Worldwide network of in-situ TEM/ion accelerator facilities

这项提议的重点是建立一个正式的全球原位瞬变电子显微镜/离子加速器设施网络，以便试图以比以往更有效的方式利用这一虽小但重要的全球资源。这项提议的新重点是，其意图是形成一个网络，其中包括与每个设施有关的早期研究人员，而不是高级工作人员。世界上有8个这样的(已知的)设施。该网络的初步建立将通过索尔福德国际和平协会和PDRA访问其他TEMIAF，与早期研究人员联系，并收集重新评估每个设施的能力的信息。请注意，参与访问的PI是为了促进初步接触，部分是通过他自己与TEMIAF高级工作人员的接触。这些设施使各种材料的样本能够被高能离子照射，同时在透射电子显微镜中成像。这种方法可以提供对辐射损害的基本方面的非凡洞察，因为动态过程在发生时被观察和记录。原位研究还提供了非常显著的效率收益，因为一小时的视频照射实验可能相当于数周的非原位实验，在这些实验中，标本在植入器和显微镜之间重复转移。这样的研究还使在室温以外的温度下对样品进行辐照和用透射电子显微镜进行分析的实验成为可能。在离子辐照和显微镜连续进行的情况下，这通常是困难的或不可能的。这类研究对核反应堆材料的辐射损害(裂变和聚变)、半导体加工和表面工程(使用离子束或等离子体)等领域做出了重要贡献。在核材料领域，这些装置的实验为研究人员进行理论模型研究提供了重要数据。目前，单个装置(使用各种类型的显微镜和植入器)完全独立运行，这无疑有时会导致装置的特性与特定实验所需的特性不匹配。这项建议旨在建立一个早期再灌注者网络和一个中心网站，以便(在全球范围内)优化此类设施的使用，并寻求更多的资金机会，以使研究人员能够在成员实验室之间流动，并探讨建立一个虚拟协作室的可能性，该协作室将允许利用互联网进行实时协作实验。

The focus of this proposal is to establish a formal, worldwide network of in-situ TEM/ion accelerator facilities (TEMIAFs) in order to attempt to use this small but important global resource in a much more effective manner than hitherto. The novel focus of the proposal is that the intention is to form a network involving the early-stage researchers associated with each facility rather than the senior staff. There are 8 such (known) facilities worldwide. The initial establishment of the network will be via visits by the Salford PI and PDRA to the other TEMIAFs to make contact with the early-stage researchers and to gather information regrading the capabilities of each facility. Note that the PI is involved in the visits in order to facilitate the initial contacts partially through his own contacts with senior TEMIAF staff.These facilities enable specimens of a variety of materials to be irradiated with energetic ions whilst simultaneously imaging in a transmission electron microscope. This approach can give remarkable insights into fundamental aspects of radiation damage in that dynamic processes are observed and recorded as they occur. In-situ studies also offer a very significant efficiency gain in that one hour of video-recorded irradiation experiment may be equivalent, literally, to weeks of ex-situ experiments in which specimens are transferred repeatedly between implanter and microscope. Such studies also make it possible to carry out experiments in which specimens are irradiated and analysed by TEM at temperatures other than room temperature. This is generally difficult or impossible where ion irradiation and microscopy take place sequentially. Studies of this type make important contributions to areas such as radiation damage in nuclear reactor materials (fission and fusion), semiconductor processing and surface engineering (using ion beams or plasmas). In the nuclear materials area, experiments on these facilities provide important data for researchers carrying out theoretical modelling studies.Currently, the individual facilities (which employ a variety of types of microscope and implanter) are operated entirely independently -- undoubtedly sometimes resulting in a mismatch between the characteristics of the facility and those required by a particular experiment. This proposal seeks to set up a network of early-stage resaerchers and a central website in order to optimise (globally) the use of such facilities and to seek further opportunities for funding to enable mobility of researchers amongst the member laboratories and explore the possibility of setting up a virtual collaboratory that would permit real-time collaborative experiments using the internet.