MRI: Acquisition of a Nanofabrication and Electron Microscopy System for Materials Research

收购的纳米制造和电子显微镜系统增强了德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校在纳米科学和工程方面的研究和教育能力，包括开发用于太阳能电池、燃料电池、电池、纳米电子、微流体、药物输送、催化、健康等的低成本、高效率的新材料。它还作为大学和行业研究先进材料和设备的地区性研究工具。对化学/物理现象的基本认识促成了先进材料设计的变革性突破，并刺激了新技术的创造。此外，该仪器所在的设施对校园内外学生的教育和培训产生了深远的影响，并通过讲习班和实际培训课程为任职人数不足的学生群体提供了外联活动的协调中心。通过重大研究仪器资助获得的仪器包括一个高分辨率双聚焦离子束(FIB)/扫描电子显微镜(SEM)系统，配备有电子束光刻(EBL)组件，用于制造和表征二维(2D)和三维(3D)材料。该系统提供创新的电子和离子光学，具有最先进的图案化控制。具体地说，该仪器在一个平台上结合了几个关键功能：(I)同时使用离子束(3 nm分辨率)和电子束(20 nm分辨率)图案化的器件制造和测试，(Ii)高通量传统(横截面)和平面图(薄层平行于表面)样品制备，(Iii)纳米器件制造和测试，(Iii)纳米器件制造和测试，(Iv)用于材料沉积的气体化学技术，以及(V)复杂结构的并行检测各种信号的3D成像。能够在损伤有限的情况下制备特定部位的透射电子显微镜样品，使多个领域的关键研究成为可能，例如，制备薄型固态电池样品，并利用原位透射电子显微镜监测充放电过程中的原子结构/组成。在微电子领域，FIB可以制备样品，以研究不同的生长过程如何影响材料中的边界结构和成分，例如对存储/通信设备或传感器至关重要的氧化物异质结构。EBL能力能够制造基于2D材料的复杂电子设备、用于了解纳米级材料热电性质的设备、用于分子检测的亚表面和生物纳米结构。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Non-Technical DescriptionThe acquired nanofabrication and electron microscopy system enhances the research and education capabilities at the University of Texas at Austin in nanometer-scale science and engineering, including the development of new low-cost, efficient materials for solar cells, fuel cells, batteries, nano-electronics, microfluidics, drug delivery, catalysis, health, etc. It also serves as a regional research tool for universities and industries for the study of advanced materials and devices. The fundamental understanding gained on the chemical/physical phenomena seeds transformational breakthroughs in the design of advanced materials and spurs the creation of new technologies. Moreover, the facility where the instrument is located has a profound impact on education and training of students on the campus and beyond, and serves as a focal point for outreach activities for underrepresented student populations through workshops and hands-on training sessions. Technical DescriptionThe instrument acquired through a Major Research Instrumentation grant comprises a high-resolution dual focused ion beam (FIB)/scanning electron microscope (SEM) system equipped with an electron-beam lithography (EBL) package for the fabrication and characterization of 2-dimensional (2D) and 3-dimensional (3D) materials. The system offers innovative electron and ion optics with state-of-the-art patterning control. Specifically, the instrument combines several key features onto a single platform: (i) device fabrication and testing with both ion-beam (3 nm resolution) and electron-beam (20 nm resolution) patterning, (ii) high throughput traditional (cross-sectional) and plan-view (lamella parallel to the surface) site-specific, thin transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample preparation with minimal sample damage, (iii) nano-device fabrication and testing, (iv) gas-chemistry technology for materials deposition, and (v) 3D imaging of complex structures with parallel detection of various signals. The ability to prepare site-specific, TEM samples with limited damage enables key research in multiple areas, e.g., preparation of thin solid-state battery samples and monitoring their atomic structure/composition during the charge-discharge process with in-situ TEM. In the realm of microelectronics, the FIB enables preparation of samples for investigating how different growth processes affect boundary structures and compositions in materials, such as oxide heterostructures, essential for memory/communication devices or sensors. The EBL capability enables fabrication of complex electronic devices based on 2D materials, devices for understanding thermoelectric properties of materials at nanoscale, metasurfaces for molecular detection, and biological nanostructures.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.