Our group conducts research in our laboratories on the main Clemson University campus (Olin Hall rm. 104 and Sirrine Hall rm. G52), at user facilities such as the Center of Integrated Technologies and in our offices and meeting rooms. Most of our time is spent reading articles, analyzing results and thinking about how our results fit within the established literature. Only 20% of our time is spent within experimental research laboratories. Some key pieces of our instrumentation used by students are:
Edwards Sputter Coater ESM100 (Olin Hall, Rm. 103)
The Edwards Sputter Coater has an E306A vacuum coater, with a sputtering module and control system within an adjoining 19-inch console. The E306A pumping unit is fitted with an Edwards E04 diffusion pump, backed by a direct drive Edwards E2M8 rotary pump. Between the diffusion and the chamber is a polycold trap to prevent hot oil from entering the chamber. The system has two gas inlets, and a rotating sample holder for four wafers for DC or RF magnetron sputtering of 4-inch targets. A heater can be attached to heat the substrates if needed.
Digital Instruments Multimode Atomic Force Microscope (Olin Hall, Rm. 210)
Designed for surface topography measurements for grain size and roughness determination, the Digital Instruments multimode AFM may be used in either contact or tapping mode to accommodate a range of samples. Precise sample positioning is possible using a stage micrometer and video camera.
Hysitron Triboscope Nanoindenter (Olin Hall, Rm. 210)
The Hysitron™ Triboscope transducer is used in conjunction with the modified Digital Instruments Multimode AFM to measure the mechanical response of thin films. This system has quasistatic loading capability. The quasistatic mode can reliably measure mechanical properties as shallow as 40 nm.
Pin-on-Disk Wear Testing System (Olin Hall, Rm. 210)
This pin-on-disk tribometer is capable of unidirectional sliding at loads up to 50 N and velocities up to 2 m/s. Environmentally controls (23-300 ºC and 10-95 RH) permit testing of either ball-on-flat or flat-on-flat tribotesting under different environmental conditions. This system was built by Nathan Mitchell as part of his thesis work.
