On Tuesdays and Thursdays and occasional Fridays throughout the summer MCL staff will be offering a series of free, one-hour lectures and workshops on various characterization topics. These will include a mixture of basic overviews of techniques aimed at anyone interested in these methods and more focused workshops primarily aimed at users who are currently trained in a technique but want to pursue a more advanced skill.
PAST WORKSHOPS 2024 |
|
| WORKSHOP |
June 13 - Thursday This lecture is aimed at anyone with an interest in learning about X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The principle of the technique will be discussed and the advantages and disadvantages along with case studies. |
| WORKSHOP |
June 18 - Tuesday This lecture introduces curve fitting of XPS data. It is aimed at people who are currently generating XPS data or processing data generated on their behalf. It is meant to be combined with the hands-on Workshop on "Curve fitting using CasaXPS Software". It will discuss constraining of fitting parameters, asymmetric vs symmetric line shapes, and checking the validity of your fits. |
| WORKSHOP |
June 20 - Thursday Bring your laptop pre-loaded with CasaXPS software to this workshop. It is aimed at people who are currently processing XPS data. Some model raw data files will be shared ahead of the workshop and we will work through the process of curve fitting various examples. If you are interested but do not yet have CasaXPS software, please contact Jeff Shallenberger (jxs124@psu.edu) prior to the workshop. |
| WORKSHOP |
June 25 - Tuesday This lecture will cover what effects the signal generation in an XPS experiment. It will discuss both first principles and lab-derived quantification. It is aimed at anyone with an interest in this topic. |
| WORKSHOP | June 27 - Thursday 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Quantifying XPS Data Using CasaXPS |
JULY SCHEDULE |
|
| WORKSHOP | July 9 - Tuesday 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Ion Beam Depth Profiling with XPS |
| WORKSHOP | July 11 - Thursday 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. XPS of 2D Materials |
| WORKSHOP |
July 12 - Friday We will go over the implications of each parameter in the spectral acquisition on the quality of your data. We will talk about aperture size, resolution, apodization functions, phase resolution, zero-filling, and more. |
| WORKSHOP | July 16 - Tuesday 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. XPS of Semiconductors |
| WORKSHOP |
July 19 - Friday Reviewing the common errors and artifacts observed in FT-IR spectra. We will go over the sources of these artifacts in sample prep, spectral acquisition and data manipulation as well as ways of avoiding them. |
PAST WORKSHOPS 2022 |
|
| LECTURE |
May 17 - Tuesday This lecture is aimed at anyone with an interest in learning about X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The principle of the technique will be discussed and the advantages and disadvantages along with case studies. |
| LECTURE |
May 19 - Thursday The focused ion beam (FIB) is a complement to a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The two can be used to observe the subsurface structure and make site-specific modifications. FIB also enables one to 1) perform complex patterning, 2) make site-specific cross-sections, 3) prepare transmission electron microscopy (TEM) samples and 4) observe the 3D structure by serial sectioning. This talk is geared toward those who want to hear the types of problems that can be solved with the FIB. |
| LECTURE |
May 24 - Tuesday This lecture introduces curve fitting of XPS data. It is aimed at people who are currently generating XPS data or processing data generated on their behalf. It is meant to be combined with the hands-on Workshop on "Curve fitting using CasaXPS Software". It will discuss constraining of fitting parameters, asymmetric vs symmetric line shapes, and checking the validity of your fits. |
| WORKSHOP |
May 26 - Thursday Bring your laptop pre-loaded with CasaXPS software to this workshop. It is aimed at people who are currently processing XPS data. Some model raw data files will be shared ahead of the workshop and we will work through the process of curve fitting various examples. If you are interested but do not yet have CasaXPS software, please contact Jeff Shallenberger (jxs124@psu.edu) prior to the workshop. |
JUNE SCHEDULE |
|
| LECTURE |
June 2 - Thursday This lecture goes over some simple strategies in interpreting FT-IR spectra. We will discuss the factors that influence peak positions and widths, and go over ways of assigning peaks. |
| LECTURE |
June 7 - Tuesday Raman spectroscopy is one of the most referenced techniques when determining structure or defects in carbon materials. However, countless papers will reference the D/G peak intensity ratio from the Raman spectrum of carbon materials without the realization or acknowledgment that this ratio is non-monotonic with respect to the amorphitization trajectory of carbon. Come find out the correct method for interpreting defects in carbon materials and all that can be revealed through Raman analysis of carbon materials. |
| WORKSHOP |
June 9 - Thursday This will go over some simple data processing function available in OPUS, such as peak fitting, integration, Fourier transforms and apodization. |
| WORKSHOP |
June 16 - Thursday Raman spectroscopy is one of the most referenced techniques when determining structure or defects in carbon materials. However, countless papers will reference the D/G peak intensity ratio from the Raman spectrum of carbon materials without the realization or acknowledgment that this ratio is non-monotonic with respect to the amorphitization trajectory of carbon. Come find out the correct method for interpreting defects in carbon materials and all that can be revealed through Raman analysis of carbon materials. |
| LECTURE |
June 21 - Tuesday This is an introduction to AFM lecture. It is aimed at anyone that is interested in learning about AFM and how it works. |
| WORKSHOP |
June 23 - Thursday Workshop on the non-destructive characterization of thin film samples using X-Ray Reflectivity (XRR) to determine film thickness, density, and roughness information of heterostructure samples. |
| WORKSHOP |
June 28 - Tuesday A workshop on AFM data analysis with Nanoscope Analysis and Gwyddion. |
| LECTURE |
June 30 - Thursday The invention of the AFM-IR technique, the ability to measure IR spectra on the lateral length scale of several nanometers, occurred in 2010. Only 4 years later, the inventor, Alexander Dazzi, was awarded the Ernst Abbe award for his invention and the technique has been rapidly commercialized. This talk will provide a basic overview of the AFM-IR technique including capabilities, limitations and a few example applications from work performed by Penn State researchers. |
JULY SCHEDULE |
|
| WORKSHOP |
July 7 - Thursday Analyzing powder diffraction data is often the most difficult part of an XRD experiment. Fortunately, there are software tools and databases available to make this process easier. Join Nichole Wonderling for a review of the program Jade (MDI, Inc., Livermore, CA) and the ICDD PDF-4+ database to learn how to perform phase identification search matches, background removal, profile fitting, data exporting and use of an internal standard for pattern calibration and lattice parameter determination. |
| LECTURE |
July 12 - Tuesday In Transmission Electron Microscopy, a high energy electron beam is scattered as it is transmitted through a very thin sample which can provide information about the internal structure of the sample. There is a wealth of information that can be obtained at nanometer length scales from transmission electron microscopy including crystal structure, elemental composition and chemistry, phase distributions, dimensions of nanoscale structures, etc. In this overview, we will discuss the fundamental principles of TEM, the types of information that can be obtained from TEM, and the instrumentation available at PSU. |
| LECTURE |
July 14 - Thursday Transmission Electron Microscopy is a powerful tool for understanding the structure and composition of materials at nanometer length scales. However, limitations on beam dose, stability in vacuum, and other environmental parameters have made it difficult to perform certain types of experiments and analyses in the microscope. Lately, many of these barriers have been overcome through new detectors and sample holders. This presentation will focus on how new detectors and in-situ holders can be used for examining samples in liquids or gases, and while heating and/or electrically biasing samples. This allows us to look at samples in their native state, or watch as dynamic reactions or transformations happen in the microscope. |
| WORKSHOP |
July 19 - Tuesday We will go over the theoretical background of the EIS technique and the applications it can be used in. |
| LECTURE |
July 21 - Thursday Join Nichole Wonderling to review the basic theory of X-ray diffraction, learn what type of information the technique provides, and see a few examples. |
| LECTURE |
July 26 - Tuesday Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) is a complementary technique to X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). In both analysis techniques, elemental and chemical surface information from the top ~7nm of a material are provided. AES is generally used for the analysis of conductive and semiconducting samples, particularly when higher spatial resolution is required over what is achievable by XPS. In this talk, we will go over briefly the theory of the technique. Then we will go over specific applications that discuss the advantages as well as the challenges in AES analysis. |
| WORKSHOP |
July 28 - Thursday We will show the users how to use the tool we have to get the raw data and how to apply the corrections necessary to get the most accurate experimental data. |
AUGUST SCHEDULE |
|
| WORKSHOP |
August 2 - Tuesday This lecture will cover what effects the signal generation in an XPS experiment. It will discuss both first principles and lab-derived quantification. It is aimed at anyone with an interest in this topic. |
| WORKSHOP |
August 4 - Thursday This workshop is meant to teach active XPS users how to implement quantification discussed in the Tuesday lecture on data using CasaXPS. It is not recommended for people not familiar with CasaXPS. |
| WORKSHOP |
August 9 - Tuesday This is an introduction to optical profilometry lecture. It is aimed at anyone that is interested in learning about OptPro and how it works. |
| WORKSHOP |
August 11 - Thursday A workshop on OP data analysis with Mx, Gwyddion, and Keyence Multifile Analyzer |