Dual Beam FIB/FESEM at Missouri S&TFrank S. Miller, Missouri University of Science and Technology, DMR 0723128

Diamond-like Carbon on Tungsten Carbide

Imaged at the left is a project in which diamond films are laser-deposited onto tungsten carbide substrates. Previously, this type of sample was extremely difficult, if not impossible to cross-section, yet you can see in the bottom row of images that both the diamond coatings and the tungsten carbide substrate are milled very smoothly with the focused ion beam. The Helios Nanolab 600 FIB is a very versatile instrument, and some of its imaging modes and capabilities are shown by this project. Fig. (a) is a top view secondary electron image, Fig. (b) shows the ion milling capabilities in making site-specific electron transparent lamella, and Figs. (c) and (d) show the excellent imagies produced by the 12 quadrant STEM detector.

The Helios Nanolab 600 has been used by a large number of undergraduate and graduate student researchers, as well as post-doctoral users from over 23 different research groups across ten different departments at Missouri S&T as well as several industrial groups. It has been integrated into the laboratory sections of three classes (Cell Biology, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Transmission Electron Microscopy) and has been utilized in a variety of outreach activities. In the images at the left, high school students in a recent Materials Camp sponsored by ASM and hosted by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering disassemble smartphones to discover the large variety of materials necessary to produce the components of the phones. The students were able to analyze the components in the newly-renovated electron microscope suite, which will also house the recently acquired Tecnai G2 F20 STEM, partially funded by DMR-0922851

Dual Beam FIB/FESEM at Missouri S&T Frank S. Miller, Missouri University of Science and Technology, DMR 0723128