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

布里斯托尔大学正在申请资金，以便在其界面分析中心(IAC)设施内安装一台等离子体聚焦离子束(PFIB)仪器。这一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的科学研究机会，并为新型量子、超导和半导体设备的原型提供快速生产量的仪器。此外，该仪器将加入美国国家核用户设施(NNUF)国家离子束活跃材料设施，由大华大学和英国原子能机构在库勒姆的材料研究设施(MRF)共享。将购买一台最先进的PFIB，适用于核能研究、三维断层扫描和高通量样品制备的材料分析。该系统将包括一台带有场发射枪扫描电子显微镜的PFIB仪器。外围附件将包括用于化学分析的能量色散X射线探测器，用于结晶学工作的电子背散射衍射，用于高分辨率工作的扫描透射镜能力，以及用于现场材料加工的纳米操纵器。重要的是，有机会获得一个具有等离子体离子源的多离子PFIB，它将允许使用多种气体离子，如氙气、Ar、氮和氧，这将使一系列材料能够快速地在三维中表征，同时允许低损害处理高分辨率显微镜。空气敏感材料的分析由于必须将样品转移到另一台仪器而变得复杂，该提议将在该设施中集成一个真空低温传输模块(VCTM)，并在PFIB中增加一个能够从VCTM加载样品的低温阶段。这将允许样品在真空和/或低温条件下在FIBS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了一系列针对生物样品的大量尖端实验，以及与核社区相关的关键材料挑战，如辐化物和覆层的腐蚀、氚存储和氢脆。该项目还将资助一半的研究技术专业人员(RTP)博士Christopher Jones博士运行和维护PFIB仪器，为期3年(EPSRC贡献50%)。FIB仪器很复杂，拥有具有丰富FIB经验的专用RTP将增强仪器的有效性，并利用新的PI加速培训和种子项目。UOB领导着NNUF国家活性材料离子束设施，其中包括UKAEA MRF热室内的PFIB，专门用于需要机器人加载和远程操作的高放射性样品。这一提议将使MRF能力与将加入NNUF设施的UOB的PFIB相匹配。这是最大限度地利用FIB在核研究中的重要一步，因为布里斯托尔的这一新能力将支持NNUF的离子束设施，并满足不需要MRF热室和机器人处理能力的样品和培训。这一设施将增强英国使用FIB表征活性材料的能力，并显著提高英国为先进表征技术(如透射电子显微镜(TEM)、微机械测试和原子探针断层扫描(APT))制备活性材料样品的能力。NNUF有源原子探测器设施将与牛津大学的NNUF有源原子探测器设施合作，以确保有足够的能力在活性材料上制备APT样品，以支持这项强大而重要的技术。

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.