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Equipment located in the Rheological Facility measures the steady state and dynamic response of polymers undergoing shear. This includes a Rheometrics Mechanical Spectrometer, which provides complex modulus, relaxation time spectra, and transient stress response data. Viscosity measurements are provided by a Gottfert Rheograph 2001 capillary melt rheometer and a laboratory designed and built high pressure viscometer for supercritical fluids investigations. An AIC Linear Rheometer provides measurements of external flow properties and adhesive properties of polymers.

Rheo-optical responses are monitored by use of a laboratory constructed shear cell that mounts within a Zeiss optical microscope. This arrangement permits birefringence measurements of polymeric solutions and conoscopy measurements of flowing, liquid crystalline polymers. Small angle light scattering measurements on polymeric fluids under shear are obtained through the use of a specialized, custom built instrument. Rheology is the study of the flow and deformation of materials. The complex rheology of many polymers not only constrains potential applications, but it also limits the way that these materials can be processed. The Rheology Laboratory clusters instruments that measure the mechanical and optical properties of various sorts of polymeric fluids (solutions, gels, melts) as stresses and/or strains are applied. Instruments to characterize these properties for solid polymers are located within the MRSEC Characterization Facility.

Several devices located in the Rheology Laboratory measure the steady state and dynamic mechanical response of polymeric fluids undergoing shear. These include a Rheometrics Mechanical Spectrometer (complex modulus, relaxation time spectrum, transient stress response), a Goettfert Rheograph 2001 capillary melt rheometer (viscosity), and a home-built, high pressure viscometer for supercritical fluid investigations. An AIC Linear Rheometer provides the laboratory with a capability to measure extensional flow properties and also to perform adhesion testing. Additional specialized instruments probe the rheology of low viscosity fluids such as oligomers and dilute solutions.

To monitor rheo-optical reponse, investigators in the laboratory have constructed a special shear cell that fits within a Zeiss optical microscope, an arrangement permitting flow birefringence measurements for polymer solutions and conoscopy for flowing liquid crystalline polymers. A second home-built optical instrument makes possible small angle light scattering investigations for various types of polymeric fluids under shear.

This facility provides computational resources for mechanics research of Brown faculty and external collaborators. It operates as a cost center administered by CAMR with a full-time director (Scheuerman). The major equipment includes a 58 node Opteron dual processor-dual core (232 processors) High Performance Computing (HPC) cluster, 2 Polyserve scalable fileserver, 2 Red Hat cluster suite routers, MSA1000 SAN with ~1 TB of user storage and an MSL5026 tape library. To ensure optimal performance and utilization of all compute nodes, we have deployed Standard LSF (a job scheduler) and Fairshare (a job queuing algorithm) from the HP XC cluster software suite. We have divided the HPC cluster into two partitions for serial and parallel processing to best utilize the additional memory needed for serial jobs. We have implemented several layers of high availability solutions (hardware and software) to avoid any system downtime and loss of data. Subsequent yearly upgrades to the facility are estimated at $50,000. A new high-performance facility is being installed in conjunction with the recent University HPC facility built in collaboration with IBM. The CMRF portion will more than double the capability of the existing facility, enabling far larger and longer computations to be performed locally at Brown. Details of this facility will be provided once up and running.

The Semiconductor Epitaxy and Analysis Laboratory (SEAL) includes the first University Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) facility developed in the state of Ohio (1994) and unique, world-class facilities to grow and characterize nanostructured electronic materials. SEAL’s inception as OSU’s MBE Laboratory came via interdisciplinary funding from OSU’s Center for Materials Research to Professor Ringel and rapidly became the central laboratory around which massive expansion of the electronic materials, optoelectronics and device research areas has occurred. Facilities for MBE growth of arsenide and phosphide based III-V compound semiconductors, epitaxial metallic multilayers, and SiGe, along with an array of sophisticated in-situ characterization tools, including x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and scanning tunneling microscopy, are linked along a common ultra-high-vacuum transfer assembly so that flexibly in-situ sample transfer between all deposition and characterization chambers is feasible. The ability to transfer between epitaxy chambers and atomic-scale and chemically-sensitive characterization tools within a UHV environment, coupled with the wide range of materials being studied [III-V compounds based on (Al,In,Ga)/(As,P), IV-IV semiconductors, magnetic and nonmagnetic metallic layers] make this a unique facility for leading edge research in electronic materials, heterostructures and nanostructures. SEAL incorporates major facilities obtained with equipment grants to EMDL and also to EMDL’s collaborators from the College of Engineering, Department of Physics and the Center for Materials Research who have contributed capabilities to the SEAL UHV cluster. Hence, the interdisciplinary nature of the Laboratory, which is at the core of its formation, translates into close collaborations between engineers, physicists, and industrial partners, providing unique research opportunities for students and senior researchers throughout the colleges of Engineering and Math & Physical Sciences.

SEAL also includes state-of-the-art materials and nanostructure characterization equipment vital to interrogate and understand properties of epitaxial materials. Of particular note is a Tandem High Resolution X-Ray Diffractometer – Scanning Photoluminescence system, which allows for simultaneous high-resolution triple axis x-ray diffraction and PL mapping over large wafer areas, an essential and unique tool for the lattice-mismatched heterostructures being developed by EMDL. Finally, SEAL is housed within Electrical Engineering’s 4000 sq. ft. Microfabrication Cleanroom facility, providing advantageous proximity to outstanding device fabrication facilities.

Major Facilities:

• Interconnected Ultra H-High-Vacuum (UHV) cluster of growth and analysis chambers, including:

• MBE Chamber for III-As and III-P based semiconductors

• Metal/GeSi MBE Chamber

• Variable Temperature XPS/Auger/Cathodoluminescence Chamber

• Variable Temperature STM Chamber

• RHEED

• Pyrometric Interferometry

• Nomarski (phase contrast) microscopy

• Double Crystal X-Ray Diffractometer (rocking curves)

• High Resolution Triple Axis X-Ray Diffractometer with Scanning

• Photoluminescence and Environmental Stage

• Electrochemical C-V Dopant Profiler

• Hg Probe

The Surface Analysis Facility is directed by Jack Hirsch. This facility is available for contract work as needed by companies and other institutions. The facility provides training and consultation for researchers interested in surface composition and /or structure. This battery of instrumentation allows one to gain information about the elemental analysis and chemical composition of a surface. Such techniques for surface characterization are particularly important in adhesive and lubricant development, in printing and coatings research, the electronics industry, and for biomedical implant technology development.

Shared facilities operated by the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience (NCMN). The facility provides state-of-the-art instruments for designing, fabricating, characterizing and testing of complex nano/micro-scale structures and devices. All these advanced tool sets are housed within the 4000 sq. ft. clean room at the Voelte-Keegan Nanoscience Research Center. The facility opens to all UNL researchers as well as external (including private sector) researchers for carrying out their research projects in physics, chemistry, nano/microelectronics, MEMs/NEMs, nano-bio, and other related and interdisciplinary areas. Staff support is available for training, process consultation, and collaboration on new process development.

The Minnesota Supercomputing Institute has the software, hardware, and experts to provide the support you need for your research no matter what the research area.

Location: Singh Center for Nanotechnology
Supervisor/Coordinator: Douglas Yates
Contact: Douglas Yates
Phone: 215-898-2013
Email: [email protected]
Oversight Committee Chair: Christopher B. Murray, MSE

The Nanoscale Characterization Facility maintains a full-service electron microscopy facility equipped with a wide range of state-of-the-art instrumentation for materials analysis. Structural, chemical and microstructural characterization of polymers, ceramics, composites, metals and alloys, electronic materials and devices, thin films, and coatings are conducted using scanning electron microscopes, focused ion beam electron microscopes, transmission electron microscopes, and scanning transmission electron microscopes. A wide range of specimen preparation equipment is used including cryo-ultramicrotomy, cryo-plunge, jet electrolytic polishing, mechanical dimpling, tripod polishing, vacuum evaporation, sputter-coating and replication. In-house hardware and software are available for a wide range of image and spectrum processing tasks and for the calculation/simulation of electron-beam specimen interactions and microscope performance. Facility staff provide complete user training and assistance with research projects involving our instruments. The staff are also available for demand service in situations where training is not desired.

• Microscopy Instruments include:
  • Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope – JEOL 7500F HRSEM
  • Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope – FEI 600 Quanta FEG SEM
  • Focused Ion Beam – FEI Strata DB235 FIB
  • Aberration Corrected Scanning/Transmission Electron Microscope – JEOL NEOARM TEM/STEM
  • JOEL F200 TEM/STEM
• TEM/STEM/EFTEM