Polytechnique Montréal today marked a milestone in its involvement in high-technology materials development, with the inauguration of facilities housing the first atom probe tomography microscope in Québec, and the first model of its generation in North America.
Procured thanks to financial support totalling $8.3 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the Government of Québec and other partners, the Invizo® 6000 3D atom probe microscope will be used by researchers from across the country to seek answers to questions in a range of scientific disciplines, from microelectronics to biology to the design of alloys. Université de Montréal, École de technologie supérieure, McGill University and Université de Sherbrooke are among the partner organizations in the initiative that led to the implementation of this leading-edge technology at Polytechnique Montréal.
One atom at a time
The Invizo 6000 analyzes the atomic composition of a sample by evaporating its atoms one by one to generate a three-dimensional image of the object at an unprecedented level of detail. An onboard mass spectrometer identifies not only the nature of each atom, but also its isotopic form. The tool is sensitive enough to recognize the smallest atoms, even hydrogen and lithium.
This technology can be harnessed to advance design of next-generation semiconductors and quantum materials sensitive to atomic variations and impurities. The atom probe also opens the door to greater understanding of fine structures, such as those inside batteries, or biological tissues like bone.
“There is no other instrument that can access the realm of the infinitely small with this degree of precision,” explains Oussama Moutanabbir, Professor in Polytechnique Montréal’s Department of Engineering Physics and Scientific Director of the platform dubbed PolyAPT.
He adds: “Development of materials and devices for technological applications has always been closely linked to improvements in characterization techniques, and this new tool opens up all sorts of possibilities for us.”
The delivery of the atom probe tomography microscope to Polytechnique helps Montréal maintain its strategic positioning within the high-tech ecosystem in Québec and the rest of Canada. The device will help drive development of advanced materials with applications in such fields as quantum information technology, nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, energy conversion and storage, metal alloys for aerospace, biointegrated technologies and biomaterials.
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