| NSF Org: |
DMR Division Of Materials Research |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 7, 2018 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 25, 2023 |
| Award Number: | 1828705 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Z. Ying
cying@nsf.gov (703)292-8428 DMR Division Of Materials Research MPS Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences |
| Start Date: | October 1, 2018 |
| End Date: | September 30, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $2,246,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $2,246,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
3100 MARINE ST Boulder CO US 80309-0001 (303)492-6221 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
3100 Marine Street, 4th floor boulder CO US 80309-0572 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
Major Research Instrumentation, MPS DMR INSTRUMENTATION |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.049 |
ABSTRACT
Microscopic imaging is critical for discovery and innovation in science and technology, accelerating advances in materials, biological, nano and energy sciences, as well as nanoelectronics, data storage and medicine. However, many advanced materials are non-uniform and complex in structure and behavior. As a result, it is very challenging to understand how these materials work, or to implement smart design in order to harness their rich technological potential. Moreover, many nanoscale imaging techniques alter samples due to the need for extensive sample preparation, and each imaging method provides only a limited view of the material. To address these challenges, researchers at the STROBE Science and Technology Center are developing a new hybrid microscope to implement a new imaging modality: real-time imaging of nanostructured and complex materials using ultrafast illumination beams spanning the electromagnetic spectrum from the terahertz to the soft X-ray regions, as well as ultrafast pulses of electrons. This project also provides a unique opportunity for a large group of students and postdocs to do cutting edge research in imaging science, as well as experience how to translate advanced imaging concepts into a working microscope. After commissioning, more than 100 faculty, graduate students, and national lab and industry users will benefit from the new microscope, in research areas spanning physics, chemistry, materials science, mechanical and aerospace engineering.
The goals of this Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) project are to development a hybrid photon-electron functional microscope system and to implement a new imaging modality: real-time multimodal imaging of nanostructured materials using ultrafast excitation, combining illumination beams from the terahertz to X-ray, as well as ultrafast pulses of electrons. This unique microscope enables high spatial and temporal resolution, non-destructive, 3-dimensional imaging of nanostructured and low-density materials; functional imaging of buried interfaces; and multimodal imaging of common nanostructured samples, necessitating the use of common registration and sample manipulation to correlated information from different imaging modalities. Key features of the microscope include the ability to dynamically image charge/spin/energy transport and couplings at surfaces using nano-optical and low-energy electron imaging, as well as thick samples using X-ray and high-energy electron imaging, with nanometer spatial and femtosecond time resolution. Access to these new capabilities allow better understanding of charge and thermal transport in advance nanomaterials, as well as understanding how structure impacts new emergent physical phenomena in materials.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The goal of this Hybrid Photon-Electron Functional Microscope System (HyRES) is to implement real-time multimodal imaging of nanostructured materials and interfaces by combining short wavelength imaging, with electron imaging, as well as with nano-enhanced optical (visible-infrared) imaging. The HyRES suite of microscopes was developed by an expert faculty and student team from the NSF Science and Technology Center on Real-Time Functional Imaging (STROBE), as a collaboration between CU Boulder and UCLA.
Nondestructive EUV and soft X-ray imaging: At Boulder, static and dynamic reflection-mode and transmission-mode microscopes were designed and commissioned using short wavelength high harmonic (HHG) illumination beams.
Since most materials reflect in the EUV spectral region (~10 – 100 eV) with amplitude and phase contrast, it is possible to implement a reflection-mode microscope in the EUV. This makes it possible to image nanostructured materials samples such as multilayers, metamaterials and circuits, limited only by the wavelength, which determines the spatial resolution and penetration depth. In contrast, most soft X-ray microscopes work in transmission, which requires destructive sample preparation and limiting the imaging to small regions. Unique reflection-mode EUV microscopes were successfully used for nondestructive static imaging of hard semiconductor and soft polymer metamaterials. Finally, EUV scatterometry was used to achieve functional imaging of nanoscale transport (charge, heat) in metallic, semiconductor and wide bandgap materials such as diamond.
We also implemented a transmission-mode EUV and soft x-ray microscope that has already been used for high fidelity imaging of periodic samples using structured short wavelength light (vortex beams instead of Gaussian beams).
Several collaborations and opportunities for knowledge transfer arose because of the unique capabilities of these coherent imaging and scatterometry HHG microscopes, that are all still pre-commercial. New projects and research collaborations with industry were also enabled, which provided us with unique and challenging samples that could not be adequately imaged using existing commercial approaches. These samples helped us to develop and commission these new HHG microscopes.
Cryo-STM based optical nano-imaging: Also at Boulder, the custom-built low- and variable-temperature nano-imaging scanning probe platform has been delivered, installed, and commissioned. The instrument uniquely combines STM with two AFM functions for several novel nano-optical tip-enhanced nano-imaging modalities operating in both tunneling and force-feedback regime for atomically precise nano-optical field control. The microscope was commissioned using WSe2 monolayer samples, as well as collaborations for magneto-optical nano-imaging of chiral 3D quantum and magnetic properties of Mn3Si2Te6 to understand orbital moments and domain structures, and exploring the role of chiral orbital currents on the colossal magnetoresistance discovered in this material.
Ultrafast electron imaging: Research activities in ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) at UCLA progressed along two distinct directions. It is being used to investigate ultrafast charge density wave dynamics with a demonstrated temporal resolution as low as 200 fs, supported by amplitude and phase feedback on the beam compression RF cavity.
Opportunities for training and professional development provided by the project This project supported the training of tens of postdoctoral scientists, graduate and undergraduate students, all associated with the STROBE NSF Science and Technology Center.
Last Modified: 02/25/2025
Modified by: Margaret M Murnane
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