The Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR)

Shared Facilities offer world-class materials analysis and processing equipment overseen by expert facility managers. Our staff provides expert consultation and advice while also training the next generation of materials researchers from Cornell and beyond. All users of the Shared Facilities, both internal and external, are charged on a fee-for-use basis in accordance with Cornell and national regulations. The Shared Facilities website (www.ccmr.cornell.edu/facilities) is the recommended starting point for both new and existing users. There you will find detailed information that will help you find the most appropriate instrumentation for your needs. Alternatively, prospective users are encouraged to contact any of our facility managers who will be happy to help you select the appropriate resources and methods for your project. Initial consultations are free, so a discussion with one of the CCMR facility managers can help you get started quickly.

• Microscopy, including a wide variety of optical, electron (SEM, TEM, STEM), spectroscopic (near-field, Raman, STEM-EELS), and scanned probe (UHV-STM, AFM) microscopes, as well as related sample preparation equipment (e.g., microtomes, dual-beam FIB/SEM). This facility includes the world-leading, aberration-corrected NION UltraSTEM which enables high-resolution mapping of chemical bonding states at the atomic scale.^i–iv
• Soft Matter Characterization and Processing, including MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, dynamic light scattering, size-exclusion chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, and dynamic mechanical analysis.
• Spectroscopic Analysis, including x-ray photoelectron (XPS), Raman, infrared, dielectric, and circular dichroism spectroscopy.
• Materials Processing, including heating, cleaning, polishing, shaping, welding, extruding, mixing/milling, sputter deposition, wire bonding, and mechanical testing.
• X-ray Diffraction, powder diffraction, back-reflection Laue, thin film analysis.
• Research Computing, includes resources for computational modeling, poster printing, data acquisition and analysis, and remote storage.

The Shared Facilities are operated by the CCMR — a research center devoted to the exploration and advancement of the science and engineering of materials. The Center performs research and education in areas of importance and interest to society, through both internal and external interactions and programs. The CCMR is a world leader in the design, control, and fundamental understanding of materials — creating new materials while also pursuing experimental and theoretical studies of the assembly, processing, properties and behavior of materials.

  ⁱD. A. Muller, “Structure and bonding at the atomic scale by scanning transmission electron microscopy,” Nature Materials 8, 263-270 (2009).
  ⁱⁱH. L. Xin and D. A. Muller, “Aberration-corrected ADF-STEM depth sectioning and prospects for reliable 3D imaging in S/TEM,” J. Electron Micros. 58, 157-165 (2009).
  ⁱⁱⁱJ. J. Cha, J. C. Read, W. F. Egelhoff, P. Y. Huang, H. W. Tseng, Y. Li, R. A. Buhrman, and D. A. Muller, “Atomic-scale spectroscopic imaging of CoFeB/Mg–B–O/CoFeB magnetic tunnel junctions,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 95, 032506/1-3 (2009).
  ^ivJ. H. Lee, L. Fang, E. Vlahos, X. Ke, Y. W. Jung, L. Fitting Kourkoutis, J. W. Kim, P. Ryan, T. Heeg, M. Roeckerath, V. Goian, M. Bernhagen, R. Uecker, P. C. Hammel, K. M. Rabe, S. Kamba, J. Schubert, J. W. Freeland, D. A. Muller, C. J. Fennie, P. Schiffer, V. Gopalan, E. Johnston-Halperin, and D. G. Schlom, “Creating a Strong Ferroelectric Ferromagnet via Spin- Phonon Coupling,” Nature (in press).