The Skunk Works is known as the "Big Lab" to the White Group. There are three major systems housed in this laboratory, along with most of the White Group Members. The three major systems are (1) the 'Dynamics Machine', (2) the High Resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy Chamber(3) the Bench Scale Chemical Vapor Deposition and insitu Surface Analysis Machine.

The 'Dynamics Machine' is used to study state-resolved photochemical dynamics of molecules adsorbed on surfaces. The system is equipped with a mass spectrometer that is utilized for temperature programmed desorption (TPD), residual gas analysis (RGA), and angle-resolved time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry.  The ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) chamber is also equipped with low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) surface analysis techniques.  Photodissociation and/or photodesorption is initiated by a pulsed excimer laser.  A YAG-pumped dye laser then intercepts the desorbing photoproducts to give internal state distributions via resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI). The translational energy of the photoproducts is determined by TOF. We are currently studying the photodissociation dynamics of methyl nitrite, CH3ONO, on Ag(111).

The HREELS Chamber:

The HREELS (High Resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy) Chamber is equipped with the following: a UTI mass spectrometer for temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and residual gas analysis (RGA); the LK2000 high-resolution electron energy loss spectrometer (HREELS) for vibrational and electronic spectroscopy; a Mg/Al dual source with PHI hemispherical analyzer for x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS); a PHI LEED optics for low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). With strong vibrational and elemental analysis technique combined with TPD capability, the HREELS chamber has been utilized for many C3 and C6 hydrocarbon surface chemistry studies.

This integrated CVD and in-situ surface analysis system allows us to find out film growth kinetics without considerations such as contamination of samples during sample transfer for ex-situ analysis. A CVD chamber(base pressure ~1x10-8 Torr) is connected by a gate valve to an ultrahigh vacuum surface analysis chamber (base pressure ~8x10-10 Torr) containing XPS, AES, and SIMS.