MRI: Acquisition of a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope for Imaging and Electron-Beam Nanolithography

纳米科学是研究和操纵原子和分子尺度上的结构，一到几百纳米。（可以想象，将一根头发的直径切割成50个部分，然后将其中一个部分切割一千倍。）纳米科学是乔治城大学几个联邦政府资助的跨学科研究项目的核心，包括纳米电子学、生物纳米级反应室、纳米晶体、注射活细胞的纳米针的图案和导电聚合物的生物应用。纳米级的成像和图像化可以用电子束而不是光来完成，因为光的波长太大，无法分辨分子和原子结构。扫描电子显微镜和电子束光刻系统是纳米科学革命的关键工具。虽然乔治敦大学目前还没有这种高分辨率显微镜和模式的设备，但教职员工非常机智，通过外部合作，利用了校园外的设备。不幸的是，校外设施严重限制了研究，需要旅行时间，限制了所有研究人员的机会，特别是学生的课程安排紧张。美国国家科学基金会核磁共振项目的一项奖励将使乔治城大学能够购买一台高分辨率扫描电子显微镜。该显微镜将位于乔治城高级电子实验室（GAEL），并将由物理系和化学系的教员共享。它也将提供给乔治城大学的其他研究小组。训练和使用显微镜将是物理学研究生和本科生课程的重要组成部分，为他们提供未来纳米尺度研究和技术的宝贵技能。一个短期的培训课程将提供给本科生和研究生以及其他感兴趣的研究人员在华盛顿特区都会区。该合同将为乔治城大学提供其第一台场发射扫描电子显微镜（FESEM），这是一台带有Nabity光刻系统的蔡司Supra 55VP，用于高分辨率成像和电子束光刻。纳米科学是乔治城大学物理系和化学系几个资助研究项目的核心，包括用于超导结和化学传感器的碳纳米管装置、细胞转染微针、纳米孔模板、导电聚合物纤维、纳米晶体成核的实时成像和生物反应室的纳米制造。该仪器的主要特点是：在低加速电压下进行高分辨率成像，允许对二氧化硅上的碳纳米管等绝缘样品进行快速成像。可变压力模式也可用于控制装药效果。湿样品的超高分辨率变压力模式和变温度阶段，用于成像纳米晶体的成核和导电聚合物形态的湿度依赖性。电子束光刻技术，用于纳米管电子纠缠器的图像化，在亚微米范围内连接的超导接近效应，用于细胞转染的亚微米孔径针，以及用于生物大分子的纳米通道。出色的分辨率，无需任何特殊的样品制备，需要所有的研究项目。FESEM将设在乔治城高级电子实验室（GAEL）的一间洁净室里，由物理系和化学系的教员共同使用。显微镜的训练和使用将成为物理研究生高级表征课程的一部分，并将在实验室轮转课程中使用，教职员工将是FESEM的主要用户。短期培训课程将提供给本科生和研究生以及其他感兴趣的研究人员在华盛顿特区都会区。

Nanoscience is the study and manipulation of structures at atomic and molecular scales, one to several hundreds of nanometers. (One nanometer can be imagined by cutting the diameter of a human hair into 50 parts, then cutting one of those parts a thousand times more.) Nanoscience is at the core of several federally-funded interdisciplinary research programs at Georgetown University, including nanoscale electronics, biological nanoscale reaction chambers, nanocrystals, patterning of nanoneedles for injecting living cells and biological applications of conducting polymers.Imaging and patterning at the nanoscale can be done using an electron beam, rather than light, because the wavelength of light is too large to resolve molecular and atomic structures. Scanning electron microscopes and electron-beam lithography systems are key tools in the nanoscience revolution. Although there are currently no facilities for this type of high-resolution microscopy and patterning at Georgetown, faculty members have been very resourceful by using facilities off campus, through external collaborations. Unfortunately, off-campus facilities severely limit the research, requiring travel time that limits the opportunities of all researchers, and especially students with their tight class schedules.An award from the NSF-MRI program will enable Georgetown University to purchase a high-resolution scanning electron microscope. The microscope will be located in the Georgetown Advanced Electronics Laboratory (GAEL) and will be shared by faculty members in both the Physics and Chemistry Departments. It will also be made available to other research groups at Georgetown University. Training and use of the microscope will be an important part of the curriculum for physics graduate and undergraduate students, providing them with invaluable skills for future nanoscale research and technology. A short training course will be made available to undergraduate and graduate students and to other interested researchers in the DC metro area. This award will provide Georgetown University with its first field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), a Zeiss Supra 55VP with Nabity lithography system, for high-resolution imaging and electron-beam lithography. Nanoscience is at the core of several funded research programs in the Departments of Physics and Chemistry at Georgetown University, including carbon-nanotube devices for superconducting junctions and chemical sensors, cell transfection micro-needles, nanoporous templates, conducting polymer fibers, real time imaging of nanocrystal nucleation, and nanofabrication of biological reaction chambers. Key features of the instrument are: High-resolution imaging at low accelerating voltages, allowing fast imaging of insulating samples such as carbon nanotubes on silicon dioxide. The variable pressure mode can also be used to control charging effects. Variable pressure mode with ultra-high resolution and variable temperature stage for wet samples, for imaging nucleation of nanocrystals and humidity dependence of the morphology of conducting polymers. E-beam lithography, for patterning of nanotube electron entangler, superconducting proximity effect in junctions with lengths in the submicron range, needles with submicron aperture for cell transfection, and nanochannels for biological macromolecules. Excellent resolution without any special sample preparation, needed for all the research projects.The FESEM will be located in a clean room in the Georgetown Advanced Electronics Laboratory (GAEL) and will be shared by faculty members in both the Physics and Chemistry Departments. Training and use of the microscope will be part of the curriculum for physics graduate students taking the Advanced Characterization course and it will be used during the Laboratory Rotation courses with faculty members who will be major users of the FESEM. A short training course will be made available to undergraduate and graduate students and other interested researchers in the DC metro area.