Bruker tool talks and workshop—Sept. 9 & 10

Join Characterization.nano and Bruker for a two-day workshop featuring tool talks and hands-on sessions. Register for one or both days. Each hands-on session is limited to five individuals.

DATES: Tues., Sept. 9 and Wed., Sept. 10
TIME: 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., followed by hands-on sessions
LOCATION: MIT.nano (12-0168)

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Questions? Contact mitnano@mit.edu.

Agenda

Tuesday, September 9

Wednesday, September 10

Abstracts & Speaker Bios

New AFM and AFM-IR Modes for 2D Materials, Multiferroics, and Quantum Computing
Speaker: Thomas Mueller, PhD, Sr. Director, AFMi, NanoIR, and Nanoindentation

This presentation explores how recent advances in atomic force microscopy (AFM) and AFM-based infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR) are expanding our ability to probe quantum materials, 2D systems, and multiferroics at the nanoscale. We begin by showing how AFM-IR surpasses the diffraction limit in infrared spectroscopy by more than three orders of magnitude, enabling chemical analysis with nanoscale resolution—critical for investigating sources of decoherence in Josephson junctions for superconducting quantum processors.

We then introduce hyperspectral and gated approaches to electrical measurements on ferroelectrics, which - combined with innovative probes - enable in situ characterization of functional materials.

In the final section, we turn to 2D materials, highlighting an atomic-scale imaging mode used to identify bilayer graphene with the magic twist angle. Complementary electrical and chemical imaging techniques further reveal how stacking order in multilayer graphene influences local material properties.

Together, these capabilities constitute a powerful platform for investigating structure–function relationships in materials central to emerging quantum and spintronic technologies. 

Biography
Dr. Thomas Mueller is a Sr. Director at Bruker where he leads the AFM, nanoIR, and nanoindentation businesses. Over his 21 years with the company, he has worked in applications and product management and authored more than 50 publications, reviews, and application notes. He earned his Ph.D. from Yale University in 2000, where he developed new linear and nonlinear spectroscopic probes of molecular structure and dynamics. He then completed postdoctoral research at Columbia University, applying scanning probe microscopy to study self-assembly and chemical reaction specificity.

Electrical measurements in AFM: Focus on Piezoresponse (PFM) and Microwave Impedance (sMIM) Microscopy
Speaker: John Thornton, Sr. Applications Engineer

There are many electrical properties that can be measured with an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), such as conductivity/resistivity, electrical/magnetic fields, charge, work function, carrier density, piezoelectric properties, and impedance. To study each of these properties, there are multiple approaches that can be taken with an AFM, creating the ability to approach a characterization project from different angles. This presentation will take a deeper dive into two of these techniques, discussing different forms of measurements and common applications.

Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM) uses the high deflection detection sensitivity of the AFM to measure the movement of a material under an applied electric field. Imaging applications focus on imaging the magnitude and polarization across an area, whereas spectroscopy measures hysteretic behavior under ramping applied bias to visualize the switching behavior. This method is most often applied to ferroelectric materials, but has also been applied to 2D materials and other areas. Traditional contact mode, point spectroscopy, data cubes, and switch spectroscopy PFM methods will also be discussed.

Scanning Microwave Impendence Microscopy (sMIM) uses reflected microwaves from the tip-sample interface to study the conductivity and permeability of a material. This mode can also be used to visualize carrier concentration, similar to Scanning Capacitance Microscopy. This technique can be used as spectroscopy, such as collecting C-V curves, or in a variety of imaging modes. Applications of this mode range from dopant profiling on semiconductor structures to visualizing Moiré patterns in 2D material heterostructures. Multiple imaging methods, spectroscopy, and data cube methods will be discussed along with common applications.

Biography
John Thornton is a Senior Applications Engineer at Bruker Nano Surfaces and Metrology with 30+ years of experience in the field of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). He learned AFM at North Carolina State University in the 1990s while earning an M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering. He then joined Digital Instruments, a pioneering company in early AFM development, and continued with the company through acquisitions by Veeco Instruments, and then Bruker. He currently works from his home in Virginia, and from the Bruker AFM applications lab near Boston.

IR beyond the diffraction limit: Introduction and Applications of Photothermal AFM-IR
Speaker: Jinhee Kim, Ph.D., NanoIR Applications Scientist

Photothermal atomic force microscopy-infrared (AFM-IR) spectroscopy has emerged as a powerful technique for nanoscale chemical characterization, combining the spatial resolution of atomic force microscopy (AFM) with the molecular specificity of infrared (IR) spectroscopy. This hybrid approach enables the identification of chemical composition, molecular interactions, and structural variations with sub-10 nm resolution, surpassing the diffraction limits of conventional IR spectroscopy. By leveraging the proportionality of the materials’ absorption coefficient and the photothermal effects, interpretation of AFM-IR spectrum like FTIR spectra facilitates model-free material identification in diverse systems such as polymers, biomolecules, and more. This talk will explore recent advancements in photothermal AFM-IR, its applications in diverse scientific fields, and its potential as a multifaceted nanoscale analytical technology.

Biography
Dr. Jinhee Kim brings over two years of expertise as a NanoIR Applications Scientist at Bruker Nano. She earned her Ph.D. in materials chemistry from the University of Michigan and completed postdoctoral research at Monash University in Australia focusing on NanoIR technology. Dr. Kim's specialization in NanoIR technology spans both her academic foundation and her current role at Bruker, where she has established herself as a key technical resource for implementing nanoscale infrared spectroscopy to help researchers across multiple industries.

Application of Large Area Mapping and High-Resolution Correlative Imaging with AFM for Automated Structural and Nanomechanical Analysis in Tissues, Cells, Biomolecules, and Materials Research
Speaker: Yi Wei, Ph.D., Applications Scientist

Atomic Force Microscopes (AFMs) had a long history of empowering materials science research. The emergence of BioAFM and recent development in specialized techniques in BioAFM further expanded the envelope of sample formats, experiment setup on the platform. Designed with Inverted Optical Microscope (IOM) in mind, BioAFM integrates seamlessly with all major commercial IOM platforms, unlocking the correlative imaging and measurement capabilities. At the same time, the platform conveniently retained full capacity of investigating opaque samples, when paired with top view optics, along with compatibilities with application modules and functionalities for traditional materials science research. In addition, the probe holders are designed to work very easily in fluid imaging scenarios, paired with ultra-fast scan speeds, wide range of mechanical modes and accessories, making it easy to run the specific styles of measurements in tailored and controlled conditions. This talk will highlight the -Bruker Confidentialuniqueness of the BioAFM platform as well as how it contributes to the wide range of biological studies, materials science research and beyond.

Biography
Yi Wei is an applications scientist for the AFM and BioAFM business unit at Bruker. Wei's interests with AFM started with his PhD research on polymer networks. Through years of working closely with AFM and BioAFM users, Wei says he feels very fortunate to have meet many curious, driven and inspiring researchers and to discuss their fascinating research work with them. "It always brings me great joy to see how AFMs enable vastly diverse fields of research, for AFM experts with decades of experience and also for people who are just dipping their toes in the AFM world," he says. The AFM community is open, engaging, supportive, interdisciplinary, and innovative, whose feedback drove the constant development in AFM instrumentation and advances in AFM techniques.

Nanomechanical Testing Developments for High Throughput and Extreme Environments
Speaker: Michael Berg, Nanoindentation Product Specialist

Materials behavior is often dominated by highly localized phenomena, and the ability to probe these local properties to perform advanced materials research and development is critical. Nanomechanical testing is a widely utilized technique for the quantitative measure of mechanical properties at sub-micrometer length scales. Recent instrument advancements have greatly increased the resolution of these measurements, improved measurement throughput by 500x, and have allowed researchers to characterize materials in a wide range of operating environments (low temperature, high temperature, humidity, customized gaseous and inert atmospheres, electrochemical, vacuum, etc.). A broad range of hybrid (electrical), correlative (Raman), and in-situ (SEM, TEM) nanomechanical testing techniques promise to deliver new insight and understanding of material behavior.

This talk will further focus on coupling small-scale mechanical measurement devices with advanced microscopy platforms to allow for more comprehensive analyses of advanced material systems. For example, tests can be performed inside of electron microscopes (SEM or TEM) to both aid test placement while also providing the capability to directly observe how a small volume of material deforms under applied load. Test types often include nanoindentation, bending, compression, tension, and scratch. Such “in-situ” tests also provide validation to the acquired mechanical data and are very much complementary to high-throughput nanomechanical testing methods as a result. To that end, we will discuss the latest developments in small-scale mechanical testing for a diverse mix of microscope platforms, while also demonstrating the power of combining in-situ testing methods with ultra-high throughput nanoindentation data provided by dedicated standalone nanomechanical systems. 

Biography
Michael Berg is a Product Specialist for the Bruker Nanoindentation product lines based in Minneapolis where the Bruker Hysitron Demo Lab and Factory are also located. Michael graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University and has worked with platform and in situ Nanomechanical Testing technologies after joining Hysitron in 2003 and continuing to work with these product lines in his current role at Bruker Nano Surfaces & Metrology since 2018.