HIGH-RESOLUTION ION BEAM PROBE FOR BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Mapping the distribution of targeted chemical species in tissues is important in many areas of biology and medicine. These measurements require a highly sensitive methodology giving an accurate measure of the minute quantities of material in cells as well as the spatial resolution distinguishing organelles. Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) has intrinsic merits to serve this purpose. Much higher resolution, than the currently available value of 0.5 micrometer, is desired to make a strong headway with SIMS for ultra-fine imaging at cellular and sub-cellular level. The primary demand to achieve this goal is a high-brightness ion beam probe at low energy, using either oxygen or cesium species.The proposed work aims at developing a novel, high-brightness ion-optical column for SIMS and achieving a target spot size of about 10-20 nanometer and a current density of -1 ampere per square centimeter for oxygen ions.Success of this work will cross the present technological barrier for addressing several fundamental problems in cell biology relevant to the studies of carcinogenesis, toxicology, neurochemistry and the diagnosis of several diseases including cancer. Additionally, this project will immediately benefit many other areas in biology and medicine and nanotechnology overall.