Alfred University has been awarded a nearly $350,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to enhance multi-disciplinary research and education at the Inamori School of Engineering. The grant, led by principal investigator Myungkoo Kang, assistant professor of ceramic engineering, along with co-principal investigators S.K. Sundaram and Mehdi Kabir, will fund the acquisition of an in situ infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry system. This advanced equipment uses polarized light to analyze thin films and bulk materials, providing valuable data on material properties such as complex refractive index dispersion.
The NSF grant will significantly bolster the university’s capabilities in materials science research. The new ellipsometry system will enable detailed characterization of materials, supporting innovative research and educational initiatives within the engineering school.
“A spectroscopic ellipsometer would allow researchers to cross-correlate data with other types of optical, structural, microscopic, and chemical metrology tools to better establish quantitative process-structure-property relationships for a wide variety of optical material systems, thereby truly advancing cutting-edge optical materials research at Alfred University,” Kang said.
The infrared radiation (IR) in-situ IR spectroscopic ellipsometer, when used in tandem with the University’s existing visible near infrared radiation (NIR) spectroscopic ellipsometry system, would enable a first-of-its-kind versatile system for the region. According to Kang, Alfred University will be the only institution in Western New York with such unique versatility in the temperature-wavelength measurement domain, thus becoming a centerpiece in making transformational progress in the University’s research areas of interest.
Kang said the instrument meets a critical need to support multi-disciplinary research and education programs including Ceramic Engineering, Glass Science, Materials Science & Engineering, Biomaterials Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering at Alfred University as well as the greater western New York State region.
The research projects enabled by the instrument have potential major technological impacts on the core interests of faculty and their collaborators, including glass photonics, fundamental glass physics, electro and high-temperature ceramics, biomedical sensors, and additive manufacturing. Incorporating the instrument, data analysis, and interpretation into undergraduate and graduate courses will strengthen educational offerings, thus providing an authentic hands-on experience.
“The acquisition of the instrument would enhance the student learning experience since we plan to actively incorporate a hands-on experimental session on the key optical metrology tool into our coursework,” Kang said, noting the equipment will be utilized by graduate and undergraduate students alike.
“For the graduate-level course, the ellipsometer will be used directly by the students during lab sessions and then later in their dissertation research. We also have highly motivated undergraduate students with a strong interest in characterization, and those students will be given training and permission to use the instrument.”
Kang noted that the equipment will also be beneficial to the Inamori School of Engineering’s outreach initiatives.
For more information: Alfred University
