As part of the Advanced Lab courses that take place during the fourth year of the bachelor degree, the students perform experiments that combine sample and device preparation as well as structural and functional characterization, using analytical techniques. The experiments span the main material types. Students participating in the course therefore receive hands-on experience with processing-characterization cycles, and even probe the applicable side of devices they made themselves.
Experiments in the course include fabrication and characterization of microelectronic devices, transparent electrodes for solar cells, and ion-lithium batteries. Moreover, students work with advanced characterization equipment such as SEM, TEM, AFM, optical microscopy and XRD. In addition, they prepare their samples using thermal evaporation, photolithographic exposure and CVD.
For further information, please contact Dr. Ekaterina (Katy) Dovgolevsky at: mt.labadv@technion.ac.il.
The equipment used in the Advanced Lab is also available for research when not being used for teaching. The facilities include:
- PVD4 Vinci Thermal Evaporator: a physical vapor deposition (PVD) system, dedicated to thermal evaporation. The material source is resistively heated. The system is equipped with a quartz crystal monitor (QCM) for manual thickness control. The sample holder is planar and rotatable, with variable temperature up to 600 °C. The instrument has up to two sources (boats, filaments, etc.) and is used for the deposition of metals.
For use of the system, please contact Dr. Ekaterina (Katy) Dovgolevsky
For more information regarding the instrument
- AFM XE100 Park: Used for the study of morphological, topographical, electrical, magnetic, thermal and mechanical properties of materials at a scale ranging from the atomic scale to a few dozens of micrometers. The equipment is installed on an antivibration and acoustically insulated table.
In the Advanced Lab course, AFM is mainly utilized for topographical measurements.
For use of the system, please contact Dr. Ekaterina (Katy) Dovgolevsky
For more information regarding the instrument
- Phenom XL Thermo Scientific Desktop https://materials.technion.ac.il/en/team/ram-on-maor/SEM: A tabletop imaging instrument that combines an optical camera with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). While this SEM is a research-grade system, the user-friendly interface and robustness allows for data collection with minimal training. The Phenom is equipped with a CeB₆ (cerium hexaboride) source, a secondary electron (SE) and back-scattered electron (BSE) detectors, and an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) for chemical analysis.
For use of the system, please contact Dr. Ekaterina (Katy) Dovgolevsky
For more information regarding the instrument
- XRD Rigaku Miniflex: An X-ray diffractometer (XRD) using Bragg-Brentano optics with a 2θ scan range of 10º to 120º. The instrument uses Cu radiation and a wide-area scintillation counter detection system. The instrument is operated at 30 kV and 15 mA and data collection is either continuous or step-wise. The system is used for a variety of applications, including diffraction pattern analysis of powders or polycrystalline alloys/ceramics for phase detection and quantitative analysis.
For use of the system, please contact Dr. Ekaterina (Katy) Dovgolevsky
For more information regarding the instrument
- Instron: An instrument used for mechanical property measurements. In particular, tension and compression measurements. This machine measures loads in the range of 50-5000 N with an error of 0.5%.
For more information regarding the instrument
- Signatone Four-Point Probe: An instrument used for sheet-resistance measurements connected to a Kiethly multimeter system.
For more information regarding the instrument
- Cary100 Agilent Spectrophotometer: A double beam UV-Vis spectrophotometer, centrally controlled by a computer. The spectrophotometer has two light sources: a deuterium lamp and a halogen lamp. This instrument enables absorbance and transmission measurements of a variety of samples including liquids and thin films, in a wavelength range of 190 to 900 nm. Kinetic measurements are also available, as well as characterization of biological material such as DNA or enzymes.
For more information regarding the instrument
During their bachelor studies, students participate in several laboratory courses:
Focuses on basic experiments in the study of materials and their mechanical, chemical and physical properties. In this course, the students conduct tension tests, optical microscopy, fatigue experiments, aging tests, hardening experiments, phase diagram measurements, and polymer experiments.
Course Syllabus (link here)
The Advanced Laboratory courses include customized teaching experiments with hands-on experience using high-end instruments such as SEM, TEM, XRD, AFM, etc. The students prepare their own samples and devices, such as producing transparent electrodes using aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD), and producing their own microelectronic devices using photolithography and a physical vapor deposition system.
Lab manager: Dr. Ekaterina (Katy) Dovgolevsky
Academic coordinator: Asst. Professor Yachin Ivry
Contact
Email: mt.labadv@technion.ac.il
Phone: 077-8874103
