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A powerful new transmission electron microscope (TEM) establishes Portland State University as the Pacific Northwest's most advanced facility for nanoscale research in the fields of science and engineering.

The new TEM, an FEI (Tecnai F-20) 200kV field-emission high-resolution transmission electron microscope manufactured by the Hillsboro-based FEI Corporation (NASDAQ: FEIC), is the centerpiece for PSU's Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust recently awarded Portland State University $475,000 to add additional critical analytical accessories to the TEM.

PSU's Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology is under the direction of Professors Erik Bodegom, chair of the Physics Department, and Jun Jiao, an assistant professor of Physics with expertise in electron microscopy and nanomaterials synthesis and characterization. The mission of the Center is to facilitate research and education in nanoscale science and technology and to incorporate these advances into beneficial technologies. In addition to the new TEM, the Center houses several less-powerful TEMs, a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a focused ion beam (FIB) system, a photoelectron microscope (PEM), and a modern electron microscopy specimen preparation laboratory.

Nanoscience and nanotechnology promise to be a significant economic driving force in the upcoming decades. Among the anticipated breakthroughs are orders-of-magnitude increases in computing power and photovoltaic or solar-cell efficiency; direct assembly of atoms and molecules to create precise "designer" materials with built-in environmental benignness; creating devices significantly smaller than before that will transform medicine; and the emergence of new phenomena in the sciences.

"With the establishment of the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Portland State University is committed to taking a leadership role in these emerging fields for Oregon," said PSU President Daniel O. Bernstine.

The new TEM will augment existing instrumentation and support the current expansion of research and training at PSU. A recent campus-wide survey found that at least 26 PSU faculty members have an immediate need for this TEM in order to support their research and teaching.

Researchers in departments such as Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering will use the TEM to study the make-up of nanomaterials at the atomic level. Some of these nanomaterials include nanotubes, nanowires and quantum dots. Other materials under investigation at PSU are metal in aircraft engines and the microbial biosignatures preserved in minerals, rocks and sediments.

The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology will also provide access and opportunities for students and researchers from other area institutions, as well as for scientists from local companies. Portland's high-tech region is based largely on the semiconductor industry and includes many support industries that have developed optical and electron-optical instruments for wafer characterization. Portland State University has a long history in supporting such developments in collaboration with companies such as Tektronix, KLA-Tencor and FEI Company.