Summer 2001 REU Program Each of the following projects will be investigated by a team of students, each of whom develops a specialty over the course of the summer. Therefore, there is no specific task or technique associated with each topic, instead within the framework of each project students will focus on processing, characterization of structure or chemistry, and properties evaluation.
Thin films are of intense importance in modern materials science.
They appear is such diverse applications as micro-electronics, chemical and physical sensors, dielectric coatings, protective and cosmetic coatings, and in non linear optical elements. Often, these coatings are less than one micron in thickness and characterization becomes challenging. The study of electroactive thin films not only introduces methods that are new, it also provides an opportunity to provide a number of standard analysis methods in a challenging context. In this project, students will learn how to make thin films of metals, inorganic compounds, and organometallics. They will characterize these materials using AFM, STM, XPS, IR, SEM, TEM, and nanomechanical testing.