Equipment
Aixtron CCS 3x2" MOVPE system
The group operates an AIXTRON CCS 3×2 Close Coupled Showerhead reactor for metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy. The system is optimized for high-temperature operation up to 1400 °C and is equipped with in-situ 635 nm laser reflectometry and optical pyrometer ARGUS Thermal Mapping System, ensuring accurate control of growth dynamics and thermal environment.
Available precursors include TEB (with isotopically enriched ¹⁰B-TEB), TMAl, TMGa, TEGa, TMIn, Cp₂Mg, SiH₄, and NH₃, with hydrogen or nitrogen as carrier gases. This configuration enables the growth sp²-boron nitride, III–N heterostructures, and doped layers with high precision.
The facility provides a versatile platform for exploring new materials and heterostructures, supporting both fundamental research and collaborative projects.
PANalytical X’Pert PRO MPD Dual X-ray Diffractometer
Our laboratory houses a PANalytical X’Pert PRO MPD Dual diffractometer, a state-of-the-art system for advanced structural characterization of materials. The instrument operates with a copper anode X-ray tube, providing highly stable radiation at the Cu Kα₁ line (λ = 1.5406 Å) (CuKα: λ = 1.5406 Å), ensuring both sensitivity and reproducibility of measurements. In addition X-Ray beams could be attenuated with copper insets in order to match the detector’s measurement range.
The system features two orthogonal goniometers with an angular resolution of 0.001°, offering exceptional precision and flexibility across a wide range of diffraction geometries.
One measurement path is optimized for thin-film studies, using a parabolic mirror and Soller slits. It supports low-angle reflectometry (XRR) as well as high-angle diffraction, making it particularly well suited for analyzing the thickness, density, and structural quality of atomically thin layered materials such as graphene or hexagonal boron nitride.
The second measurement path is dedicated to high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD), equipped with a four-bounce Bartels monochromator, a three-axis goniometer, and a high-resolution germanium crystal analyzer detector. This configuration enables detailed investigation of single crystals and epitaxial thin films.
With this versatile dual setup, the X’Pert PRO MPD Dual enables both efficient thin-film characterization and high-precision crystal analysis, making it a powerful and flexible tool for cutting-edge materials research.
Pictures from the left: 1) Diffractometer from the outside. 2) Sample on the left goniometer stand. It lies on the custom silicone support to ensure its stability during omega scans (rotation around horizontal axis). 3) Instrument’s interior: the x-ray lamp with slits in the middle and two goniometers on its sides.
HORIBA T64000 Raman/PL spectrometer
The laboratory hosts a Horiba T64000 triple spectrometer, a versatile platform for high-resolution Raman scattering and photoluminescence studies. Its triple monochromator design provides both excellent stray-light rejection and outstanding spectral resolution, allowing access to low-frequency Raman modes and subtle spectral features that are otherwise difficult to resolve. The system operates in confocal configuration with spatial resolution of 0.3–1 µm, enabling micro-analysis of structural, electronic, and optical inhomogeneities across a wide variety of samples.
Excitation is supported by an extensive set of continuous-wave lasers at 325, 442, 532, 633, 785, and 1064 nm, complemented by a tunable Ti:sapphire/dye laser with second-harmonic generation for photoluminescence excitation experiments. Detection is carried out with both Si CCD and InGaAs arrays, covering the visible and near-infrared spectral ranges and ensuring sensitivity to a broad spectrum of optical transitions. Importantly, the system is coupled to a cryogenic setup that enables measurements down to 4 K, which is essential for studying excitonic processes, phonon dynamics, and other temperature-dependent phenomena in semiconductors and low-dimensional materials.
Together, these capabilities make the T64000 an advanced instrument for probing vibrational and electronic properties with high precision, supporting both fundamental research in solid-state physics and the development of novel material systems.
FTIR Nicolet Continuum Infrared Microscope
The Nicolet Continuum IR Microscope, integrated with a Nicolet iS50 FTIR spectrometer, provides a powerful platform for microscale vibrational spectroscopy and imaging. Spanning a wide spectral range from 400 to 27 000 cm⁻¹, the system enables investigations from the mid-infrared through the visible and near-infrared regions, making it well suited for a broad spectrum of material studies. Schwarzschild infinity-corrected objectives (32×, NA 0.65 and 15×, NA 0.58) ensure excellent spatial resolution and efficient optical throughput, while the high-sensitivity MCT detector allows for precise detection of even subtle spectral signatures.
Beyond room-temperature operation, the setup includes a temperature-controlled stage that extends measurement capabilities from 80 K up to 650 K. This flexibility makes it possible to capture vibrational and structural changes under cryogenic conditions, where thermal broadening is minimized, as well as to study dynamic processes and phase behavior at elevated temperatures.
Renishaw inVia Raman/PL spectrometers
The Renishaw inVia Raman spectrometer provides a versatile platform for high-resolution vibrational spectroscopy and microstructural characterization. With excitation lasers at 532, 633, and 785 nm combined with diffraction gratings of 1800 and 2400 lines/mm, the system offers flexibility in probing a wide range of Raman-active modes with excellent spectral resolution. The optical path is complemented by objectives ranging from 5× to 100×, which enable both large-area surveys and detailed microscale investigations, while a CCD detector ensures reliable data acquisition with good sensitivity and stability.
The instrument is equipped with a heating stage that allows controlled measurements up to 1200 K. This capability makes it possible to explore temperature-dependent structural changes, phase stability, and defect dynamics under well-defined conditions, extending its applications to both fundamental research and the study of technologically relevant materials.
Nanotech facility
We also make extensive use of the Nanotech facility at the University of Warsaw, which provides access to state-of-the-art cleanroom laboratories and a wide range of characterization and fabrication tools. Available techniques include atomic force microscopy (AFM), electrical measurements with an Agilent analyzer, UV–Vis–IR spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as well as advanced lithography equipment. This infrastructure also enables us to complement our MOVPE-based growth with other methods, such as molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and atomic layer deposition (ALD), broadening the scope of material systems and device structures that can be explored. More information about the facility can be found on the Nanotech website.
