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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Nano@Tech welcomes Dr. John Notte, director of research and development at Carl Zeiss, Inc., as part of is regular seminar series. If you are planning on attending the seminar, please RSVP.
Abstract:
Although conceived 50 years ago, the helium ion microscope has only recently been realized as a commercial product. Now with several of these instruments deployed at scientific institutions around the globe, new applications are being discovered. The technology relies upon a source of helium ions that is just a few angstroms in size. Once created, the helium ions are accelerated, scanned and focused onto any desired sample. Although similar to the traditional SEM or gallium FIB, the unique ion source makes it possible to create a focused probe size as small as 0.25 nm. As the ions strike the sample, they produce photons, secondary electrons, secondary ions, and backscattered helium atoms. The detection rate of these products can be used to generate high resolution images with novel contrast mechanisms. A careful analysis of the properties of the products (such as the energy and angle) can reveal information about the sample’s material composition. Alternatively, the well controlled helium ion beam can be used for altering materials at the nanometer scale using gas assisted deposition and etching, or by the patterning of resists.
About Dr. Notte
John Notte received his bachelor's degree in Physics from Case Western Reserve University in 1987. As a part of his undergraduate research, he developed a precision torsion balance for measuring very small (pico-Newton) forces. John received his Ph.D. in experimental electron plasma physics from U.C. Berkeley in 1993 where he developed a trap for confining low energy electrons for many hours. He also developed the first MCP based imaging systems for these plasmas. The innovative imaging system permitted observation of the plasma equilibrium shape and dynamics. At Bates College, John taught physics, astronomy, and math while constructing another electron trap with a grant from the Howard Hughes foundation. Since leaving academia, John has worked for a variety of companies specializing in high performance charged particle imaging: AMRAY, KLA-Tencor, and FEI. In these companies John worked on electron optics, detector optimization, system automation, and image analysis. John began work at ALIS Corporation in 2005, specializing in the physics of the helium ion source. The ion beam from this source has a virtual source size smaller than a single atom, and can be focused to a spot size as small as 2.5 Angstroms. John is now employed at Carl Zeiss where he is developing further commercial improvements to the helium ion microscope.
