Materials Science and Engineering Research
Laboratories
Nanoscale Imaging, Spectroscopy, and Properties Laboratory (NispLab)
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The Nanoscale Imaging, Spectroscopy, and Properties Laboratory (NispLab) in the Kim Building is focused on nanoscale characterization of materials and structures generated in Maryland NanoCenter research laboratories or in the FabLab complex. It features high resolution transmission electron microscopy, secondary electron microscopy, scanning Auger microscopy, and scanning probe techniques for atomic- and nano-scale characterization. It is located in a section of the Kim Building designed for low vibration so that best possible spatial resolution can be achieved from the instruments there. The NispLab is adjacent to and integrated with the Keck Laboratory for Combinatorial Nanosynthesis and Multiscale Characterization. |
Keck Laboratory for Combinatorial Nanosynthesis and Multiscale Characterization
The University of Maryland has received a major award from the W. M. Keck Foundation of Los Angeles to establish a new Laboratory for Combinatorial Nanosynthesis and Multiscale Characterization. Conceived by Professors Ichiro Takeuchi, Gary W. Rubloff, and Ellen Williams, the Keck Laboratory will be a centerpiece for pioneering research which extends campus strengths in combinatorial materials science, scanning nanoprobes, and highly controlled materials synthesis profoundly into the nanoscale domain to enable fundamentally new insights into the behavior of materials at the nanoscale. See a 360° panorama of the Keck Lab.
Laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing (LAMP)
The Laboratory
for Advanced Materials Processing (LAMP), directed by
MSE faculty member G. W. Rubloff, is a class 1000 clean room
facility for semiconductor fabrication. It includes a broad
variety of advanced materials processes and supporting processes
for fabricating devices and test structures, such as lithography,
metal deposition, polymer and sol-gel processing, chemical
vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition, and associated
metrology and test equipment. It also supports materials
and process research in chemical processes, sensors, and
process control.
Laboratory for Plasma Processing of Materials
The Laboratory for Plasma Processing of Materials, headed by
Prof. Gottlieb Oehrlein,
is part of the Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied
Physics and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
The laboratory is in the Energy Research Facility. The research of the laboratory is aimed at
producing nano-structures using plasma processing and establishing the scientific understanding
required for the efficient production of nano-structures using this approach.
Polymer Characterization Laboratory
The Polymer Characterization Laboratory, directed by Bioengineering Graduate Director Peter Kofinas and MSE faculty member Robert Briber, includes facilities for advanced characterization of polymers, including thermal analysis, microstructural characterization, mechanical properties and interfacial fracture mechanics, and synthesis of polymers and sample preparation.
Equipment includes gel permeation chromatography, mechanical testing, microscope hot stage, full sample preparation laboratory, differential scanning calorimeter and thermogravimetric analysis, low shear stress rheometer and interfacial fracture strength measurement apparatus.
Laboratory for Radiation and Polymer Science
The Laboratory for Radiation and Polymer Science, directed by MSE faculty member M. Al-Sheikhly, has pursued the chemistry and materials of the radiation processing industry since 1960. The Laboratory supports companies and government laboratories with radiation-related research and consulting services in three areas:
Applied radiation and physics of polymers: crosslinking scission, polymerization, and effects on reinforced and filled polymers. These include the development ofproducts for ordinary commercial use (packaging materials, elastomers, membranes, textiles, etc.); and the degradation of insulating materials in space satellites and nuclear reactors;
Radiation sources technology, such as transport of high energy electrons in complex targets, dosimetry, and optimization studies; and
Fundamental aspects of radiation bearing on applied problems, such as radiation chemistry of crystalline alkane and semicrystalline polymers, initiation mechanisms of vinyl polymerization, and radiation effects on morphology and metrology of polymers.
Microelectronics Devices Laboratory
The Microelectronics Devices Laboratory, directed by MSE faculty member A. Christou, specializes in failures analysis and related methodology for integrated circuits and packages. It has the capability to meet these challenges and successfully perform the failure analysis of the integrated circuit (IC) packages with the state-of-the-art analytical techniques. Both destructive and nondestructive failure analysis of IC packages can be performed. Significant experimental capability toward this goal is achieved through cooperation with the Nanoscale Imaging and Spectroscopy Lab (NISP).
Combinatorial Synthesis and Rapid Characterization Center
A combinatorial approach to materials is an emerging paradigm of materials research methodology. In individual experiments, up to thousands of compositionally varying samples are simultaneously fabricated and screened for enhanced physical properties. The Combinatorial Synthesis and Rapid Characterization Center, directed by MSE faculty member I. Takeuchi, is a comprehensive lab facility for carrying out combinatorial experimentation with a focus in electronic thin film materials has been established. Experimental tools include a combinatorial UHV co-sputtering system, combinatorial pulsed laser deposition systems, various scanning probe microscopes and a scanning X-ray microdiffractometer.
Laboratory for Surface and Interface Studies (SURF)
The Laboratory for Surface and Interface Studies (SURF), directed by MSE faculty member G. Rubloff, provides a platform for advanced, ultraclean electronic materials processing as well as in-situ diagnostic techniques relevant to the surfaces and interfaces associated with film growth.
Current projects include:
- MOCVD growth of high-K dielectrics and ferroelectrics (R. Ramesh)
- Surface and film reactions in nanoporous low-K dielectrics (G. W. Rubloff)
- Biomaterials characterization for bioMEMS (G. W. Rubloff)
- Gas phase particle nucleation for nanomaterials growth (S. Ehrmann, Department of Chemical Engineering)
Facilities include:
- Warm-wall MOCVD system employing liquid and solid sources for multicomponent materials growth
- UHV surface analysis systems (XPS, UPS, AES, SIMS/SNMS, TDS, LEED) coupled to load-lock sample introduction and wafer processing facilities
- Vertical UHV furnace for nanoparticle growth of materials
Additional Resources
