Award Abstract #9977316
MRI: Acquisition of Instrumentation for Dual Ion-Beam Deposition and Analysis of Carbon Nitride Thin Films

NSF Org:	CMMI Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation
Initial Amendment Date:	July 29, 1999
Latest Amendment Date:	July 29, 1999
Award Number:	9977316
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Delcie R. Durham CMMI Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation ENG Directorate for Engineering
Start Date:	August 1, 1999
Expires:	July 31, 2002 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$138940
Investigator(s):	Olusegun Ilegbusi ilegbusi@mail.ucf.edu (Principal Investigator) Chung Chan (Co-Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	Northeastern University 360 HUNTINGTON AVE BOSTON, MA 02115 617/373-5600
NSF Program(s):	MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION
Field Application(s):	0308000 Industrial Technology
Program Reference Code(s):	MANU, 9146, 1467
Program Element Code(s):	1189

ABSTRACT

This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award provides funds for acquisition of equipment to synthesize and characterize wide-area carbon nitride thin films of tetrahedral structure. The major equipment is comprised of: (1) a dual ion-source deposition system with accessories including a vacuum chamber, vacuum generator and a power control unit, (2) a x-ray diffractometer, (3) a micro-hardness tester; and (4) a four-point resistivity and conductivity probe. A high-performance computer workstation is also required for preliminary development of the complementary theoretical model needed to optimize the system. The dual ion-source system will be assembled in-house while the other pieces of equipment will be purchased directly from vendors.

This instrumentation will have major impact on the research and educational goals of the Northeastern University in several ways: (1) The research to be conducted with the instrumentation will build upon the existing activities of the investigators on thin film growth and plasma processing of materials and additional faculty have also expressed interest in using the equipment for their research. (2) The instrumentation allows for collaboration between two faculty in different disciplines, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering, and will promote interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary projects and problem solution. This is a major goal of the Academic Common Experience (ACE) initiative of the University, which is to encourage faculty and students to appreciate the interconnectedness of various academic programs and to apply this understanding to solving complex problems. (3) Acquiring this equipment will advance the Cooperative Education Program of the University. Specifically, it will allow projects to be developed in collaboration with local companies for the cooperative education of undergraduate students. By the same token, this equipment will enhance the outreach programs of the investigators by providing the opportunity to design simple scientific projects for demonstration to underrepresented high school students. The research advances made with the equipment will also be incorporated into the materials processing and plasma processing curriculum in the University.

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