MRI: Acquisition of a High-Resolution Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope and Focused Ion-Beam Milling System

MRI：购置高分辨率环境扫描电子显微镜和聚焦离子束铣削系统

• 批准号: 0923461
• 负责人: Dale Teeters
• 金额: $ 101.27万
• 依托单位: University of Tulsa
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-10-01 至 2012-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0923461&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Acquisition; Resolution; Environmental; Scanning

0923461TeetersUniversity of TulsaTechnical Summary: Modern scientific endeavors rely heavily on the availability of cutting edge research instrumentation. We are requesting an environmental scanning electron microscope/focused ion beam system (ESEM/FIB) to address instrumentation needs for The University of Tulsa and other colleges and universities across the state of Oklahoma The requested instrument will impact all Departments in the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences at the University of Tulsa. Specifically, the instrument will enable research advances through the proposed projects in microelectronics, self-healing materials, alternative energy sources, semiconductor physics, and catalysis. Finally, the instrument will be utilized in wide variety of teaching labs spanning all departments in the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences at TU. This instrument will also make cutting edge scientific techniques available to a variety of unique and underserved groups through an aggresive outreach program. The program will include web-based operation of the microscope and teacher training to allow integration with sites ranging from rural elementary schools to small regional colleges, including locations with minorities under-represented in science. In addition to the proposed research projects and outreach, TU recently acquired the directorship of the Gilcrease museum, which houses a large collection of Native American art and artifacts. The ability to utilize this instrument for the scientific study and preservation of cultural heritage is exciting and replicated in only a handful of locations.Layman Summary: Environmental scanning electron microscopes (ESEM) allow the direct inspection of micron and nanometer-sized features on virtually any object; features ranging down to 1/50,000 of a human hair in size. These sophisticated microscopes are the workhorses of modern materials science and biology research. A focused ion beam system (FIB) is basically a molecular-level machining tool that allows material to be either removed or added on the scale of a few nanometers; enabling, for example, the creation of microscopic current collectors for nanobatteries developed at The University of Tulsa. The integration of these two instruments into a single system allows for simultaneous imaging and ion beam operation and makes possible a variety of advanced characterization techniques such as serial sectioning. In this process, thin slices of material are removed with the FIB and the new surface is imaged with the SEM. Repeating the procedure many times yields a series of images that can be used to make a 3-D reconstruction of the internal structure of advanced materials like the unique self- healing plastics or the specialized strains of algae for biofuel production that are subjects of investigation at the University of Tulsa. In addition to supporting the research agenda of the university, the instrument will be an essential tool in many classes and the focus of an aggressive outreach program. Remote operation capabilities for the microscope will allow integration with sites ranging from rural elementary schools to small regional colleges across the state of Oklahoma. The instrument will also become a centerpiece in the development of research and teaching programs associated with the Gilcrease museum, which houses a world renowned collection of Native American art and artifacts.

技术摘要：现代科学研究在很大程度上依赖于尖端研究仪器的可用性。我们正在请求一种环境扫描电子显微镜/聚焦离子束系统（ESEM/FIB），以满足塔尔萨大学和俄克拉荷马州其他学院和大学的仪器需求。所请求的仪器将影响塔尔萨大学工程与自然科学学院的所有部门。具体来说，该仪器将通过微电子、自修复材料、替代能源、半导体物理和催化等拟议项目推动研究进展。最后，该仪器将被广泛应用于TU工程与自然科学学院所有部门的各种教学实验室。该仪器还将通过积极的外展计划，为各种独特和服务不足的群体提供尖端的科学技术。该项目将包括基于网络的显微镜操作和教师培训，以便与从农村小学到小型地区学院（包括少数民族在科学领域代表性不足的地区）等地点进行整合。除了拟议的研究项目和推广外，TU最近还获得了Gilcrease博物馆的董事职位，该博物馆收藏了大量的美洲原住民艺术和文物。利用这种仪器进行科学研究和保护文化遗产的能力令人兴奋，而且只有少数几个地方能够复制。外行总结：环境扫描电子显微镜（ESEM）允许直接检查微米和纳米尺寸的特征，几乎任何对象；其特征大小可达人类头发的五万分之一。这些精密的显微镜是现代材料科学和生物学研究的中坚力量。聚焦离子束系统（FIB）基本上是一种分子级加工工具，可以在几纳米的尺度上去除或添加材料；例如，塔尔萨大学开发的用于纳米电池的微型集流器的创建成为可能。将这两种仪器集成到一个系统中，可以同时进行成像和离子束操作，并使各种先进的表征技术（如串行切片）成为可能。在此过程中，用FIB去除材料薄片，并用SEM对新表面进行成像。重复这一过程多次可以得到一系列图像，这些图像可以用来对先进材料的内部结构进行三维重建，比如独特的自我修复塑料或用于生物燃料生产的特殊藻类，这些都是塔尔萨大学研究的主题。除了支持大学的研究议程外，该仪器将成为许多课程的基本工具和积极推广计划的重点。显微镜的远程操作能力将允许与俄克拉何马州从农村小学到小型地区大学的地点整合。该乐器也将成为吉尔克里斯博物馆（Gilcrease museum）相关研究和教学项目发展的核心，该博物馆收藏了世界闻名的美洲原住民艺术和手工艺品。