A multidisciplinary team of researchers from Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College and Villanova University propose to acquire a customized AJA Orion-8 UHV multi-source sputtering system with the capability of fabricating a variety of multi-layered or single-layered thin films with sub-nanometer thickness control under ultrahigh base vacuum and controlled atmosphere. The research projects that will be enabled or greatly enhanced by the acquisition of this sputtering system include (1) spin dynamics in magnetic nanostructures; (2) templated electrodeposition of nanoporous materials; (3) many-body interactions between ultracold highly-excited atoms; (4) photo electronics research; (5) nanomechanical characterization of interfaces; (6) high strength and toughness ceramic materials; and (7) silicon nitride nanofibers. The results from these projects will shed light on a variety of fundamental physics and engineering subjects in nanoscience and nanotechnology, and lead to applications in data storage and sensing, energy generation and storage, and biomedical engineering. The use of this instrument will also be incorporated into teaching activities to expose more students to the capabilities of advanced nanofabrication techniques. The addition of this sputtering system into the three institutions will enhance the instrument-sharing infrastructure for research and education in the three institutions; facilitate cross-disciplinary interactions and lead to the realization of previously undiscovered synergies in research at the three institutions; give a diverse group of undergraduate students and graduate students in the three institutions an opportunity to carry out hands-on research in materials science using cutting-edge technology; and provide opportunities for faculty belonging to under-represented minority groups to carry out cutting-edge research, which in turn will attract more women into these research areas.
Nanostructured materials, with one or more dimensions at the nanoscale, often exhibit new and enhanced properties over their bulk counterparts. Sputtering, a technique for precisely depositing thin layers of materials onto sample surfaces, is one of the most important nanomaterials deposition methods. For example, the giant magnetoresistance effect (2007 Nobel Prize in Physics) was discovered in nanoscale multilayered films fabricated by the sputtering method. A multidisciplinary team of researchers from Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College and Villanova University propose to acquire a customized AJA Orion-8 UHV multi-source sputtering system. The research projects that will be enabled or greatly enhanced by the acquisition of this sputtering system include studies in nanomagnetism, ultracold atomic systems, photo electronics, and nanomechanical engineering. The results from these projects will shed light on a variety of fundamental physics and engineering subjects in nanoscience and nanotechnology, and lead to applications in data storage and sensing, energy generation and storage, and biomedical engineering. The addition of this sputtering system into the diverse and dynamic environment existing in the three institutions will facilitate enhanced cross-disciplinary interactions, give a diverse group of undergraduate students and graduate students in the three institutions an unparalleled opportunity to carry out hands-on research in materials science using cutting-edge technology, and provide opportunities for faculty belonging to under-represented minority groups to carry out cutting-edge research, which in turn will attract more women into these research areas.
This Major Research Instrumentation project funded the acquisition of a multi-source AJA sputtering thin film deposition system for multidisciplinary materials research at Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, Villanova University and other nearby institutions in the great Philadelphia area. This sputtering system (Figure 1) includes a stainless steel main deposition chamber, five UHV magnetron sputtering sources, two DC generators capable of functioning simultaneously and independently, one RF generator, and a substrate holder with heating capabilities (up to 850oC). The base vacuum of this system is around 1.0×10-8 Torr. The system has the capability of DC, RF, and reactive sputtering deposition for ultrathin films below 1nm thickness. This sputtering system has been used to deposit magnetic thin films for spin dynamics research and copper films for nanoporous materials research at Bryn Mawr College. The thin films deposited by this sputtering system are uniform with well controlled thickness. This sputtering system has also been used by a group from University of Pennsylvania to deposit Pd-Si thin film with the intention of developing novel amorphous films with high yield strengths, low internal friction, and high toughness. The advantage of this new AJA sputtering system is the capability to co-sputter using multiple DC sputtering sources and a RF sputtering source. As a result, films with well-controlled composition can be deposited from either multiple pure element targets or an alloy target and pure targets to fine tune composition. The acquisition of this sputtering system has enabled or greatly enhanced research studies in nanomagnetism, ultracold atomic systems, photo electronics, and nanomechanical engineering. Through this MRI project, 3 Undergraduate students (all women), 5 graduate students (1 woman), 2 postdoctoral researchers, and 3 faculty members (1 woman) from Bryn Mawr College, Villanova University, and University of Pennsylvania have been trained to use this sputtering system for research. The addition of this sputtering system has facilitated enhanced cross-disciplinary interactions, given a diverse group of undergraduate students and graduate students in the great Philadelphia area an unparalleled opportunity to carry out hands-on research in materials science using cutting-edge technology, and provided opportunities for faculty belonging to under-represented minority groups to carry out cutting-edge research, which in turn will attract more women into these research areas. The results have been disseminated through conferences, training sessions and workshops. Two training sessions have been provided to the students and faculty members from Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, Villanova University, and University of Pennsylvania. Women faculty and undergraduate students from Bryn Mawr College led a workshop on Nanoscience for middle-school aged young women and their parents to encourage the girls' continued interest in the STEM fields.
