Materials Science and Engineering Research
Facilities, Laboratories and Equipment
Nanoscale Imaging, Spectroscopy, and Properties Laboratory (NispLab)
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. (Left: JEOL 2100F Field Emission TEM in the NISP Lab.)
NISPLab's equipment includes:
- A Hitachi SU-70 field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) equipped with an energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometer (EDS)
- A JEOL 2100F atomic-resolution field emission transmission electron microscope (FE-TEM)
- A JEM 2100 LaB6 transmission electron microscope (TEM) equipped with fiber optic, video-rate imaging
- A JEOL JXA-89 electron microprobe equipped with a wavelength-dispersive x-ray spectrometer (WDS)
The Keck Laboratory for Combinatorial Nanosynthesis and Multiscale Characterization
The University of Maryland 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 Rubloff, and Ellen Williams (Department of Physics), the Keck Laboratory is 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. (Left: Laser Molecular Beam Epitaxy System [LMBE] in the Keck Lab.)
See a 360° panorama of the Keck Lab. (Opens in a new tab or window. QuickTime required.)
Laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing (LAMP)
The Laboratory
for Advanced Materials Processing (LAMP), directed by Professor Gary 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.
Materials Screening Laboratory:
Lakeshore 7400 Series Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM)
The Materials Screening Laboratory is home to our Lakeshore 7400 Series Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM), the most sensitive VSM available today. This VSM features a noise floor of 1 x 10-7 emu at 10 seconds/point sampling, 4 x 10-7 emu at 1 sec/pt. and 7.5 x 10-7 emu at 0.1 seconds/point. It can measure hysteresis M(H) loops and temperature dependent magnetic properties of all types of magnetic materials in bulk, powder, thin film, single crystal, and liquid form. Its temperature range capabilities include a cryostat option covering 8 K to 425 K with liquid helium or 80 K to 425 K with liquid Nitrogen; and an
oven option covering 305 K to 1273 K. Variable gap magnets allow for field strength up to 2.3 Tesla and accommodation of large samples to 1".
Materials Characterization Laboratory:
Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM)
The Materials Characterization Laboratory houses our ElectroScan E3 environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), used for surface analytical imaging of uncoated samples. Samples can be observed under various environments (water vapor, air and other gases). Heating and cooling holders are available for in-situ scanning electron microscopy in temperatures rangibg from -190° C to +400° C. A straining holder is available for failure analysis under applied stress.
High-Resolution Transmission Microscopy Laboratory:
JEOL 4000 FX Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)
Transmission electron microscope for structural characterization of materials. Maximum available operating voltage is 350 KV. Characterization techniques include: Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED), Convergent Beam Electron Diffraction (CBED), Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM), and High Resolution Electron Microscopy (HREM) for study of atomic structures of materials. A cooling holder for temperatures from room temperature to liquid nitrogen temperature is available for in-situ characterization of materials.
Laboratory for Plasma Processing of Materials
The Laboratory for Plasma Processing of Materials, headed by
Professor 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 and the Functional Macromolecular Laboratory
The Polymer Characterization Laboratory and the and the Functional Macromolecular Laboratory, directed by MSE Professor and Chair Robert Briber and Professor Peter Kofinas (Fischell Department of Bioengineering), 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 Professor Mohamad 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.
University of Maryland Radiation Facilities: High-Energy Linear Accelerator (LINAC)
The Radiation Facilities at the University of Maryland, directed
by Professor Mohamad Al-Sheikhly, have recently installed a brand new, state-of-the-art high-energy linear accelerator (LINAC). The TB-10/15 LINAC (L3 Communications, San Leandro, CA) generates a 10 MeV electron beam with an average beam power of 15 kW and compliments the existing medium-energy LINAC. The high-energy beam provides an opportunity for research and industrial applications which lower energy LINACs are incapable of accomplishing, including medical sterilization. This is possible due to the unique ability of high-energy electrons to be converted to photons with a relatively high efficiency. In addition to its high energy electron beam, the L3 LINAC is also equipped with a scanning magnet and horn assembly which sweeps a beam of electrons over a 60 cm surface in either a horizontal or vertical orientation, depending on the specific application. This feature provides the University of Maryland with an ideal setup for pilot-scale studies of radiation processing. (Above left: The LINAC's electron gun.)
Research and industrial applications of the high-energy LINAC include:
- Polymer modification
- Sterilization of medical devices
- Radiation treatment of food products
L3 High-Energy Linear Accelerator System Specifications
| Beam Energy | 10 MeV + 0.2% |
Beam Average Power |
15 kW |
Beam Orientation |
Horizontal |
Scan Height |
24 in. |
Pulse Width |
18.35 ms |
Pulse Repetition Rate |
345 pps |
Microelectronics Devices Laboratory
The Microelectronics Devices Laboratory, directed by Professor Aris 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 Associate Professor Ichiro 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.
Additional Resources
