9361525 Bado This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is in the general area of surface chemistry and in the subfields of Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) and Multiphoton Resonance Ionization (MPRI). The objective of the research is to fabricate and test a high- sensitivity nanoprobe with the capability of directly determining the lateral location of atoms and molecules on nonconducting surfaces with high spatial resolution (100nm) and very high sensitivity in the atomole range. The nanoprobe will combine sub-picosecond laser techniques in MPRI with focused ion beams from TOF-SIMS in surface imaging applications. During Phase I, the development of a post-ionization ultrashort pulse laser source will be emphasized. Laser source parameters will be optimized to boost nanoprobe sensitivity. A two to three order of magnitude improvement in sensitivity over systems with identical spatial resolution is anticipated. %%% There is a clear market in surface science and biology for imaging tools with sub-micron resolution and high chemical sensitivity. The proposed nanoprobe complements existing capabilities in optical and electron microscopy, provides the ability to identify chemical species with high spatial resolution, and promises to enhance our ability to image biological surfaces. ***
