Cutting the Edge - a Plasma Focused Ion Beam (PFIB) facility for supporting UK research in novel 3D materials research and device fabrication

布里斯托大学正在申请资金，用于在其界面分析中心设施内安装等离子体聚焦离子束（PFIB）仪器。这种最先进的仪器将为核、航空航天、地质和生物材料的材料微结构的3D横截面提供令人兴奋的新科学研究机会，并为新型量子、超导和半导体器件的原型制作提供快速吞吐量仪器。此外，该仪器将加入UoB和位于Culham.A的UKAEA材料研究设施（MRF）之间共享的国家核用户设施（NNUF）国家活性材料离子束设施。将购买最先进的PFIB，适用于核能研究，3D断层扫描和高通量样品制备的材料分析。该系统将包括一个PFIB仪器和一个场发射枪扫描电子显微镜。外围附件将包括用于化学分析的能量色散X射线探测器、用于晶体学工作的电子背散射衍射、用于高分辨率工作的扫描透射显微镜能力和用于原位材料处理的纳米操纵器。重要的是，有机会获得具有等离子体离子源的多离子PFIB，该等离子体离子源将允许使用多种气体离子，例如氙、氩、氮和氧，这将使得能够在三维中快速表征一系列材料，同时允许用于高分辨率显微镜的低损伤处理。空气敏感材料的分析由于必须将样品转移到另一仪器而变得复杂，该方案将把一个真空低温传输模块（VCTM）集成到该设施中，并为PFIB增加一个低温级，使其能够从VCTM装载样品。这将允许样品在真空和/或低温条件下在FIB和牛津大学的APT仪器之间转移，为沃尔夫森生物成像设施开启一系列新的尖端生物标本实验，以及与核社区相关的关键材料挑战，例如锕系元素和包层的腐蚀，氚储存和氢脆。该项目还将资助一名研究技术专业人员Christopher Jones博士的一半经费，为期三年（EPSRC提供50%的经费），以运行和维护PFIB仪器。FIB仪器非常复杂，拥有一个具有丰富FIB经验的专用RTP将提高仪器的有效性，并加快新PI的培训和种子项目。UoB领导NNUF国家活性材料离子束设施，其中包括UKAEA MRF热室内的PFIB，专用于需要机器人加载和远程操作的高放射性样品。该提案将使MRF能力与UoB的PFIB相匹配，该PFIB将加入NNUF设施。这是在核研究中最大限度地利用FIB的重要一步，因为布里斯托的这种新能力将支持NNUF离子束设施，并满足不需要MRF热室和机器人处理能力的标本和培训。该设施将提高英国使用FIB对活性材料进行分析的能力，并显著提高国家为先进表征技术制备活性材料样品的能力，如透射电子显微镜（TEM），微机械测试和原子探针断层扫描（APT）。NNUF主动FIB设施将与牛津大学的NNUF主动原子探针设施合作，以确保有足够的能力在活性材料上制备APT样品，以支持这一强大而重要的技术。

The University of Bristol is requesting funds for a plasma focused ion beam (PFIB) instrument to be installed within its Interface Analysis Centre (IAC) Facility. This state-of-the-art instrument will enable exciting new scientific research opportunities for 3D cross-sectioning of material microstructure for nuclear, aerospace, geological and biological materials, and provide a fast throughput instrument for prototyping of novel quantum, superconducting and semiconducting devices. In addition, the instrument will join the National Nuclear User Facility (NNUF) National Ion Beam Facility for Active Materials shared between UoB and the UKAEA Materials Research Facility (MRF) at Culham.A state-of-the-art PFIB will be purchased suitable for materials analysis for nuclear energy research, 3D tomography and high-throughput specimen preparation. The system will comprise a PFIB instrument with a field emission gun scanning electron microscope. Peripheral attachments will include an energy dispersive X-ray detector for chemical analysis, electron backscatter diffraction for crystallography work, scanning transmission microscopy capability for high-resolution work and a nanomanipulator for in-situ materials processing. Importantly there is the opportunity to obtain a multi-ion PFIB with a plasma ion source that will allow the use of multiple gas ions such as xenon, argon, nitrogen and oxygen that will enable a range of materials to be characterised rapidly in three dimensions, while allowing low-damage processing for high-resolution microscopy.Analysis of air-sensitive materials is complicated by having to transfer the sample to another instrument, and this proposal would integrate a vacuum cryo transfer module (VCTM) into the facility, as well as adding a cryogenic stage to the PFIB with the ability to load samples from the VCTM. This would allow samples to be transferred between the FIBs and the APT instruments at Oxford under vacuum and/or cryogenic conditions, unlocking a huge new array of cutting-edge experiments on biological specimens for the Wolfson Bioimaging Facility, as well as key materials challenges relevant to the nuclear community, such as corrosion of actinides and cladding, tritium storage and hydrogen embrittlement.The project will also fund half of a Research Technical Professional (RTP), Dr Christopher Jones, for 3 years (50% contribution from EPSRC) to run and maintain the PFIB instrument. FIB instruments are complex and having a dedicated RTP with extensive FIB experience will enhance the effectiveness of the instrument and accelerate training and seedcorn projects with new PIs.UoB leads the NNUF National Ion Beam Facility for Active Materials, which includes a PFIB within the hot cells at UKAEA MRF, dedicated to high-radioactivity specimens that require robotic loading and remote operation. This proposal will match the MRF capability with a PFIB at UoB that will join the NNUF facility. This is an important step to maximise the use of FIB in nuclear research, because this new capability at Bristol will bolster the NNUF ion beam facility and cater for specimens and training that does not require the hot cell and robotic handling capability at MRF. This facility will enhance the UK capability to characterise active materials using FIB and significantly boost the national capability for specimen preparation of active materials for advanced characterisation techniques, such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), micromechanical testing and atom probe tomography (APT). The NNUF Active FIB Facility will work in partnership with the NNUF Active Atom Probe Facility at the University of Oxford to ensure that sufficient capacity for APT specimen preparation on active materials is in place to support this powerful and important technique.