Thin Film & Surface Science Lab

This research laboratory was established in 1993 by Dr. Weidian (Wade) Shen, Professor Emeritus. His research on mechanical properties of paints and coatings, including corrosion studies, was supported by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), Office of Naval Research (ONR), and the National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center in Coatings (NSF I/U CRCC).

In 2016, Dr. Jonathan Skuza joined EMU and further extended the capabilities of this laboratory to include the investigation of electrical, optical, and magnetic properties of thin films. Support has been through EMU grants and fellowships, as well as outside entities (e.g., Dr. Roy Clarke at the University of Michigan, Dr. R. Ale Lukaszew at the College of William & Mary, and Guardian Glass in Carleton, MI).

Dr. Skuza is usually looking for currently enrolled, focused, and talented EMU undergraduate (declared major in Engineering Physics, Physics Research, or Physics) and currently enrolled graduate students (M.S. in Physics or Physics Education) to work with him. Ideally, undergraduate students interested in working with him in the laboratory should have already taken the PHY 223 and PHY 224 courses and should be prepared to present at the Undergraduate Symposium.

Laboratory Instrumentation:

  • Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM)
  • Confocal micro-Raman Spectroscopy
  • Nanoindentation
  • Magneto-optical Kerr Effect (MOKE) [Longitudinal and polar geometries]
  • Localized Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (LEIS)
  • UHV Sputter Deposition System with IBAD (under construction)
  • HV Sputter Deposition System (under construction)
  • Potentiostats/Galvanostats
  • Furnaces (up to 1000 °C)
  • Grinder/Polisher

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