Research Areas

Background

The Basic Technology programme of Research Councils UK is meant to stimulate multi-disciplinary and large scale research into generic new technologies with wide-spread impact on future academic and industrial research and development. A large award was made by RCUK to conduct research over 4 years in the area of novel instrumentation development for nanomanipulation and nanoscale 3D characterisation.

Research

The research programme integrates elements of the previously separate technologies of scanning probe microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, nanoindentation, and 3D-reconstruction of nanoobjects. In particular, we are combining nanoscale actuator technology with live electron microscopy observation, each at a resolution of down to 0.1nm, which will ultimately allow an observed (as opposed to blind) nanomanipulation of smallest objects, such as e.g. nanoparticles or buckyballs.

The versatility of the instrumentation to be developed and integrated in the specimen chamber of an atomic resolution electron microscope, including nanoscale ‘hands’, vision feedback (‘eyes’) and control, 3D image processing, and multi-property physical sensors can be summarised as a “Nanorobot” operating in a “NanoLAB”.

Prospective Applications

Nanomechanical testing and Nanotribology (local hardness, friction and wear, elastic properties, deformation mechanisms) of e.g. nanowires, nanoparticles, contact surfaces, multilayers, bio-nanomaterials.

Sensing of nanoscale electronic and magnetic properties of semiconductors and information storage materials and devices.

Manipulation of nanoparticles, nanotubes, and clusters, e.g. on nanostructured surfaces, with respect to nanofabrication, pattern building, device fabrication, and nano-circuitry, including e.g. nanoscale contacting, welding, melting, and alignment.

Quantitative Metrology of nanoobjects with respect to measurements of properties, parameters in 2D and 3D.

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Current Projects

Atomic resolution TEM nanopositioning

Dr AJ Lockwood, Dr JJ Wang, Mr. K. Briston, Mr R Gay, Dr BJ Inkson
Novel miniaturised piezo-controlled nanopositioning systems with atomic resolution are being developed for electron microscopes. Methods of TEM nanoindentation, TEM tribology, and TEM electrical contacting are being developed for quantitative real-time mechanical testing of nanostructures.

Carbon Onion

MEMS Bridge under compression

TEM/FIB nanotomography

Dr W Guan, Dr XJ Xu, Dr Z Saghi, Mr. T Gnanavel, Mr R Gay, Dr G Möbus
Novel specimen positioning and manipulation devices are designed and implemented into electron microcopes with the aim of adding rotational degrees-of-freedom of piezoactuation. Apart from rotation-sensitive contacting, the main application is in novel tomographic data acquisition schemes.. Specific 3D reconstruction schemes using bright-field, dark-field, binarised and element sensitive TEM signals are being developed, including the use of electron beams for 3D nanofabrication.

Tomogram of CeO2 Octahedral Nanoparticle

Tomogram of dendritic ceria in glass

TEM-STM and nanoscale electrical testing

Dr B Rogers (Nott), Mr B Medford (Nott), Prof P Beton (Nott), Prof P Moriarty (Nott), Dr JJ Wang, Mr R Gay, Dr BJ Inkson
Novel miniaturised piezo-controlled STM and electrical testing devices are being developed for electron microscopes. Methods of TEM-STM are being developed for quantitative real-time electrical testing and imaging of nanostructures.

Growth on nanotips (Univ Nottingham)

TEM-SEM-FIB nanomanipulation and nanotools

Dr Y Peng, Mr R Gay, Prof AG Cullis, Dr G Möbus, Dr BJ Inkson
Nanotools and nanosensors are being developed to measure materials properties at the nanometre level whilst simultaneously observing the materials and devices with electron (SEM/TEM) and ion (FIB) microscopes. Fabrication of nanowires and nanotips, including hetero-nanowires, and their application in nanoscale circuits, along with novel nanowelding and alignment/positioning techniques is at the centre of this workpackage.

Tungsten Nanoprobe

Modification of nanotip morphology

Intelligent Nanorobotic control

Mr J Wedekind (SHU), Dr AJ Lockwood, Dr B Amavasai (SHU), Dr J Travis (SHU)
This workpackage, a collaboration between MMVL (SHU) and Nanolab (SU), develops data evaluation schemes for microscope videos to provide online position feed-back for controlling a Nano-robot arm. This will include flow estimation on TEM videos (e.g. for in-situ nanoindentation), determination of boundaries, etc, for the purpose of vision-feedback closed-loop nanopositioning control.

Nanoscale Properties of Biological Materials

Dr D Deivasagayam, Prof. P Hatton, Dr B Inkson
Technologies developed within the overall project are being applied to fields with bio/medical interest, especially bionanomaterials such as nanoparticle/matrix composites. Emphasis is on nano-mechanical testing including AFM and nanoindentation techniques.

Electrospun Polymer Nanocomposite

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PhD Projects

Research students are working on the following topics:

Z. Saghi: "Tomography Methods for 3D Reconstruction of Nano-objects"

A. Lockwood: "Failure of MEMS components through in-situ TEM nanoindentation"

K. Briston: "Focussed ion beam fabrication and modification of advanced nanostructures"

T. Gnanavel: "TEM studies of nanomagnetic structures"

M. Azizi: "Chemical mapping techniques for nanoscale multilayer coatings"

F. El Fallagh: "Evolution of residual stress and crack morphologies during 3D FIB tomographic analysis of alumina"

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