MRI: Acquisition of Focused Ion Beam Instrument for Multidisciplinary Research and Education

此次获得的聚焦离子束（FIB）仪器将支持宾夕法尼亚州立大学由材料科学家、地质学家、工程师、化学家和生命科学家组成的多学科团队的研究项目。FIB将对材料和地球科学、微/纳米制造和生命科学产生直接和长期的影响。材料研究人员将用它来探测重要界面的微观结构，并从纳米尺寸的半导体线制备截面。地质学家将使用FIB从超硬钻石中提取样品，用于透射电子显微镜（TEM）研究，以确定它们的来源，并对超珍贵的外星样品进行取样。FIB的蚀刻和沉积能力将允许用户制造纳米级器件，从而能够将纳米颗粒或配体输送到精确的位置。此外，它将允许机械工程师制造纳米级机械测试结构来探索基本力学问题。化学工程师将使用FIB来定制纳米级反应器，用于纳米制造研究。通过结合低温样品阶段，我们的目标是将FIB的应用扩展到生命科学领域，这一领域最近才开始意识到FIB的巨大力量。聚焦离子束（FIB）结合了电子显微镜的力量和聚焦的高能离子束，创造了一种能够对复杂材料进行三维成像的工具。通过结合气相沉积和蚀刻功能，FIB还允许科学家精确沉积金属或选择性去除有机材料以创建新结构。收购FIB将大大加强宾夕法尼亚州立大学的研究和教育基础设施。该仪器将汇集一个强大的多学科团队，包括材料科学家、地质学家、工程师、化学家和生命科学家。材料研究人员将用它来探测重要界面的微观结构，并从纳米尺寸的半导体线制备截面。地质学家将使用FIB从超硬钻石中提取样品进行透射电镜研究，以确定它们的来源，并对超珍贵的外星样品进行取样。蚀刻和沉积能力将允许用户制造纳米级器件，从而能够将纳米颗粒或配体输送到精确的位置。它将允许机械工程师制造纳米级机械测试结构来探索基本的力学问题。化学工程师将使用FIB来定制纳米级反应器，用于纳米制造研究。通过结合低温样品阶段，我们的目标是将FIB的应用扩展到生命科学领域，这一领域最近才开始意识到FIB的巨大力量。获得FIB将促进具有广泛社会效益的研究，包括医疗保健、微电子、制造业和对材料的基本科学理解。

The acquisition of a focused ion beam (FIB) instrument will support the research programs of a multi-disciplinary team of materials scientists, geologists, engineers, chemists and life scientists at the Pennsylvania State University. FIB will have immediate and long-term impact in materials and earth sciences, micro-/nano-fabrication and life sciences. Materials researchers will use it to probe the microstructure of important interfaces and to prepare sections from nanometer sized semiconductor wires. Geologists will use FIB to extract samples from ultrahard diamonds for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies to determine their origin and to sample ultraprecious extraterrestrial samples. The etching and deposition capabilities of the FIB will allow users to fabricate nanoscale devices that will enable delivery of nanoparticles or ligands to precise locations. In addition, it will permit mechanical engineers to fabricate nanoscale mechanical test structures to probe fundamental mechanics questions. Chemical engineers will use FIB to tailor make nanoscale reactors for nanomanufacturing studies. By incorporating a cryogenic sample stage we aim to expand the applications of FIB into the life sciences, an area that has only recently begun to realize the tremendous power of FIB. Focused Ion Beam (FIB) combines the power of electron microscopy with a focused beam of high-energy ions to create a tool capable of 3-dimensional imaging of complex materials. By incorporating gas deposition and etching capabilities, FIB also allows scientists to precisely deposit metals or selectively remove organic material to create new structures. The acquisition of a FIB will significantly enhance the research and education infrastructure at Penn State. This instrument will bring together a strong multi-disciplinary team of materials scientists, geologists, engineers, chemists and life scientists. Materials researchers will use it to probe the microstructure of important interfaces and to prepare sections from nanometer sized semiconductor wires. Geologists will use FIB to extract samples from ultrahard diamonds for TEM studies to determine their origin and to sample ultraprecious extraterrestrial samples. The etching and deposition capabilities will allow users to fabricate nanoscale devices that will enable delivery of nanoparticles or ligands to precise locations. It will permit mechanical engineers to fabricate nanoscale mechanical test structures to probe fundamental mechanics questions. Chemical engineers will use FIB to tailor make nanoscale reactors for nanomanufacturing studies. By incorporating a cryogenic sample stage we aim to expand the applications of FIB into the life sciences, an area that has only recently begun to realize the tremendous power of FIB. Having access to FIB will promote research with wide ranging societal benefits including healthcare, microelectronics, manufacturing and basic scientific understanding of materials.