Within the Blockkurs recent progress in the field of Scanning Probe Microscopy is discussed and relevant experiments are performed. The students will have opportunity to learn various Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) techniques. The main focus is put on dynamic modes, which allow to study surfaces in a minimally invasive way. The various microscopes allow to study metallic, insulating, organic and biological samples under ambient, liquid and ultra high vacuum conditions. Sample surface might be investigated down to the atomic scale, which in turn allows to determine the defect densities, the structure of molecular self-assembled networks or the behaviour of charge density wave (CDW) systems. In ambient or liquid environments AFM could characterise the mechanical or electric properties of polymer structures or even the bacteria cell. During the training the students will also obtain knowledge about various sample preparation techniques.

Coating and nanostructuring is way to modify surfaces to achieve new properties. In the course, you will learn how to deposit a thin film of a substrate using the magnetron sputtering technique. The film will be characterized without breaking the vacuum by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to analyze the chemical composition. Depending on the properties to be achieved (antibacterial....), plasma treatment will follow to nanostructure the surface. Imaging of the surface will be performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). You will learn about these
techniques and also to be used to vacuum equipment. Thin film growth, interaction of ions and surfaces, and plasma characterization will be the focus of the course. Depending on the topic, new surfaces/materials of are interest for fusion reactor (left image), antibacterial surfaces for implants (left image), or new thin film properties.