Electronic Material Properties - und Geowissenschaften ...

Thin films
The Thin Film division works on advanced thin film deposition techniques of novel
materials. In the year 2006 we have introduced a new laser assisted deposition method at
TU Darmstadt, pulsed laser deposition (PLD). In collaboration with the Max-Planck-
Institute for Solid State Physics in Stuttgart, another frontier thin film deposition system has
been designed: a dedicated oxide Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) system (oxide-MBE).
This system is to be one of a few systems worldwide offering comparable functionalities.
We expect that the introduction of two state-of-the-art thin film deposition techniques at TU
Darmstadt will advance the search for novel and enhanced oxide thin films.
The class of oxide ceramics, in particular with perovskite and derived structures,
comprises a stunning variety of new functional materials. Examples are high-temperature
superconductors, magnetic oxides for spintronics, high-k dielectrics, ferroelectrics,
and materials for thin film batteries. As a vision for future, new solid state matter can be
created by building hetero- and composite structures combining different oxide materials.
While present day electronic devices heavily rely on semiconducting materials, a future
way to create novel functional devices could be based on oxide electronics. Oxide
electronics and spintronics are part of the research and graduate education program
“Matronics” that has been applied for within the Excellence Initiative by the the German
federal and state governments to promote science and research at German universities.
Matronics is coordinated by Lambert Alff (Thin Film division) and Heinz von Seggern
(Electronic Materials division) and has been positively evaluated in the first round of the
Excellency Initiative.
The characterization tools located in the Thin Film division include x-ray diffraction (XRD),
x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), high-resolution scanning electron microscopy
(HREM) with light element sensitive EDX, and SQUID magnetometry. A new 16 Tesla
magnet cryostat allowing measurements down to liquid helium temperature has been
installed. Another magnet cryostat lowering the available temperature range to below 300
mK is currently being installed. The group is also using external large scale facilities as
synchrotron radiation (ESRF, Grenoble) and neutron reactors (ILL, Grenoble / HMI, Berlin /
FRM II, Garching) for advanced sample characterization. There is an ongoing cooperation
with GSI (Darmstadt) and with the Institute for Nuclear Physics at the Goethe-University
(Frankfurt) in the field of ion beam techniques (e.g. RBS, NRA, IBM) and nuclear probe
methods (positron annihilation and Mössbauer spectroscopy), in particular with the
direction of defect and interface structure investigations.
Close cooperation exists in particular with the Max-Planck-Institute for Solid State
Research in Stuttgart and with the Japanese company NTT in Atsugi near Tokio. As a new
group member, Dr. Komissinskiy can be welcomed, who has spent several successful
years at the renowned Chalmers University of Technology in Göteborg, Sweden.
In teaching the group is offering courses and lab exercises in basic materials science as
part of the department’s main curriculum. New special courses for advanced students on
Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, Spintronics as well as Advanced Materials have been
introduced. The group is also giving a practical introduction in high-resolution scanning
electron microscopy and ion beam techniques for students and researchers in the field.
In 2006 Lambert Alff has accepted the position of Dean of Studies for Materials Science.
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