Equipment

ICP-CVD vertical cold wall reactor

Inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition system

The inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) system is used for the production of low-temperature graphene. The system is equipped with both remote and local plasma, facilitating graphene growth at reduced temperatures and catalyst thickness. The rotating stage is capable of reaching temperatures of 1000°C and enables growth on wafers up to 100 mm in diameter.

PECVD Reactor

A plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) reactor is capable of generating aligned CNT growth due to the presence of an electromagnetic field during the growth phase. The system is equipped with a three-channel mass flow controller and a heated graphite stage capable of rapid thermal processing at temperatures up to 900°C. Software control allows for completely automated growth processes.

Two Furnaces and Three CVD Reactors

Two furnaces and three CVD reactors are available for materials treatments and synthesis. The CVD reactors are equipped with a four-channel mass-flow controller and can reach ultimate temperatures of 1200°C. They are arranged in a variety of configurations: (1) pressure-regulating butterfly valve; (2) with a 3-mode 4W Q-switched Nd:YAG laser for ablation-based depositions; and (3) with a vapor-phase mass-flow controller.

Cascade Summit Probe Station

This Cascade summit probe station is designed with a low-noise micro-chamber and equipped with an Agilent 4156C semiconductor parameter analyzer. This system can perform a variety of electrical measurements: four-point probe, conductivity, IV characteristics. Especially, it is capable of pA-level current measurements.

Micro-environmental Probe Station

A custom-designed electrical probe station capable of ultra-high vacuum (1x10-9 torr) base pressure, sample heating up to 500C, and precision leak gas (O₂, CO₂, H₂O, etc.) control. Gas concentrations can be monitored using a four-channel residual gas analyzer. The system is equipped with modular electric and fiber optic probes capable of a variety of measurements (using an Agilent B1500A semiconductor analyzer) including IV characterization, four-point probe resistance, field emission, and photo-stimulation using a tunable Ti:sapphire laser (700–950 nm).

Gamry Electrochemical Probe Station

A Gamry Reference 600TM potentiostat/galvanostat/ZRA can be used for investigating fundamental electrochemical properties with high speed (3000 V/s), wide range (600 mA to 60 pA), current resolution (20 pA) and low noise, for applications in corrosion, coatings, and sensors. The PWR800TM Electrochemical Energy Software is useful for advanced electrochemical testing in energy research including fuel cells, batteries, solar cells, and supercapacitors. Rotating disk electrode probe is used for investigating the kinetic mechanism of electrocatalysts involved in the oxygen reduction reaction for fuel cells.

UV-Vis Spectrophotometer

The UV-3600 allows for spectral, photometry, or kinetic measurements of reflection, absorption, and transmission for bulk, thin-film, or liquid-suspended materials for wavelengths in the range of 3300–190 nm (0.376–6.52 eV).

Horiba Raman/PL System

The HR800 UV is equipped with a 100 mW 532 nm diode-pumped solid-state laser and a 15 mW 325nm HeCd laser. Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence properties can be measured with either of the lasers, and a piezoelectric stage allows mapping with <100nm step size.

solar cell test bench

The system includes a Keithley 2400 digital source meter and a 150 W Newport solar simulator for measuring various properties (open circuit voltage, current output, etc.) of a wide range of photovoltaic devices.

Desktop SEM

The Phenom Desktop SEM is a high-contrast desktop imaging tool, which bridges the gap between optical and electronic imaging systems. This machine is capable of imaging a sample to 20,000x magnification using a 5kV electron beam in less than 30 seconds. Its low-vacuum design makes it applicable for a variety of samples.

cryogenic probe station

The Lakeshore EMPX-HF cryogenic probe station is a four-probe system capable of reaching temperatures of 3.2K using liquid helium cryogen. It is also equipped with a power supply capable of applying a 0.55T magnetic field at the sample surface.

Physical Electronics Versaprobe II XPS/UPS/AES

The Physical Electronics Versaprobe II XPS/UPS/AES is a comprehensive multifunctional surface equipment. This system is equipped with a C60 sputtering gun, dual beam charge neutralizer, and a floating column Ar ion gun for XPS sputter depth profiling. It also includes a scanning electron gun for submicron surface analysis by Auger Electron Spectroscopy and a UV lamp for Ultra-violet Photoelectron Spectroscopy (UPS) measurements. It provides superior micro-area spectroscopy, chemical imaging, and secondary electron imaging with a raster scanned 10 µm diameter x-ray beam. It is suitable for surface composition, chemical state, and electronic structure analysis.

Sample Prep Room

This room is equipped with a plasma cleaner, a precision ion polishing system, a precision polishing machine, an ultrasonic disc cutter, a disc punch, a dimple grinder, a disc grinder, a specimen mounting hot plate, a diamond saw, sputter and carbon coaters, a critical point drying system, and an optical microscope for SEM and TEM specimen preparation.

field emission scanning electron microscope

FEI Sirion FESEM, 30kV microscope equipped with Oxford Inca Energy 250 EDX system. The combination of Schottky type field emission source and through-lens detection technology allows ultra-high resolution imaging. The high-resolution EDX attachment allows for simultaneous chemical analysis. Full-range computer control facilitates user-friendly operation.

variable pressure SEM

The Zeiss Sigma VP FEG, a variable pressure field emission SEM

The Zeiss Sigma VP FEG is a variable pressure field emission SEM equipped with Oxford EDS/WDS detectors and E-beam lithography system. An imaging resolution of 1.3-nm is achievable at 20kV. The microscope is ideal for organic and inorganic materials, geology, biological samples with a capability of elemental composition analysis and comprehensive pattern generation.

Dual Beam Focused

The FEI Helios G4 PFIB UXe Dual Beam system

This newly purchased FEI Helios G4 PFIB UXe DualBeam system is capable of performing high-quality, large-volume 3D characterization, cross-sectioning, and micromachining of materials and shows superior capabilities for high-quality Ga+ free TEM sample preparations. This dual beam FIB is also equipped with a high-resolution EDS and fast EBSD analytic systems.

Ion Beam Microscopes

the FEI Helios NanoLab 400S SEM/FIB microscope

The FEI Helios NanoLab 400S SEM/FIB combines an ElstarTM electron column for high-resolution and high-contrast imaging with a high-throughput SidewinderM Ga+ ion column for fast and precise cross-sectioning. It is optimized for high-throughput, high-resolution S/TEM sample preparation, SEM, and STEM imaging.

KJ lesker pvd

The KJLC AXXIS system provides three mechanisms for film deposition: thermal evaporation, electron-beam induced deposition, and DC & RF magnetron sputtering, enabling the deposition of insulating and magnetic as well as conductive materials.

field emission transmission electron microscope

The FEI Technai F-20 200kV field emission high-resolution TEM

The FEI Tecnai F-20 200kV field emission high-resolution TEM provides a unique combination of outstanding performance, ease-of-use and high-resolution performance in microanalysis and (S)TEM imaging. It has Schottky type field emission source giving ultra-high brightness and is normally operated at 200 kV. It has point and line resolutions of 0.24 and 0.10 nm, respectively. The equipped EDAX EDS system enables elemental analysis in the nanometer order. The GIF, on the other hand, adds energy-loss spectroscopy and filtered imaging capabilities to this TEM. Attachment of US, MSC, and TV rate CCD cameras enables digital recording of images. Single-tilt, double-tilt, heated, and cryogenic specimen holders are available for use.