Acquisition of Multi-functional Nanoprobe Station-based Measurement System for Comprehensive In Situ Materials Characterization and Measurement in SEM

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 and the Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations Act for 2016 allocated $28M to assist Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI). The program aims to (a) enhance research programs and capabilities in scientific and engineering disciplines critical to the national security functions of DoD; (b) enhance the capacity of HBCU/MI to participate in defense research programs and activities; and (c) increase the number of graduates, including underrepresented minorities, in fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) that are important to the defense mission. The FY 2016 DoD HBCU/MI Research and Education Program Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) solicited proposals from single investigators at HBCUs and MIs for the acquisition equipment and instrumentation in scientific areas important to one or more the three defense research offices, namely: Army Research Office (ARO); Office of Naval Research (ONR); and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). All equipment/instrument grant awards made under this program will have a 12-month performance period. The objective of the proposal is to acquire a multi-functional nanoprobe station-based measurement system for in-situ nanomaterials characterization and measurements in a scanning electron microscope. The PI proposed to acquire a multi-functional nanoprobe station-based measurement system to be used inside a scanning electron microscope. Using nano-manipulators, the proposed system would allow the PI and Co-PIs to control different types of probes, sensors, and other devices for sample manipulation and property measurements. The proposed equipment consists of three subsystems, including nanoprobe station subsystem (with mechanical testing and electron beam induced-deposition functions), electrical measurement subsystem, and optical measurement subsystem. Research in different materials systems, such as oxides, borides, metamaterials, type II superlattice materials, and ultrafine-grained metals, will be conducted using the proposed equipment by a large group of researchers.