With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program, the Department of Chemistry at Indiana University will acquire a Focused Ion Beam (FIB) instrument for the development and characterization of structures with properties that are tailored and controlled at the molecular level. The research applications are strongly interdisciplinary spanning topics from chemical synthesis to physical property measurements to biological self-assembly. More specifically, the FIB will impact the following research activities: (1) near-field aperture arrays for nanophotonic force actuators; (2) nanostructures for light intensity mapping and sensing; (3) nanofluidic channels for liquid phase separations; (4) nanopore-based chemical sensors; (5) structural analysis of nanofibers and organogels; (6) counting and correlating gold nanoparticles to investigate surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement; (7) characterization of architecturally controlled materials; (8) quantum phase transitions in low-dimensional nanostructures; (9) structure and dynamics of nano-confined liquid-phase systems; (10) surface contacts for supramolecular materials in nano-electronics; and (11) sectioning samples for cryo-TEM analysis.
A FIB instrument is used for fabricating structures with dimensions below 100 nm and for the preparation of thin section samples for high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The instrument consists of a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) column and a liquid gallium focused ion beam (FIB) column, which operate together in a "dual beam" mode. Gallium ions are produced, accelerated, and focused in the ion column, strike the sample, ablating material at the focus of the ion beam. The process, in effect, creates a mill with high (sub 100 nm) resolution that can be monitored in "real time" with the FESEM. The instrument is also a fully functional scanning electron microscope when operated without the focused ion beam. The system will be integrated into several graduate courses as well as a tutorial on micro and nanofabrication techniques. The faculty users are well integrated with existing university wide programs that target increased participation from underrepresented groups. Undergraduates will also have access to this instrumentation through ongoing lab courses and independent research projects. The concepts of nanofabrication will be broadly disseminated via web based demos.
