Materials Research Laboratory
Laser and Spectroscopy Instruments
The Laser and Spectroscopy Facility offers:
Spectroscopy
Fourier transform infra-red:
identify compounds via transmission spectra in the mid- and far-IR.
Photoluminescence:
excite sample with one wavelength, observe emission at another.
Pump/probe:
observe optically-induced changes in optical properties on a 100 fs time-scale.
Raman:
measure frequencies of molecular vibrations, optical phonons (50-1000 cm-1).
Sum-frequency-generation:
identify bonds and molecules at an interface between centrosymmetric media.
Time-resolved photoluminescence:
measure the lifetime of emitting states with single photon sensitivity and <1 ns temporal resolution.
Transmission and reflection:
basic optical characterization in the UV, visible, and near-IR (190-3300 nm)
Microscopy (Overview)
Conventional:
bright-field, dark-field, in reflection and transmission modes. Image capture done with Mpixel color and monochromatic cameras. Inverted (reflection mode only) and upright Zeiss aus Jena microscopes available.
Near-field scanning: (NSOM)
Compositional and topographic characterization with 100 nm spatial resolution
Operates in liquid environment, in transmission and reflection
Ellipsometry (Overview)
Used for determining index of refraction and thickness of thin films and multilayer structures.
Single wavelength, multiple angle:
632.8 nm currently available.
Spectroscopic:
variable wavelength (240-1700 nm), angle, temperature (10-700°K)
Sources
Pulsed and continuous-wave lasers
Spectral calibration lamps
Tungsten filament and deuterium arc lamps
Other Apparatus
helium cryostats (2-300 Kelvin)
liquid nitrogen cooled CCD cameras for low light-level imaging.
Optical Design
Help choosing the light sources, detectors, optics for experiments in your laboratory, time permitting.
Associated Labs
Brillouin scattering spectroscopy
Prof. Jay Bass, Geology
High-resolution FTIR spectroscopy
Prof. S. Lance Cooper, Physics/MRL
Manuals and Tutorials
Operating instructions and help files
- Varian Cary 5G spectrophotometer operation instructions
- Gaertner ellipsometer operation instructions
- Woollam ellipsometer operation instructions
- Woollam ellipsometer cryostat operation
- Raman setup operation instructions
- FTIR operation instructions
Tutorials
- Ellipsometry tutorial by J.A.Woollam.
- A list of ellipsometry technical publications by J.A.Woollam.
- Spreadsheet ellipsometry by Prof. Kondoh Eiichi
- Raman Tutorial by Jobin-Yvon