A Focused Ion Beam Microscopy Facility for Advanced Materials Analysis

Ion beam preparation and the ability to use it for precision lithography has made it one of the most interesting and useful tools in materials science. It is key to the preparation of high quality site-specific specimens for transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy and its versatility as a nanoscale scalpel makes it an essential tool for nanostructuring shapes and designs that are often difficult or impossible to realise otherwise. Building upon our long track record in focused ion beam preparation and expertise in materials characterisation we will commission a 3rd generation focused ion beam instrument. This design replaces the gallium beam used in the 1st and 2nd generation instruments with a noble gas beam for milling. The use of noble gas beams has major advantages over gallium in reducing chemical reactions, implantation and surface damage. In consequence we will be able to extract the greatest possible information from advanced high-resolution electron microscopy by reducing artefacts and ambiguities when preparing cross sections and lift outs. Moreover, with the 3rd generation machine our ability to define features lithographically will benefit from a significant improvement in definition. This will allow us to create and study functional nanostructures in a greater range of material systems than currently possible. The addition of this state of the art tool to the Kelvin Nanocharacterisation Centre at Glasgow will add value to numerous projects and collaborations at the University of Glasgow, across Scotland and throughout the north of the UK, a noble gas FIB that is optimised for the liftout of high quality TEM/STEM specimens will be of especial national importance as the first instrument of its kind funded by the EPSRC anywhere in the UK. Access mechanisms will be put in place to allow users from across the UK to use this facility, as detailed elsewhere. We will track the significant industrial impact this instrument will have, including with existing industrial partners on advanced materials development, as well as in collaboration with the instrument suppliers to further develop usage modes and protocols with a clear benefit to future users of such technology. This will also benefit the training of a future generation of scientists and technologists through its explicit linkage to two Centres for Doctoral Training.

The College of Science and Engineering at the University of Glasgow has an excellent track record of creating significant impact from research performed within the schools, and this is assisted by dedicated support staff. The Kelvin Nanocharacterisation Centre is part of this success story and has worked with many companies productively over the past 15 years or more. Some of our developments in the area of DualEELS were featured in a REF case study for 2014. The proposed FIB facility is a unique, timely tool that will enable a range of new investigations with UK partners which will have industrial, societal, people and knowledge impacts.

There will be industry impacts through working with a range of companies on development of a range of materials, structures and devices, including through contract research and through longer term research collaborations (e.g. with EU funding). There will also be impact back to the suppliers of the equipment in terms of collaborative developments of new protocols and techniques with the equipment. These impacts will be disseminated to other users of the equipment through use of trade journals, application notes and webinars.

Since some of our research is specifically focussed on topics concerning Energy and Healthcare, this investment will contribute Societal benefits including contributing to the sustainability of our energy supply, and through better understanding of the nanoscale processes involved in virus infection enabling improvements in healthcare.

This equipment will be included in Masters level training courses, which support two CDTs, in "Integrative Sensing and Measurement", and "Photonic Integration and Advanced Data Storage", as well as widely used by PhD students and early career researchers. It will therefore contribute to the supply of highly skilled persons to the knowledge economy.

It will also provide significant knowledge impacts, as summarised separately in "Academic Beneficiaries", and delivered by a range of traditional and emerging dissemination routes.