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This laboratory-based course will give a hands-on introduction to imaging, nano-manipulation and fabrication techniques for nanotechnology. Students will have access to a range of state-of-the-art instruments including scanning tunnelling microscopes (STM), atomic force microscopes (AFM) and high precision electrical measurements. The emphasis in this course is on practical work but it will also cover the use of computational and modelling tools.

The course will be delivered mainly in the 9th floor nanotechnology laboratory suite in the Roberts building. Room 904 is the nanoprobe laboratory in which experiments on scanning probe microscopy will be conducted. In addition, extra two sessions (one in the London Centre for Nanotechnology cleanroom and the other for paramagnetic spin resonance experiments) will be carried out to further broaden students’ knowledge/experience in cutting-edge nanotechnology laboratories.

The course consists of a number of experiments grouped into either characterisation on the nanoscale or fabrication methods for nanoscale constructs:

• Contact and non-contact imaging of features on the nanometre scale using the atomic force microscope

• Characterisation of force/distance curves in atomic force microscopy

• Characterisation of the surface of a graphite sample at the atomic scale using scanning tunnelling microscopy

• Spectroscopy of semiconducting surfaces using scanning tunnelling microscopy

• Investigation of tip induced effects in AFM imaging

• Fabrication of metal micro-bars and resistance characterisation in cleanroom

• Electron paramagnetic resonance studies of various spin systems and simulation

Furthermore, this module includes a teamwork component focusing on effective communication of complex engineering matters both with technical and non-technical audiences. For the duration of three weeks, student groups create a scientific business case of nanoscale measurement system and consider its entire lifecycle, sustainability and societal impact with the aim to minimise the adverse impact. In the final week, they present their business case that will be peer-assessed, together with assessment by the academic staff.

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