This proposal describes a request for NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) support for acquisition of a dual beam SEM/FIB (Scanning Electron Microscope / Focused Ion Beam) system at the University at Buffalo (UB), State University of New York (SUNY). The instrument would be incorporated into and managed by UB's INS (Integrated Nanostructured Systems) Instrumentation Facility. The acquisition is driven by an interdisciplinary group of UB faculty from four different departments (Electrical Engineering, Chemical & Biological Engineering, Physics, and Chemistry). The envisioned instrument will allow UB researchers to expand their research activities into a broad range of new applications. The proposed instrument will be capable of fully automated preparation of samples for transmission electron microscopy (TEM), structuring and modifying surfaces, deep etching of materials, defining devices and depositing both metals and insulators with nanoscale resolution.
