MRI: Acquisition of a Magnetron Sputtering Thin Film Deposition System for Research and Teaching at the University of North Florida

The deposition of thin films with precisely controlled physical properties is an essential component of many important technological applications, from the fabrication of integrated circuits to the creation of optical components to the development of wear-resistant coatings. This award supports the acquisition of a versatile sputtering thin film deposition system at the University of North Florida (UNF). The system will be capable of depositing both electrically conducting and insulating materials with the ability to tune a wide range of deposition parameters to optimize film properties. It will significantly enhance the research of the four PIs on the development and characterization of new thin-film materials and devices with tailored electrical, optical, and mechanical properties. It will also enhance the training of students across multiple science and engineering disciplines at both the undergraduate and master's levels.

The magnetron sputtering system will be capable of DC and RF sputtering, high-power pulsed sputtering, co-sputtering, and reactive sputtering, giving users great flexibility to optimize deposition conditions for a wide range of materials. PI Santavicca (UNF Physics) studies microwave-frequency devices based on high-kinetic-inductance superconducting nanowires. Such devices have applications ranging from single-photon detection to quantum computing. The sputtering system will enable the PI to fabricate these devices at UNF, greatly expanding the capabilities of his research program. Co-PI Wurtz (UNF Physics) studies plasmonic nanostructures such as spasers, or plasmonic lasers, and cut-disk resonators. The sputtering system will enable him to fabricate these samples for the first time at UNF, complementing existing facilities for optical characterization and simulation. Co-PI Stagon (UNF Mechanical Engineering) studies thin-film coatings for applications ranging from surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy to wear-resistant coatings for high-speed machine tooling. The proposed system will significantly expand the range of materials that he is able to study. Co-PI Warusawithana (UNF Physics) grows complex oxide heterostructures using molecular beam epitaxy. The sputtering system will create new possibilities for him to develop these samples into microfabricated devices such as wires, capacitors, and tunnel junctions in order to characterize the complex oxide materials and to produce functional devices.

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This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.