The new equipment will enable the deposition of a broad range of metals, as well as their oxides and nitrides, while allowing precise control of their chemical composition and structure at the single-atom level.
HiPIMS is a thin-film deposition technology operating in an ultra-high-vacuum environment. In this process, short high-power electrical pulses cause the target material to evaporate and form a cold plasma. Magnetic fields confine the plasma near the target surface and enhance particle ionization, enabling charged atoms to travel toward the substrate, where they form a controlled thin layer.
“We will use this method to deliberately introduce defects into materials and subsequently incorporate selected metal atoms into these sites. Our goal is to combine single-atom and defect engineering for targeted applications in biomedicine, chemical catalysis, energy technologies, and semiconductors. A key advantage of this approach is that the deposition process generates no chemical waste and allows highly precise control over thin-film thickness,” said MEL head Radek Zbořil.
With the installation of the HiPIMS system, MEL is further completing its unique technological infrastructure for advanced materials research. The facility already includes high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) combined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) with the capability to operate under different atmospheres, and a scanning electron microscope equipped with a focused ion beam (SEM-FIB), which enables researchers to probe the internal structure of materials and perform nanostructural surface modifications.
“Thanks to REFRESH, we have acquired around twenty state-of-the-art technologies and now rank among the world’s best-equipped laboratories for materials research. In the coming months, we will complete the development of this unique instrumentation platform. We are preparing for the installation of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and, most importantly, a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). In terms of resolution and the possibility of chemical characterization at the single-atom level, this instrument will be the first of its kind in Europe,” Zbořil concluded.
An overview of MEL’s technological infrastructure, including technical descriptions and potential applications of the individual techniques, is available on the MEL website: https://mel.vsb.cz/infrastruktura/
Text: Martina Šaradínová