantages of the unique capabilities of the new instrument to promote inter-university and university/industry collaborations among surrounding universities and local high-tech companies. In the first four months after installation, The PIs have already attracted two projects funded by local companies. The new instrument plays an important role for carrying out these projects. Also, the co-PI, Dr. Zhiqiang Chen, has already trained five graduate students and two engineers from local companies as regular users of the new instrument. The intellectual merit: PSU, Oregon’s largest public university, plays an important role in promoting advanced research and training a proficient high-tech workforce. The CEMN is a multi-user facility consisting of state-of-the-art electron microscopes, electrical and optical characterization tools, and nanofabrication instruments serving PSU faculty and students, as well as researchers from surrounding universities and technical personnel from local high-tech companies. The new PHI 5000 VersaProbe scanning ESCA microprobe system, which is the only one in the greater Portland area, will enable PSU and ONAMI researchers to conduct funded research and to initiate surface science, solid state physics and chemistry, nanoscience, and nanotechnology related projects. The new instrument will allow researchers to accurately identify the chemical state of metallic particles and inorganic and organic compounds, experimentally determine band structures and work functions of materials, identify the exact nature of surface defects, detect other solid state excitations (such as surface plasmons), and map all of the above parameters in three dimensions. The new instrument will enhance the research infrastructure at PSU and ONAMI, where the CEMN is one of the signature research facilities. The broader impact: Based on the recent installation of the instrument, the PIs are initiating the following activities to broaden the impact in education and outreach: (1) Develop surface analysis courses, incorporating the training activities for the instrument to be offered to science and engineering departments (both graduate and undergraduate levels). (2) Introduce the new instrument to high school students from the Pacific Northwest region, helping to motivate future generations of scientists and engineers. (3) Train REU students on the new instrument for the NSF-funded summer REU site at PSU, a program designed to motivate under-represented minority and female students to pursue careers in science and engineering. (4) Organize an annual surface analysis workshop and open house at the CEMN to attract users and to offer the general public a glimpse into the roles of surface characterization by spectroscopy and electron microscopy in the advancement of nanoscience and nanotechnology.
