Multi-Function Inspection Scope: Enabling New Surface Science at High-Energy Beamline Facilities

Neutron scattering facilities provide a cutting-edge tool for researching the structure and phase behavior of surfactant films and organic interfaces, which are important in science, medicine, energy, and nanotechnology. However, a significant problem for the interpretation of scattering data is that these films are generally inhomogeneous. Therefore, microscopy must be performed separately to obtain the needed complementary information about molecular domain size. This project will develop a high-resolution Brewster Angle Microscope (BAM) to enable simultaneous scattering, diffraction, and processing experiments. Phase I implemented the tilted-plane imaging design; speci­fied the laser source, custom optical elements, and charged-coupled-device (CCD) chip to optimize the image; and built a working prototype capable of diffraction-limited Brewster Angle imaging from a tilted surface, as needed for monomolecular films on water substrates. The prototype system was designed to fit the NG7 horizontally scattering cold neutron re¿ectometer at the NIST Center for Neutron Re­search. Following characterization in the optics laboratory, the prototype instrument was brought to the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) for commissioning, for the very first in-situ BAM measurements of its kind. In Phase II, a world-class imaging instrument, which goes far beyond Brewster Angle Microscopy, will be manufactured. The new instrument will combine BAM, Imaging Polarimetry, Imaging Ellipsometry, and 3-D Reconstruc­tive Imaging Microscopy in a single, compact instrument. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The proposed optical design should revolu­tionize sample characterization for industries that process films, semiconductors, and microde­vices. With a high-resolution microscope positioned away from the surface-normal axis, these industries will be able to image surfaces simultaneously with a vast array of characteriza­tion and quality-control techniques. Commercial applications include flat-panel display inspection, semiconductor inspection, nanotechnology, and MEMS