Accelerating Materials Innovation: Rapid-Cycle Fabrication, Measurement, and Discovery
Overview
The Autonomous Discovery and Laser Self-driving Labs are dedicated to accelerating materials discovery by successfully closing the "predicting, measuring, making" discovery loop. These facilities have the unique capability to generate high-quality data from high-speed measurements, which are used to train the machine learning models that are an integral part of the closed feedback loop. This research has critical implications for national security, driving funded efforts to create new materials that manipulate the electromagnetic spectrum to close the THz gap, enabling improved infrared sensors, better materials and filters, and other remote sensing technologies for applications in space and satellites. Additional applications include new improved materials and electrodes for cooling in data centers, batteries, thermal energy storage, and more.
Why a Laser Self-driving Lab?
The Laser Self-driving Lab uses lasers to rapidly change and measure material properties (topology) in seconds. A new sample is produced every few seconds to minutes, and to date 120,000 samples have been generated.
Capabilities
- All are high throughput methods ~ <1 min per process: True high-throughput discovery (120k experimental datasets to date)
- Modular design: fabrication and diagnostics stations added & used on demand; built to address cross-cutting applications
Capability Overview Video
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- Two Ultrafast Laser Processing Systems that produce periodic and self organized surface features and architectures though laser processing (100s on nm to mm-scale periodicity)
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Measurements:
- 3D Surface Topography
- IR Emissivity
- Dynamic Wettability
- THz Time-Domain Spectroscopy
- UV-Vis Reflectivity
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Optional Sample Treatment:
- Sonication
- Thermal Annealing
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Sample Transfer :
- 4-Axis Overhead Robotic Gantry System moves samples between stations
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Future
Future plans for the lab involve implementing a modular design, optimizing materials for multiple properties simultaneously (such as being both antireflective and water-repellent), and establishing the associated Discovery Lab to rapidly change material composition and chemistry.
Recent Publications
Funding
This research was made possible with funding support from:
