Community Facility Support: The Arizona State University SIMS Laboratories

该奖项继续支持亚利桑那州立大学社区二次离子质谱仪（西姆斯）设施，该设施将为NSF地球科学研究人员提供两种复杂的分析仪器，使他们能够分析天然和合成材料中的非常小的区域。NanoSIMS可以检测和量化来自小至50纳米的斑点的信号。这比人类头发的宽度小1000倍。6 f西姆斯仪器分析更大的区域（几微米宽），但可以在深度上达到亚微米分辨率。这两种仪器都很昂贵，需要大量的努力来维护，并且使用起来可能具有挑战性。这些资金支持ASU专家与游客合作，帮助他们设计实验并选择仪器协议，以从样品中获得最佳分析。 参观者被教导如何针对他们的特定问题操作仪器，指导西姆斯的基本原理，并鼓励他们描述新的问题，以便设施专家可以使用这些仪器开发适当的新分析技术。西姆斯技术在地球和空间科学、核不扩散和半导体/材料科学领域有多种应用。因此，在过去的访问者和设施支持的学生所获得的知识，帮助他们获得在工业，学术界和国家实验室的西姆斯实验室就业。在上一个资助周期（2014年9月至2018年5月），该设施帮助不同的参观者获得了最好的微量元素和同位素微量分析。在新的资助期内，该设施将继续在美国地球化学界发挥这一作用，并通过开发新的分析技术、改善量化和基础设施（标准）以及加强对新访客的教育方法（培训）来增加功能。现有设施包括两台Cameca仪器（IMS 6 f和NanoSIMS）。IMS 6 f在样品室真空度（实现痕量H和C分析以及痕量H的同位素测量）、传输、质量分辨率以及横向和深度分辨率方面具有出色的规格。它非常适合于在小区域（几微米）进行精确的同位素比测量和微量元素分析，并以几纳米的分辨率对微量元素分布进行深度剖析。NanoSIMS具有极高的横向分辨率，并在高质量分辨率下具有高的二次离子传输。这是一个很好的匹配广泛的NSF EAR支持的研究，是唯一的NanoSIMS在美国，作为一个开放的设施。亚利桑那州立大学在西姆斯的研究和开发方面一直处于领先地位，并以跨学科合作而闻名。该设施的更新将使ASU能够继续与广泛的地球科学家分享专业知识，同时继续改进现有的分析技术并开发新的分析技术。ASU西姆斯实验室参加面向公众的开放日活动，每年举办一次研讨会（主要面向研究生），并为有兴趣了解这一丰富分析技术更多细节的人创建培训指南。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award continues support of the Arizona State University Community Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (SIMS) Facility that will provide NSF-researchers in Earth Sciences access to two complex analytical instruments that allow them to analyze very small areas in natural and synthetic materials. The NanoSIMS can detect and quantify signals from a spot as small as 50 nanometers across. This is ~1000 times less than the width of a human hair. The 6f SIMS instrument analyzes larger areas (a few micrometers across), but can achieve sub-micron resolution in depth. Both instruments are expensive, require major efforts to maintain, and can be challenging to use. The funds support ASU specialists who work with visitors and help them design their experiments and select instrument protocols to get the best possible analyses from their samples. Visitors are taught how to operate the instruments for their particular problem, instructed in the basic principles of SIMS, and encouraged to describe new questions so that the facility specialists may develop appropriate, novel analysis techniques using these instruments. The SIMS technique has multiple applications in Earth and Space Sciences, nuclear non-proliferation, and the semiconductor/materials science fields. Thus, the knowledge gained by visitors and Facility-supported students in the past has helped them obtain employment in SIMS labs in industry, academia, and national laboratories. During the past funding cycle (September 2014 through May 2018), the facility helped a diverse group of visitors obtain the best possible trace element and isotopic microanalyses. In the new funding period the facility will continue this role in the US geochemical community, and add functionality through development of new analytical techniques, improving quantification and infrastructure (standards), and enhancing educational approaches for new visitors (training). The existing facility contains two Cameca instruments (IMS 6f and NanoSIMS). The IMS 6f has excellent specifications for sample chamber vacuum (enabling trace H, and C analyses and isotope measurements for trace H), transmission, mass resolution and lateral and depth resolution. It is well-suited for precise isotope ratio measurements and trace element analyses in small (several micrometer) areas and for in-depth profiling of trace element distributions with few-nanometer resolution. The NanoSIMS has extremely high lateral resolution coupled with high secondary ion transmission at high mass resolving power. It is a good match for a wide range of NSF EAR-supported research and is the only NanoSIMS in the US that acts as an open facility. Arizona State University has been a leader in SIMS research and development for over 30 years and is known for cross-disciplinary collaborations. The renewal of this facility support will allow ASU to continue sharing expertise with a broad spectrum of earth scientists while continuing to improve existing and develop new analytical techniques. The ASU SIMS labs participate in open houses for the general public, conduct a workshop once a year (mostly for graduate students), and create training guides for those interested in learning more details about this rich analysis technique.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.