Equipment

• Materials analysis platform (FEG-SEM, TEM, SPM, XRD, AES, XPS, Static SIMS and 4 dynamic SIMS);
• Cation Mass Spectrometer, and the “Storing Matter” instrument, two prototypes developed at the SAM;
• Surface treatment platform (PVD, PII, MBE, atmospheric plasma by direct DBD and postdischarge);
• Test bench for the characterisation of charged particle optics and ion/electron sources;
• Sample preparation methods: Ultramicrotome, cryo-methods (cryosubstitution, lyophilisation, etc.), embedding, polishing, etc.

Products and services

• Fast, comprehensive and confidential services for the analysis of the complete range of analyses for any solid materials in whatever form. Fields of application include: failure and root cause analysis;
• quality control; production process monitoring and optimisation; yield improvement; materials R&D; fundamental research in medicine; biology and materials science; surface and process elaboration; etc.;
• Extended collaborations for more complex requirements;
• On-site expertise of existing technologies;
• Literature surveys;
• Feasibility studies;
• Development and characterisation;
• Implementation of optimised solutions;
• Transfer and/or adaptation of technologies;
• Training.

Major partnerships and collaborations

National: ArcelorMittal; Balzers; Ceratizit; Circuit Foil; Goodyear Innovation Centre; Novelis; University of Luxembourg.

International: Arcelor Research (FR); Cameca (FR); Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix de Namur (BE); Flemish Institute for Technological Research (BE); Fraunhofer (DE); Institut des Matériaux de Nantes (FR); Institut National Polytechnique de Lorraine (FR); ION-TOF GmbH (DE); Meca 2000 (FR); Orsay Physics (FR); Sensotran S.L. (ES); University of Aachen (DE); University of Antwerp (BE); University of Brussels (BE); University Henri Poincaré of Nancy I (FR); University of Louvain (BE); University of Münster (DE); University of Oxford (UK); University of Rouen (FR); University Pierre et Marie Curie of Nancy (FR); University Rovira / Virgili (ES); University of Saarland (DE); University of Texas (US); Vega Science Trust (UK).

Additional information

SAM coordinates the European PhD School on “Nanoanalysis using focussed ion and electron beams”. It focuses on 3 complementary techniques, SIMS, TEM and AES, with the purpose of forming specialists in the field of nanoanalysis. It consists of 4 teaching weeks and 1 analysis week composing a 2 year cycle. Lectures and practical sessions are given by leading professors and key researchers in the field. The practical sessions consist of tutorials on state-of the art instrumentation in small groups.

Human resources

• 30 Researchers (Prof., ass. Prof., Post-docs, PhD)
• 0 Doctoral students and students
• 0 Engineers
• 12 Technicians
• 0 Other