This grant provides support for the acquisition of a focused ion beam (FIB) workstation for multidisciplinary materials research at the University of Michigan. The FIB is an essential tool for the removal and addition of precisely controlled quantities of material from or to a wide variety of structures and devices at the micrometer and nanometer length scale. The FIB has enabled the development of innovative applications in the studies of ceramics, semiconductors, nano-composites, metals, catalysts, earth materials and biological materials. The FIB will be housed in a University-wide, centralized user facility and will be made available to all research groups on campus, other university researchers and to industry. Immediate uses for the new dual-beam FIB include: 1) novel nano-scale engineering applications, patterning, fabrication and machining; 2) sectioning, high-resolution SEM imaging and 3D reconstruction of microstructures, site-specific specimen preparation for in-situ scanning and ex-situ transmission electron microscopy; and 3) individual, device-level modifications of semiconductor devices.
In the past ten years, over 125 research groups, from the University of Michigan, other nearby universities and industry have made use of the University materials characterization facilities. This multidisciplinary research has resulted in more than 3550 publications. Over 1100 graduate students have used the facilities for a major portion of their thesis research. Currently, 42 graduate and 16 undergraduate students are actively involved in research that will make use of the new FIB. The FIB instrument will allow the research community to more effectively pursue their studies of materials at the nanoscale, while also promoting the teaching, training and learning of the graduate and undergraduate students. Students support by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs are actively working on the characterization of materials. The instrument will also be used in summer research projects for minority high school students, high school teachers and young women. Once installed, the FIB will be available to a number of students in the NASA Summer High School Apprenticeship Program (SHARP) for under-represented groups.
