13.
NEUTRON
The
Department of Energy supports a number of large-scale, national user facilities
that provide intense beams of neutrons and electrons for the characterization of
materials. Grant applications are
sought only in the following subtopics:
a.
Neutron Facilities—As a
unique and increasingly utilized research tool, neutrons have made invaluable
contributions to the physical, chemical, and biological sciences.
The Department is committed to enhancing the operation and
instrumentation of its present and future neutron science facilities so that
their full potential is realized.
Grant applications are
sought to develop improved neutron detectors and associated electronics needed
for DOE’s existing and proposed steady-state and pulsed neutron scattering
facilities (References 1-3). New
detectors must represent substantial improvements in one or more of the
following parameters: efficiency at
short wavelengths, high counting rate capability, high spatial resolution in one
or two dimensions, time resolution (for pulsed source applications), cost per
unit area, and adaptability to unique geometries.
Detectors for pulsed neutron applications must be able to identify the
time of arrival of each neutron. All
detectors must have low intrinsic dark count rates and low sensitivity to gamma
radiation.
Grant applications are sought to develop novel or improved
neutron optical components for use in neutron scattering instruments (References
4-6). Such components include, but
are not limited to, neutron choppers, neutron guides, neutron lenses and
focusing mirrors, neutron monochromators, neutron polarization devices including
3He polarizing filters, radio-frequency flippers, superconducting
coils, and Meissner shields. Grant
applications also are sought for novel uses of such components in neutron
scattering instruments.
Grant
applications also are sought to develop novel or improved sample environments
(Reference 7), including extreme temperature, pressure, magnetic field, and
chemical environments. Specific
areas of interest include robotics for sample exchange and alignment, and
equipment automation and data management systems to facilitate high throughput
experiments at high flux sources.
Finally,
grant applications are sought to develop virtual neutron scattering instruments
utilizing a web portal based interface with access to high performance computing
(
Questions
- contact Helen Kerch (helen.kerch@science.doe.gov)
b.
Electron Beam Microcharacterization
Facilities—The Department of Energy supports four collaborative research
centers for electron beam microcharacterization of materials.
These tools are important in the materials and biological sciences and
are used in numerous research projects funded by the Department.
Innovative instrumentation developments offer the promise of radically
improving the capabilities of electron beam microcharacterization and thereby
stimulating new innovations in materials science.
Grant applications submitted to this subtopic must address improvements
in electron beam instrumentation capabilities beyond the present state of the
art.
Grant
applications also are sought to develop stages, holders, and/or detectors with
new capabilities for quantifying data and collection efficiency in electron beam
instruments. Areas of interest
include: (1) extremely stable
holders and stages that allow long exposure/analysis times, with accurate
tilting and alignment capability (to an angle accuracy ±0.005 degrees on two
axes, while maintaining eucentricity to within 20 nm); (2) fast CCD camera
systems that allow electron imaging exposure times in the millisecond range and
kHz frame rates; (3) high sensitivity electron imaging systems based on CCD
technology that provide 16 bit dynamic range or better over large areas; and (4)
improved electron and x-ray detectors that are robust and not susceptible to
electron beam damage. Proposed
approaches for electron detectors must show suitability for either low- or
high-energy electrons, and address one or more of the following three aspects:
high quantum efficiency, high spatial resolution, and high temporal
resolution. Proposed approaches for
x-ray detectors should show significant improvement in sensitivity or spectral
resolution for elemental analysis in electron microscopes.
Grant applications also are sought to develop stages and
holders with new capabilities for in situ experiments or sample
manipulation in the transmission electron microscope.
Stages and/or holders must provide for one or more of the following:
(1) application of magnetic field up to 5000 Oe in the plane of the
specimen, with capability to rotate field orientation in the specimen plane with
respect to the sample; (2) manipulation or measurement of the sample using a
4-probe nanomanipulator, including capability to measure deflection or strain,
or capability to apply electric fields or current; and (3) precision control of
specimen temperature (to an accuracy of 10oC in the range 5-2000K),
ambient gas pressure and flow rate (to within several percent for each), and
alignment (to an angle accuracy ±0.005 degrees on two axes).
Grant applications also are sought to develop electron
sources for scanning transmission electron microscopy with brightness on the
order 109 Amp/cm2/steradian or higher.
Current sources are based on tungsten emitters, and it is hoped that
higher brightness can be achieved with new materials and designs.
Proposed electron sources must be suitably robust for practical
applications, have long lifetimes (greater than 6 months), and offer a
significant increase in brightness over existing sources.
Grant applications also are sought for systems for
automated data collection, processing, and quantification.
Systems should include hardware and platform-independent software for
data collection and visualization, including automated measurement and mapping
of crystallography, internal magnetic or electric field, or strain, and for
multi-spectral analysis. Software
and quantification routines for image reconstruction and for interpretation of
interference patterns/holography are encouraged.
Finally, grant applications are sought for extremely stable
power supplies to improve lens stability in electron beam instruments.
Power supplies should be capable of producing 15 amperes with current
stability exceeding 0.1 ppm, or
Questions -
contact
Subtopic a:
Neutron Facilities
1.
Anderson, I.
S. and Guerard, B., eds., “Advances
in Neutron Scattering Instrumentation,” San Diego,
CA,
2.
Cooper, R., et al., eds., “A Program for Neutron Detector Research and Development,” White Paper
based on workshop held July 2002. (Full
report available at:
http://www.sns.gov/pubs/detector_research_white_paper_mar03.pdf)
3.
Wilpert, T., ed., “International Workshop on Position-Sensitive Neutron Detectors:
Status and Perspectives,”
Hahn-Meitner-Institute, Germany,
4.
Majkrzak C. F. and Wood, J. L., eds., “Neutron
Optical Devices and Applications,”
5.
Mezei, F., et al., eds., “Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy,”
Lecture Notes in Physics, 601, New York, Springer Verlag, 2003.
(ISBN: 3540442936).
6.
Klose, et al., eds., “Proceedings of the Fifth International
Workshop on Polarized Neutrons in Condensed Matter Investigations,”
7.
Crow, J., et al., “SENSE: Sample
Environments for Neutron Scattering Experiments,” Tallahassee, FL, September 24-26, 2003, Workshop Report, 2004. (Full
report available at: http://www.sns.gov/jins/tallahassee_workshops_2003/SENSE_report_1-14-04.pdf)
Subtopic b:
Electron Beam Microcharacterization Facilities
8.
“Proceedings of the
Microscopy Society of
America,” Annual Meetings, Springer-Verlag, New York, Inc.
(ISSN: 1431-9276)
9.
“Ultramicroscopy,”
78(1-4), Elsevier-Holland, June 1999. (ISSN:
0304-3991)
10.
Williams, D. B. and Carter, C. B., “Transmission
Electron Microscopy: A Textbook for
Materials Science,” Vols. 1-4, Plenum Publishing Corp., New
York-London, 1996. (ISBN:
0-306-45247-2)
11.
“Aberration Correction in Electron Microscopy:
Materials Research in an Aberration-Free Environment,”
12.
“Report: Second TEAM
[Transmission Electron Aberration-corrected Microscopy] Workshop:
Materials Research in an Aberration-Free Environment,” Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory,
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