IMR: Acquisition of a FESEM for Characterization of Advanced Materials and Development of Improved EBSD Tools.

利用热源场发射扫描电镜（FESEM）对纳米尺度和纳米晶体材料进行结构表征。具体而言，该仪器将使功能薄膜的开发和优化项目成为可能。WSU基于MEMS的发动机在压电薄膜层（锆钛酸铅，PZT）上运行，目前产生的电力足以运行小型电子设备（如手表）。通过战略性处理对结构进行优化将使输出功率提高到几十瓦。这将通过对晶粒结构和局部晶体织构的完整结构表征来完成。这种分析只能通过FESEM上的电子背散射衍射（EBSD）来实现。集成电路的铜互连使互连结构持续小型化，现在需要最大的空间分辨率才能对结构进行充分的晶体学分析。局部晶型织构和晶界结构（包括孪晶界含量和形貌）对于提高可制造性和抗电迁移能力非常重要，目前电迁移的驱动力约为106 A/cm2。最后，纳米晶材料的力学性能是由一些机制控制的，而这些机制在传统的多晶材料中并不重要。研究控制纳米晶金属性能的机制需要在晶体尺度上进行完整的结构表征，这可以使用FESEM完成。该仪器将为现有资助的研究领域，如微电子应用的MEMS，金属薄膜的结构和性能，宽禁带材料的辐射诱导结构研究以及生物应用的纳米材料的研究，增加重要的新力量。除了几个研究生将成为FESEM的主要用户外，还将有机会为在主要用户或辅助用户之一的特定主题领域工作的各种本科生使用仪器，或者作为完成本科生研究项目的一部分要求。该仪器将供本科生在材料表征实验室课程中使用，并将在我们的NSF资助的REU项目中高度利用先进材料表征（其中约50%的参与者是女性或少数民族学生）。拟议的FESEM可以很容易地进行远程操作，并将远程操作用于培训目的。这将有利于我们主校区现有的课程。将来，这种远程访问将提供给华盛顿州可能感兴趣的各种高中和社区大学。将购买场发射扫描电子显微镜（FESEM）用于纳米级材料的表征。通过场发射电子源，扫描电镜技术的进步实现了卓越的成像分辨率。电子背散射衍射（EBSD）分析可以在扫描电镜中获得晶体学信息（相和取向）。这些改进使研究人员能够开始一个全新的研究类别，以前任何其他分析仪器都无法合理地接近。晶体材料中的精细结构最终控制着材料的宏观性能。FESEM将用于在几个关键应用领域发展微观结构-性能关系和加工/合成-微观结构关系。它将用于进一步开发和优化目前在华盛顿州立大学开发的世界上最小的发动机。这种微机电系统（MEMS）器件的总尺寸只有毫米，却能产生几十瓦的功率。该装置的发电膜厚度为亚微米级，结构特征约为50 nm。局部结构分析只能使用FESEM和EBSD技术进行。其他主要研究项目需要FESEM的表征能力。纳米晶材料的力学性能普遍优于传统材料。优化这些材料的结构将使材料更坚固、更高效，从而产生更轻、更坚固的材料，用于汽车、航空航天和结构应用。最后，现代集成电路需要高度优化的互连结构，最小特征尺寸约为100纳米，并且每一代都在缩小。这项研究将继续进一步了解最佳结构，特别是铜互连线，这将提高计算机芯片的速度和可靠性。除了几个研究生将成为FESEM的主要用户外，还将有机会为在主要用户或辅助用户之一的特定主题领域工作的各种本科生使用仪器，或者作为完成本科生研究项目的一部分要求。该仪器将供本科生在材料表征实验室课程中使用，并将在我们的NSF资助的REU项目中高度利用先进材料表征（其中约50%的参与者是女性或少数民族学生）。拟议的FESEM可以很容易地进行远程操作，并将远程操作用于培训目的。这将有利于我们主校区现有的课程。将来，这种远程访问将提供给华盛顿州可能感兴趣的各种高中和社区大学。

A thermal-source field-emission SEM (FESEM) will be acquired to perform structural characterization on nano-scale and nano-crystalline materials. Specifically, projects in the development and optimization of functional thin films will be enabled by this instrument. The WSU MEMS based engine which operates on layers of piezo-electric films (lead zirconate titanate, PZT) currently produces power sufficient to operate small electrical devices (such as a wrist-watch). Optimization of the structures through strategic processing will boost the power output to tens of watts. This will be accomplished through complete structural characterization of the grain structure and local crystallographic texture. Such analysis is only possible through electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) on an FESEM. Cu interconnects for integrated circuits have enabled continued miniaturization of the interconnect structure that now requires maximum spatial resolution for adequate crystallographic analysis of the structures. Local crystallogaprhic texture and grain boundary structure (including twin boundary content and morphology) are important for improved manufacturability and resistance to electromigration that now has driving forces on the order of 106 A/cm2. Finally, mechanical properties of nanocrystalline materials are controlled by mechanisms that are not considered to be important in conventional polycrystals. Investigation of the mechanisms controlling the performance of nanocrystalline metals requires complete structural characterization on the scale of the crystallites that can be accomplished using the FESEM. The instrument will add significant new strength to existing funded research areas such as MEMS, structures and properties of metal films for microelectronics applications, the study of radiation induced structures in wide bandgap materials, and nano-materials for biological applications. In addition to the several graduate students that will be primary users of the FESEM, there will be access to the instrumentation for various undergraduate students working on specific topic areas under one of the principal or ancillary users, or as part of the requirements to complete undergraduate research projects. The instrument will be used by undergraduate students in a Materials Characterization Laboratory course, and will be highly utilized in our NSF sponsored REU program in Characterization of Advanced Materials (in which about 50% of the participants are women or minority students). The proposed FESEM can easily be adapted for remote operation and will be remotely operated for training purposes. This will benefit existing courses on our main campus. In the future, this remote access will be offered to the various high school and community colleges in Washington State that may have an interest. A field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) will be purchased for use in characterization of nano-scale materials. Advances in SEM technology have enabled superior imaging resolution, via the field emission electron source. Electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis enables crystallographic information (phase and orientation) to be obtained in the SEM. These enhancements have empowered researchers to embark on an entirely new class of research that previously could not be reasonably approached with any other analytical instrumentation. Fine structures in crystalline materials ultimately control the macroscopic properties of materials. The FESEM will be used to develop microstructure-property relationships and processing/synthesis-microstructure relationships in several key application areas. It will be used to further develop and optimize the world's smallest engine currently in development at WSU. This micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) device is only millimeters in total dimension, and can generate power on the order of tens of watts. The power-generating films in this device are sub-micron in thickness, with structural features on the order of 50 nm. Local structure analysis can only be performed using an FESEM in concert with EBSD technology. Additional major research projects require the characterization power of the FESEM. Mechanical properties of nanocrystalline materials are generally superior to conventional materials. Optimizing the structures of such materials will allow for stronger, more efficient materials that will result in lighter, stronger materials for use in automotive, aerospace, and structural applications. Finally, modern integrated circuits require highly optimized interconnect structure with minimum feature sizes on the order of 100 nm and shrinking with each new generation. This research will continue to further the understanding of optimal structures, particularly in the copper interconnect wires, that will lead to increased speed and reliability of computer chips.In addition to the several graduate students that will be primary users of the FESEM, there will be access to the instrumentation for various undergraduate students working on specific topic areas under one of the principal or ancillary users, or as part of the requirements to complete undergraduate research projects. The instrument will be used by undergraduate students in a Materials Characterization Laboratory course, and will be highly utilized in our NSF sponsored REU program in Characterization of Advanced Materials (in which about 50% of the participants are women or minority students). The proposed FESEM can easily be adapted for remote operation and will be remotely operated for training purposes. This will benefit existing courses on our main campus. In the future, this remote access will be offered to the various high school and community colleges in Washington State that may have an interest.