Facilities & Capabilities

Crystallography

X-ray powder diffractometer

The ASC has a Philips XRD system (PW1830/40) that provides routine X-Ray Powder Diffractometry.

We also have access to the expertise and state-of-the-art facilities in the main MagLab building that include a Bruker four-circle X-ray microdiffractometer with a Hystar area detector using Cu Kα1 radiation and a powder X-ray diffractometer with a HUBER imaging plate Guinier camera (model 670) using Cu Kα1 radiation with a Ge monochrometer (this system also has cryostat and cryocooler that allows measurements at cryogenic temperatures and under vacuum).

Dual Beam Focused Ion Beam/Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope

Bob Goddard uses the Zeiss 1540 EsB crossbeam scanning electron microscope

This multifunctional tool has many advanced features:

• FIB: The low-energy capable Focused Ion Beam (FIB) column, allows for live-imaging of samples at high magnification (both microscopes have 1 nm resolution) while simultaneously machining with 5 nanometer precision using a stream of Ga ions.
• EsB: Low voltage in-lens backscattered electron imaging (also in-lens secondary electron imaging).
• GIS: A gas injection system makes it possible to deposit material for protective coatings and contacts as well as to modify etch rates and is an essential tool for the automated preparation of transmission electron microscope specimens.
• OIM: High resolution crystallographic orientation imaging (high speed Hikari camera).
• EDS: Fast chemical mapping (EDAX Apollo XPP SDD detector with a tested <126 eV energy resolution measured at MnK and 10 kcps and 20 kV, capable of 850,000 cps). Both the OIM and EDS systems are integrated allowing simultaneous mapping of the same area.
• NPGS: Electron lithography (Nabity Nanopattern Generating System) and FIB patterning.
• Nanoprobe: An Omniprobe Autoprobe (model 200.2) provides precise sample extraction and manipulation as well as mechanical (NanoMech) and electrical testing (AETA).

This system is ideally suited to providing electron-transparent sample for imaging in the MagLab’s spherical aberration probe corrected JEM-ARM200cF sub-Å resolution scanning transmission analytical electron microscope.

Information on how this instrument is being used is available on our scheduling page (accessible only to MagLab and FSU staff) and by contacting Yan Xin.

Electromagnetic Testing Facility

• 115 mm bore Nb-Ti 7T magnet with Variable Temperature operation from 2 to 120 K
• 52 mm bore 14-16 T Oxford Instruments magnet with Variable Temperature operation from 2 to 120 K
• A 52 mm cold bore 15-17 T Oxford Instruments magnet
• 5.5 T Quantum Design SQUID magnetometer
• Oxford Instruments 14 T Vibrating Sample Magnetometer with Cantilever Torque magnetometer
• Quantum Design 9 T Physical Property Measurement System with the following options: AC Susceptibility and DC Magnetization, Resistivity, Heat Capacity, Torque Magnetometer, Multi-Function Probe and Horizontal Rotator
• Quantum Design 16 T Physical Property Measurement System with the following options: VSM, Resistivity, Heat Capacity, Torque Magnetometer, Multi-Function Probe and Horizontal Rotator
• Very-Low-Field Shielded Test Facility
• Extensive High-Sensitivity Electronics permitting nanovolt DC measurements

Low Temperature Laser Scanning Microscope

Low temperature laser scanning microscope.

This technique allows us to visualize the voltage change responses on local heating from low power diode laser at constant bias current at temperatures 3.7 K – 300 K with magnetic fields up to 5 tesla.

In experiments with thin film superconductors the voltage change response is proportional to the local electric field, while a sample is cooled below the transition temperature and biased with current above the critical current. The laser microscope is capable of measuring simultaneously the voltage change response with resolution down to 2-3 μm and the intensity of reflected light with resolution <1 μm.

Magneto-Optic Imaging Facility

Magneto-optic imaging facility

Magneto-optical imaging allows us to image and measure the local uniformity of current flow or magnetization in fields up to 0.15 T and temperatures down to ~6 K using the Faraday effect by applying an in-plane magnetized Bi-YIG imaging film to the sample surface and imaging using polarized light microscopy.

Mechanical Processing and Heat Treatment Lab

Facilities include:

• Hydrostatic extrusion press (0.625" and 1.25" diameter) with pressure to 300,000 psi
• Billet welding and sealing, swaging, wire drawing and heat treatment facilities providing a complete in-house strand fabrication facility
• Glove boxes for billet assembly and powder handling

A wide range of furnaces are available for heat treating in air, vacuum and special atmospheres, for example pure O₂.

• Cold (CIP - 60,000 psi) and hot (HIP - 2000°C and 30,000 psi) isostatic presses

Metallography and Imaging Lab

An extensive metallographic preparation laboratory allows preparation of complex structures with minimal polishing artifacts from initial diamond saw sectioning to final vibratory polishing.

• Comprehensive metallographic polishing facilities
• Precision Ion Etching and Coating System (Gatan PECS 682): Provides not only the ability to “Dry” etching as an alternative to chemical etching but also, in the same vacuum chamber, coat the surface with Ar ion sputter nano-scale coatings with thickness controlled by a film thickness sensor; this provides us with the capability to apply protective conductive films over very clean surfaces
• Broad area digital light microscopy by conventional and polarized reflected light with a digitally controlled stage and integrated software for through-focal image assembly and higher resolution image mosaic collection
• Hardness and fracture toughness measurement using diamond micro-indenters

Scanning Laser Confocal Microscope

Scanning laser confocal microscope

The scanning laser confocal microscope (SLCM, Olympus OLS 3100) is a high resolution light microscope with a 10 nm depth resolution and 0.12 µm spatial resolution.

It provides us with non-contact topographic measurements that can be used to make volumetric and surface roughness measurements. The digitally controlled stage allows us to automatically collect very high pixel count mosaics so that large areas can be covered at high resolution.

Information on how this instrument is being used is available on our scheduling page (accessible only to MagLab and FSU staff) and by contacting Peter Lee.

TEM Sample Polishing Lab

This lab provides high precision tripod polishing for TEM samples and BCP and EP polishing for SRF samples.

This supplements the main MagLab TEM sample preparation laboratory that includes a Gatan dimpler, Gatan Precision Ion Polishing System (PIPS), Gatan Solarus™ (Model 950) Advanced Plasma Cleaning System and a Fischione ion mill.

Thin film deposition capabilities

Complex and high quality single and multilayer structures can be grown using our Pulsed Laser Deposition Facility (Lambda Physik LPX^® 210i, KrF excimer laser) with dielectric rare mirror for 248 nm with a Neocera deposition chamber and 6-target.

• Multi-target KrF PLD system
• DC magnetron sputter chamber
• Digitally controlled Nd-YAG (yttrium aluminum garnet) laser cutter
• Clean room with mask aligner
• Computer controlled wafer saw
• Dektak profilometer