EQUIPMENT

Chewbacca (Chewie, Flow Tube ALD Reactor)

Chewie is a hot-wall flow tube reactor built nominally for atomic layer deposition.  Its main reactor chamber is built from ~4” inner diameter tubes with 6”-conflat flanges.  It has the nominal ability to support up to 6 vapor-draw precursors plus two co-reactants and 2 bubblers.  It can be run to ~300 °C.  Check with Dr. Losego for anything over 200 °C.

Luke (Flow Tube ALD Reactor)

Luke is a hot-wall flow tube reactor built nominally for atomic layer deposition.  Its main reactor chamber is built from ~1.5” inner diameter tubes with 6”-conflat flanges.  It has the nominal ability to support up to 3 vapor-draw precursors plus 2 co-reactants and 3 bubblers.  It can be run to ~350 °C.  Check with Dr. Losego for anything over 200 °C.

Jabba (Static VPI Reactor)

Jabba is a hot-wall, static reactor designed for atomic layer infiltration (ALI) / vapor phase infiltration (VPI).  It has an inner chamber size of approximately 1’ x 1’ x 1’.  We can locally heat to about 150 °C, but chamber is limited to ~120 °C.

R2D2 (Static VPI Analytical Reactor)

R2D2 is an analytical vapor deposition reactor with a temperature-controlled in situ quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) for gravimetry and is connected to a mass spectrometer for analysis of vapor-phase chemical species.  Nominally R2D2 is used for ALI, although ALD processes could also be studied in this unit.

BB8 (ALD Reactor)

BB8 is a hot-wall ALD reactor designed for pulsed heating between precursor sequencing.  It has a pyrometer to track substrate temperature.

Fin (Static VPI Analytical Reactor)

Fin is an analytical vapor deposition reactor with a temperature-controlled in situ quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) for gravimetry.  Nominally it is used for analysis of ALI processes, although ALD processes could also be studied in this unit.

Mando (Static VPI Reactor)

Mando is an ALI pancake reactor designed around an 8” conflat nipple.  It has a chamber that is approximately 6” in diameter and 4” deep.

Jar-Jar (DC Sputter Chamber)

Jar-Jar is a DC sputter chamber with a 1”-diameter cathode designed for depositing conductive materials (metals and conductive oxides).  It has a rotating stage but no heating capabilities.

Baby Yoda (Grogu)

Grogu is a vacuum chamber for measuring the vapor pressures of ALD/CVD precursors.

Harrick Plasma Cleaner

Harrick Plasma Cleaner, PDC-001-HP is a plasma cleaning system nominally used to remove adventitious carbon from substrate surfaces prior to vapor deposition (e.g., silicon wafers or glass slides).  Removal of adventitious carbon will nominally make surfaces more wetting (lower water contact angle, near zero). We nominally run with an air plasma, but other gases can be connected.  It is also possible to etch polymers with oxidizing (air) plasmas.

Woollam Alpha SE (Spectroscopic Ellipsometer)

The Woollam Alpha SE is a spectroscopic ellipsometer capable of measuring the thickness and refractive index (real and imaginary dielectric constants / indices) over a wavelength range from 400 – 1000 nm.  To do this, you must fit the measured ellipsometric parameters to a model using software available on the system.  The tool is sensitive to ~1 Angstrom thicknesses. To extract refractive index, dielectric films will nominally need to be at least ~30 nm thick (to have enough sensitivity).  The easiest samples to measure are electrically insulating films (dielectrics) on fully reflective surfaces (e.g., silicon substrates).  However, thin metals (~<100 nm) and semiconductors, and optically absorbing materials can also be measured with more advanced modeling.  We have a home-built heating stage that allows measurements of thermal expansion and glass transition temperatures of thin films, particularly polymers.  The heated stage can reach ~170 °C.

Dektak 3 ST (Stylus Profilometer)

The Dektak 3 ST is a stylus profilometer capable of measuring film thickness (at step edges) and film roughness.  It is most commonly used to measure film thickness; especially for thicker metal films that cannot be measured with ellipsometry.  Nominally you can easily measure step edges of 30 nm or thicker, although it may be possible to measure thinner films. You need to mechanically align the sample to be “flat” with the profiler to get the best measurements.  This system can adjust the speed and downward force with which you scan the profiler.

Avantes UV/Vis Fiber Optic Spectrophotometer

Avantes UV/Vis Fiber Optic Spectrophotometer for measuring optical transmission and absorption of materials and solutions.  We can make transmission measurrements (solids and solutions), diffuse reflection, and specular reflection.

Contact Angle Goniometer

Ramé-Hart Contact Angle Goniometer for measuring wetting of surfaces.  This system has a digital imaging system to quantify the contact angle of liquids on surfaces.  It is also possible to get advancing and receding contact angles for various liquids.

Hall measurement system

Hall measurement system capable of measuring carrier concentration and electronic mobilities of conductive thin films.  This system can be heated (80 °C) and cooled to cryogenic temperatures.

Hot Disk TPS-2200

Hot Disk TPS-2200 Transient Plane Source capable of measuring the thermal conductivity and heat capacity of materials over ranges of 0.01 to 500 W/m-K.  Capable of measuring the thermal properties of solids, coatings, liquids, and powders.

Controlled atmosphere tube furnace

Controlled atmosphere tube furnace with Kanthal heating elements and a fuse silica tube that can go to ~1100 °C.  We can flow gases like nitrogen and foming gas (1% hydrogen in nitrogen) to get low oxy partial pressures.  We also have various box furnaces, including one furnace that can reacth 1700 °C (air only).

Spin coater

Spin coater for depositing thin films on solid substrates from solution.

Schlenk line

Schlenk line for doing air free chemistry.

Thermo Fisher Multifuge X1 centrifuge

Thermo Fisher Multifuge X1 centrifuge.  Capable of rotating up to 15,000 rpm.  We have rotors that can hold both 50 mL and 15 mL centrifuge tubes.

Rotovap

Rotovap for vacuum-based removal of solvents.

Dynamax UV light curing system

Dynamax UV light curing system for photopolymerizing polymers.

Pulsforge Invent photonic curing system

This is a flash lamp annealing (FLA) system with a xenon arc lamp capable of delivering up to 60 J/cm² of radiant energy in a single flash, at a maximum instantaneous power density of 35 kW/cm², over a 75 mm x 150 mm area. The time duration of each flash can be user-specified to values ranging from 25 μs to several milliseconds, and individual pulses can be repeated to deliver a time-averaged power density of up to 50 W/cm².   We have a controlled atmosphere chamber (vacuum or flowing gases) as well as filters to control the range of wavelengths used.

Retsch EMax High-Energy Attrition Mill

A Retsch EMax high-energy attrition mill capable of preparing nanosized powders.  The EMax can operate at up to 2000 revolutions per minute to achieve high-frequency impact and intensive friction that rapidly grinds powders down to < 80 nm.  We also have a lower energy planetary ball mill and a rolling mill for powder attrition and mixing.