Imaging Techniques in Materials Science and Nanotechnology

This graduate-level course is really about how we *see* matter below the wavelength of visible light — the physics that sets resolution limits in each imaging modality, and the tricks (near-field probes, electron beams, superresolution fluorescence) used to push past them. You'll work through the optics math (Fourier imaging, PSFs, contrast transfer), study the mechanics of SPM and electron columns, and get hands-on lab time across AFM, STM, SEM, TEM, and confocal setups, with two open-book midterms, an open-book final, and weekly homework. It's a foundational methods course for MSN research — once you understand what each instrument actually measures and where it lies, you can read characterization sections of nanotech papers critically and pick the right tool for your own thesis work.