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ePaper created 2014-04-30, 16:22:09 | version 1.30.01
discovered 02 .13 research WWW.Hzdr.DE CROSS-SECTIONAL VIEW: The S.N.I.P.E.R. facility. Diagram: Sander Münster Contact _Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research at HZDR Dr. René Heller r.heller@hzdr.de S.N.I.P.E.R. - the acronym stands for "Surface Nanostructures by Ions Potential Energy Release" - actually holds a double meaning: For one, it's referring to the projectiles’ sharp local energy release; for another, it’s pointing out the high degree of precision that is required to deposit the ions onto the surface. The projected bombardment of surfaces with highly charged ions holds tremendous potential for coming up with answers to new scientific questions in both basic and applied research. Therefore, the most prominent example is most likely the realization of quantum computers as the placement of individual ions in a well-defined manner is key to their production. In addition, the selective bombardment of existing nanostructures is charting new experimental territory for observing and modifying their physical properties. Everything from biomolecules to magnetic nanostructures could be modified in a controlled manner using highly charged ions. Although, admittedly, one still has a long way to go. In its present state, S.N.I.P.E.R. produces ions in the form of a particle beam approximately one millimeter in diameter. Also, the necessary deceleration of the projectiles to energies as low as a few tens of eV per charge has been achieved already. The next step, which is no doubt the most challenging one, will be the reduction of the beam to single particles and their controlled placement onto the surface. "This can be achieved by combining an ultrathin glass capillary with the modified tip of an atomic force microscope," explains Heller. "What keeps us even more preoccupied is the fact that we have to know when an individual particle makes its way to the surface. In other words, what we need is a reliable individual ion detector. However, before such a detector can be realized, we have yet to overcome several major obstacles." PUBLICATIONS: R. Heller et al.: "Defect mediated desorption of the KBr(001) surface induced by single highly charged ion impact", in Physical Review Letters, Vol. 101/9 (2008; DOI: 10.1103/ PhysRevLett.101.096102) A.S. El-Said et al.: "Phase diagram for nanostructuring CaF2 surfaces by slow highly charged ions", in Physical Review Letters, Vol. 109 (2012; DOI: 10.1103/ PhysRevLett.109.117602) R. Ritter et al.: "Fabrication of nanopores in 1 nm thick carbon nanomembranes with slow highly charged ions", in Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 102 (2013; DOI: 10.1063/1.4792511)