Thin film deposition lab

Megan Holtz

mholtz@mines.edu

In Hill Hall 302, we will be setting up a new molecular beam epitaxy thin film deposition system to grow designer oxide materials, where we can choose what material to grow atomic layer by layer. Before the system arrives, there is a lot to do: we need substrate materials that have perfect crystal facets which are perfectly clean. The surface of various substrate materials will be tuned by rinsing, etching, and annealing, and then verified using characterization tools such as atomic force microscopy. Then, we will grow and characterize new material systems. In this project, you will learn about thin film deposition, oxide materials, surface chemistry, and materials characterization (such as x-ray and electron diffraction techniques and various microscopies). Get in on the ground floor of an exciting materials engineering lab, and gain experimental skills that will be valuable as you launch your career. People who enjoy and/or want to learn hands-on work, who are in the early stages of undergrad, and/or who are women, minorities, or otherwise underrepresented are encouraged to participate.

Grand Challenge: Engineer the tools of scientific discovery.

holtz-lab.com

Megan Holtz, mholtz@mines.edu