PROPOSAL NUMBER: CBET-0723224 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Abhaya Datye INSTITUTION: University of New Mexico PROPOSAL TITLE: MRI: Focused Ion Beam System for Nano-Fabrication and Nano- Machining of Materials
Intellectual Merit
The project supports the acquisition a dual beam Focused Ion Beam (FIB) system consisting of an electron optical column for imaging (an environmental scanning electron microscope ESEM) and an ion column that is used for nano-scale machining. The instrument will be equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) system for microanalysis, and an electron back-scatter detector (EBSD) to obtain diffraction patterns of the sample. This combination of capabilities will enable research projects in materials science, engineering and earth and planetary sciences. Faculty in Chemical Engineering will study advanced catalysts for energy conversion and pollution control, durable fuel cells and defect free Ge/Si for low cost photovoltaics. Other projects include novel microfluidic devices, ion channels with potential use in DNA sequencing, cell-surface interactions in bio-films and aerosol derived particles for drug delivery. Faculty in Electrical Engineering will use the instrument for increasing efficiency of lasers and IR detectors and to make advances in epitaxial growth of lattice-mismatched materials. Faculty in Mechanical and Civil engineering will help improve understanding of scale effects on mechanical properties, particularly at the nanoscale and enable research on mechanics of grain boundary sliding and photonic band gap materials as sensors to detect damage in critical facilities. The FIB is an enabling technology to study thin sections of complex geological samples. Research by Faculty in Earth and Planetary Sciences includes studies of deformation and metamorphism in high pressure metamorphic rocks formed during continental collisions and the nature of fluid/rock interactions in the Earth's upper mantle. This research is essential for understanding the geochemical interactions between crust and mantle. Detailed studies of magnetic carriers in rocks will improve the university's ability to understand the paleomagnetic record that is essential for constraining the tectonic evolution of complex geologic terrains around the world. Finally, the FIB will revolutionize the ability to study sitespecific regions of the earliest solids formed in the solar system found in carbonaceous chondrites and cometary particles returned by the NASA STARDUST mission. Such rare and valuable samples must be characterized structurally, chemically and isotopically by integrated high spatial resolution techniques such as FIB-SEM, ion microprobe and TEM to elucidate their complex formational and thermal histories.
Broader Impact
There is tremendous need for this fabrication and analysis tool at UNM and open access to such a piece of high-tech equipment is necessary to foster the growth of science and technology in the state of New Mexico. Faculty from five departments at UNM and from at least two other New Mexico institutions will participate in this project. The faculty participants range from early career assistant professors to established senior faculty. Since UNM is a Hispanic Serving Institution, significant numbers of students from underrepresented groups will benefit from this facility. Graduate students, undergraduate students as well as post-docs will get hands-on access to this instrument. The project expects to have approximately 50 regular users for this instrument, after it becomes fully operational. They will integrate the research into their academic programs through new course development. By using this facility for outreach and demonstrations, they will also reach a broad cross section of students (K-12). The instrument will be located in the Electron Microbeam Analysis Facility in the basement of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. This building houses the Geology and Meteorite Museums; both facilities attract large numbers of tours from schools in the greater Albuquerque area as well as further a field. They plan to expand use of their suite of analytical instruments for demonstrations aimed at open house and recruiting events, helping them take the excitement of nanofabrication to the lay public. The FIB is particularly suited to demonstrate our abilities to perform nanoscale machining, with real time imaging. This facility will also help convert research ideas into commercial products, by providing access to small start-up companies in New Mexico and elsewhere.
