EUCLID TECHLABS, LLC — Department of Energy SBIR Phase II: 07a

Description

In the modern technological era, many breakthroughs rely on understanding how advanced nanoscopic materials or devices operate at rates approaching or exceeding 1 GHz. This requires adequate instrumentation. At the moment, none of electron- or photon-based time-resolved techniques/tools is able to provide GHz-scale sampling rates. Factors limiting sampling rates at light sources are complex, and even if they are solved, limited beam time allocations will still limit the availability of x-ray GHz methods. In ultrafast transmission electron microscopy (UTEM), which makes use of a stroboscopic laser-based pump-probe method in which the data are repeatedly collected over extended periods of time, the thermal load from the pump laser must be handled so that the process under study stays reversible. As a result, GHz sampling is not attainable, and the maximum sampling rate is sub- GHz. How the problem is being addressed: A novel laser-free time-resolved GHz stroboscopic concept for TEM would resolve sub-nanosecond processes in advanced magnetic, electronic, ionic and photonic materials/devices, driven by electromagnetic stimuli, under actual operation conditions. In the family of time-resolved electron probe methods, such a laser-free GHz stroboscopic concept would fulfill a different temporal landscape that is complementary to the existing commercial solutions. What was done in Phase II: In Phase II, we completed the fabrication of the first prototype Electron Buncher system, and have been experimentally debugging it. We have addressed and resolved a number of challenging issues, some unanticipated, permitting us to demonstrate its basic functionality at Euclid’s test facility. The first installation on the real commercial TEM at JEOL Boston facility is scheduled for January 2018. We have signed the first commercial contract for our newly developed Electron Buncher with the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Also, two utility patents were submitted during Phase II, with one granted and the second currently pending. What will be done in Phase IIA: In Phase IIA of the project, Euclid Techlabs LLC will improve on the original design that was developed in Phase II, based on the knowledge gained and lessons learned in developing the first prototype. With these improvements, we will develop a robust upgraded version of the Electron Buncher and deliver a solid industrialized product to the market by the end of Phase IIA. We also plan to develop a high frequency RF-based pulse compression column for the commercial UTEM. This new effort is in response to the complementary parameter space (e.g. 20fs, 1e4 electrons per pulse, MHz rep. rate) that our Electron Buncher provides. During Phase IIA, Euclid will increase our efforts to market the developed products. We plan to transition the TEM Electron Buncher and the TEM Pulse Compressor into production mode at the end of Phase IIA. Applications and benefits: Because TEM is a platform for various analytical methods, there are infinite application opportunities in energy and electronics to resolve charge (electronic and ionic) transport, and magnetic, plasmonic and excitonic dynamics in advanced functional materials.