Colorado State University NSF-REU Summer
Program in Materials Chemistry Research:
Synthesis, Characterization, and Device Fabrication
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Azer
Yalin
For more
information, visit our group webpage…
A current research
area is the development of laser diagnostics to study sputtering processes,
i.e. the ejection of material (atoms, clusters etc.) from surfaces due to
bombardment by energetic ions.
These sputtering processes are important in manufacturing processes
including thin-film deposition, etching etc. They also play a critical role in the field of electric
propulsion (i.e. the use of ion thrusters and Hall thrusters for satellite and
space missions) since the associated sputter erosion causes component failure
and limits thruster lifetimes. Our
group has developed the use of cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) as a laser
diagnostic technique to make ultra-sensitive measurements of sputtered
particles. Using CRDS, we are
studying how the sputtering depends on the energy of the incident ions
(especially for low ion energies near threshold), the angle of ion incidence,
and the condition of the sputtered surface. We are particularly interested in the sputtering of
multi-component spacecraft materials, such as kapton and boron nitride. For these multi-component materials we
can use CRDS to characterize the species-specific sputtering, e.g. how does the
boron sputter from a boron nitride sample? REU students will work with graduate students on CDRS
sputtering studies. Students
will gain hands-on experience with advanced laser systems, ion beam sources,
vacuum equipment, acquisition electronics etc., and will learn about laser
diagnostics, spectroscopy, plasma engineering and material sputtering.
Supported by
NSF-REU
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