Form 2B
City University of Hong Kong
REVISED on
20 Jul 2012
wef Sem A 2012/13
Information on a Course
offered by the Department of Physics and Materials Science
with effect from Semester A in 2012 / 2013
This form is for completion by the Course Co-ordinator/Examiner. The information provided on this
form will be deemed to be the official record of the details of the course. It has multipurpose use: for the
University’s database, and for publishing in various University publications including the Blackboard,
and documents for students and others as necessary.
Please refer to the Explanatory Notes attached to this Form on the various items of information required.
Part I
Course Title: Materials Characterization Techniques
Course Code: AP3171
Course Duration: One semester
No of Credit Units: 3
Level: B3
Medium of Instruction: English
Prerequisites: Nil
Precursors: AP2102 Introduction to Materials Engineering
AP3169/ AP3170 Materials Testing Techniques
AP3172 Electronic Properties of Materials
MA2176 Basic Calculus and Linear Algebra or
MA1201 Calculus and Basic Linear Algebra II
Equivalent Courses: Nil
Exclusive Courses: Nil
Part II
1.
Course Aims:
Materials characterization techniques are used in quality and assurance programs,
i.e., processes of verification, quality management and contamination reduction.
They are integral parts of the material production and processes for development
of
novel
materials.
Therefore
characterization
techniques
and
production/development processes are equally important.
This course aims at the foundation of knowledge in modern methodologies of
materials characterization and their applications to engineering and scientific
AP3171 (3-3-4)
1
problems appearing at production and development of materials, nanomaterials,
solid state devices and nanodevices. This knowledge guides the students to select
suitable analysis techniques to identify the problems in above processes, to
recognize the product quality and/or feedback the analysis data to the material
processing.
2.
Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs)
(state what the student is expected to be able to do at the end of the course
according to a given standard of performance)
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
No
1
2
3
4
3.
CILOs
Level of
Importance
Recognize the characteristics of analytical
1
instruments for advanced materials, such as their
sensitivities,
spectral
resolution,
spatial
resolution, depth of analysis, etc.
Recognize the various types of materials
3
characterization techniques, and be able to relate
them to the principles of fundamental physics and
chemistry.
Select advanced analytical techniques and apply
2
them to characterization of different materials and
nanomaterials under various analysis conditions.
Analyze, interpret and mutually correlate data to
2
arrive at meaningful conclusions.
Teaching and Learning Activities (TLAs)
(designed to facilitate students’ achievement of the CILOs)
TLAs
CILO 1
CILO 2
CILO 3
CILO 4
Total (hrs)
Large Class
Activities
4
10
6
6
26
Small Class
Activities
2
4
2
2
10
Laboratory
Work
-6
3
3
12
Total no of
hours
6
20
11
11
48
The “Large Class Activities” are lectures scheduled weekly in 2-hour teaching
blocks. Lectures follow the teaching structure as indicated in the keyword
syllabus.
The “Small Class Activities” refer to tutorials based on interpretation of analytical
data and determination of chemical and phase composition, designation of
electron diffraction patterns and others materials qualities based on spectral
analysis and calculations.
Laboratory work is scheduled throughout the semester in small groups and is
focussed on practical material analysis using selected and the most important
analytical techniques.
Scheduled activities: 2 hrs lecture + 1 hr tutorial + 1 hr laboratory
AP3171 (3-3-4)
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4.
Assessment Tasks/Activities
(designed to assess how well the students achieve the CILOs)
Examination duration is 2 hrs
Percentage of coursework, examination, etc.:30% by coursework; 70% by exam
To pass the course, students need to obtain at least 30% in the examination.
ATs
Exam
Quiz
CILO 1
CILO 2
CILO 3
CILO 4
Total (%)
8
28
18
16
70
2
2
3
3
10
Mid-term
Test
1
3
3
3
10
Lab
Report
-6
3
1
10
Weighting
(%)
11
39
27
23
100
Individual tasks are assessed continuously over the whole semester. The
assessment is by course work (30%) and exam (70%). The course assessment is
composed of 5 Quiz tasks, 1 mid-term test, and 4 laboratory work with typed
reports which provides 10 input parameters for the course work assessments. The
information on assessment and learning is feed back within 7 days.
The exam assessment follows the weighting individual tasks and comprises
shorter and longer questions as well as calculation (~20%). The questions are
focused on principles of materials analysis, interpretations fundamental processes
and spectral data.
5.
Grading of Student Achievement: Refer to Grading of Courses in the Academic
Regulations (Attachment) and to the Explanatory Notes.
The grading is based on students’ performance in assessment tasks/activities.
Grade A
The student completes all assessment tasks/activities and is able to demonstrate
excellent understanding of the scientific principles and the working mechanisms of
analytical instruments. He/she can thoroughly identify and explain how the
analytical principles are applied to science and technology and solving physical
and engineering problems. The student shows strong evidence of original thinking,
supported by various properly documented information sources, other than taught
materials. He/she is able to communicate ideas effectively and persuasively via
written and/or oral presentation.
Grade B
The student completes all assessment tasks/activities and can describe and explain
the scientific principles. He/she can evaluate analytical principles in details,
applied them to materials science and technology, and solve relevant physical and
engineering problems. He/she demonstrates ability to integrate taught concepts,
analytical techniques and applications via clear oral and/or written communication.
Grade C
The student completes the given assessment tasks/activities and can describe and
AP3171 (3-3-4)
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explain some scientific principles. He/she provides simple but fairly accurate
evaluations of the analytical principles applied to science and technology and
solving physical and engineering problems. He/she can communicate analytical
tasks of materials clearly in writing and/or oral presentations.
Grade D
The student completes the given assessment tasks/activities but can only briefly
describe some scientific principles. He/she can properly demonstrate only some
methods of analysis and applications of their principles to science, technology and
solving physical and engineering problems. He/she can communicate simple ideas
in writing and/or oral presentations.
Grade F
The student fails to complete assessment tasks/activities and/or cannot accurately
describe and explain the analytical principles. He/she fails to identify and explain
the principles applied to science and technology and solving physical and
engineering problems objectively or systematically. He/she is weak in
presentations of fundamental analytical ideas; and/or the student’s work shows
evidence of plagiarism.
Part III
Keyword Syllabus:
 General classification analytical techniques and major limitations. Guidance
for their choice.
 Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Environmental SEM. Energy dispersive
x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Wave dispersive spectroscopy (WDS)
Cathodoluminescence (CL).
 Crystallography and diffraction. Real and reciprocal space.
 Transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM). Bright and dark field imaging.
High resolution TEM (HRTEM). Selected area diffraction (SAD).
 Analytical techniques associated with TEM
Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). Energy dispersive x-ray
spectroscopy integrated (EDS) in TEM.
 Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Scanning Auger spectroscopy (SAM). Xray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy
(UPS).
 Mass spectrometry. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS).
 Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS). Elastic recoil detection
analysis (ERDA). Proton induced x-ray emission (PIXE).
 Surface profiling. Scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Atomic force
microscopy (AFM). Scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM).
Reference Book(s):
Mark Ladd, Crystal structures in stereoview, Horwood publishing, Chichester 1999.
M Grasserbauer and H W Werner (Editors), Analysis of Microelectronic Materials and
Devices, Willey Chichester 1991.
Douglas A Skoog, James J Holler, Timothy A Nieman, Principle of Instrumental
Analysis, Sanders College Publishing, Philadelphia 1998.
L Reimer, Transmission electron microscopy: physics of image formation and
AP3171 (3-3-4)
4
microanalysis, Springer, Berlin 1997.
Hobart H Willard, lynne L Merritt, Jr, John A Dean, Frank A Settle, Jr, Instrumental
Methods of Analysis 7th Edit., Wadsworth Pub Comp, Belmont, California, 1988.
J F Watts, J Wolstenholme, An introduction to surface analysis by XPS and AES, J
Willey, New York 2003.
D Briggs, Surface analysis of polymers by XPS and static SIMS, Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge 1998.
P E J Flewit and R K Wild, Physical Methods for Materials Characterization, Institute of
Phys Publising Bristol 1994.
D Briggs and M P Seah (Eds), Practical Surface Analysis, Willey, Chichester 1990.
D J O'Connor, B A Sexton, R St C Smart (Eds), Surface Analysis Methods in Materials
Science, Springer -Verlag Berlin c2003.
Lee E Fitzpatric (Ed), Characterization of organic thin films, Boston, ButterworthHeinemann, Boston 1995.
David J Whitehouse, Hanbook of suface metrology, Institute of Phys. Publ. Bristol 1994.
John B Wachtman, Z H Kalman, Characterization of Materials, Butterworth-Heinemann,
Boston 1993.
G Fizgerald, B E Storey, D Fabian, and P Osborne (Eds), Quantitative Microbeam
Analysis, Proceeding Scottich University Summer School in Physics, Instit of Phys Pub
Bristol 1993.
R Howland, and L Benatar, A practical guide to scanning microscopy, Park Scientific
Instrument 1993-1997.
Internet Sources:
Charles Evans
Surface Science Western
http://www.eaglabs.com/techniques/
http://www.uwo.ca/ssw/services.html
Returned by:
Name:
Dr Y Y LI
Department:
AP
Extension:
7810
Date:
20 Jul 2012
AP3171 (3-3-4)
5