Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

This proposal seeks funding for the acquisition of an atomic layer deposition system in order to support the on-going research efforts in growing materials by scientists and engineers in the fields of materials science, applied science, physics, and chemistry at Simon Fraser University (SFU). This technology will be immediately utilized by at least six research teams to grow oxide, nitride, and metallic films. Well-defined films will be grown by a self-limiting reactive process; a process of growing films one atomic layer at a time. These layers are uniform over relatively large areas compared to available techniques for growth of thin films. This uniformity creates defect free films with excellent repeatability. This new capability will be essential for the researchers to solve key hurdles that exist in their current research programs, as well as the ability to grow new materials and develop new devices. The proposed atomic layer deposition system will be used to demonstrate new materials and devices in a diverse range of fields. These areas of research include packaging and electrical connections within flexible polymer-based devices (e.g., organic solar cells), increasing the performance and specificity of biosensors (e.g., glucose monitors and antigen/antibody detection kits), catalyst layers within low temperature fuel cells and related portable energy devices, and growth of new materials. Materials based developments that will be pursued with this deposition technology include growth of new films with ferroelectric properties, magnetoelectric properties, nanoscale patterned materials with non-linear optical properties, and well-defined interfaces with organic electronic materials. Each of these materials based studies aims to improve our understanding of the relationship between the structure of the deposited material and its observed properties. Researchers working on over 10 research programs have expressed an interest having direct access to this deposition technology at SFU. From these programs, more than 30 students (graduate students and postdoctoral research fellows) are immediately ready to receive hands-on training with the equipment.