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

Cutting the Edge - 等离子体聚焦离子束 (PFIB) 设施，用于支持英国新型 3D 材料研究和设备制造方面的研究

• 批准号: EP/W036576/1
• 负责人: Tomas Martin
• 金额: $ 274.86万
• 依托单位: University of Bristol
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FW036576%2F1
• 关键词: Cutting; Edge; Plasma; Focused; Ion

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.

布里斯托大学正在申请资金，用于在其界面分析中心 (IAC) 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观结构 3D 横截面带来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设计提供快速通量仪器。此外，该仪器将加入 UoB 和位于 Culham 的 UKAEA 材料研究设施 (MRF) 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、用于晶体学工作的电子背散射衍射仪、用于高分辨率工作的扫描透射显微镜功能以及用于原位材料处理的纳米操纵器。重要的是，有机会获得带有等离子体离子源的多离子 PFIB，该离子源将允许使用多种气体离子，例如氙、氩、氮和氧，从而能够在三个维度上快速表征一系列材料，同时允许对高分辨率显微镜进行低损伤处理。空气敏感材料的分析由于必须将样品转移到另一台仪器而变得复杂，该提案将真空低温转移模块（VCTM）集成到设施中，以及添加低温阶段到 PFIB，能够从 VCTM 加载样本。这将允许样品在真空和/或低温条件下在牛津的 FIB 和 APT 仪器之间转移，为 Wolfson 生物成像设施的生物样本开展一系列新的尖端实验，以及相关的关键材料挑战该项目还将资助研究技术专业人员 (RTP) Christopher Jones 博士的一半费用，为期 3 年（50%） EPSRC 的贡献）来运行和维护 PFIB 工具。 FIB 仪器很复杂，拥有具有丰富 FIB 经验的专用 RTP 将提高仪器的有效性，并利用新的 PI 加速培训和种子项目。UoB 领导 NNUF 国家活性材料离子束设施，其中包括热室内的 PFIB UKAEA MRF 致力于处理需要机器人装载和远程操作的高放射性样本。该提案将把 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，因为布里斯托尔的这一新功能将支持 NNUF 离子束设施，并满足不需要 MRF 的热室和机器人处理能力的样本和培训。该设施将增强英国使用 FIB 表征活性材料的能力，并显着提高国家为先进表征技术（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 活性 FIB 设施将与牛津大学的 NNUF 活性原子探针设施合作，确保有足够的能力对活性材料进行 APT 样品制备，以支持这项强大而重要的技术。

项目成果

Microanalysis of the Effects of Tokamak Thermal Transients on Eurofer 97 Steel

托卡马克热瞬变对 Eurofer 97 钢影响的微观分析

• DOI: http://dx.10.1017/s1431927622008042
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Microscopy and Microanalysis
• 影响因子: 2.8
• 作者: Hargreaves J

New Correlative Microscopy Approaches to Understand the Microstructural Origins of Creep Cavitation in Austenitic Steels

了解奥氏体钢蠕变空化微观结构起源的新相关显微镜方法

• DOI: http://dx.10.1017/s1431927622008030
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Microscopy and Microanalysis
• 影响因子: 2.8
• 作者: Martin T