Fyzikální ústav Akademie věd ČR

The Center for Analysis of Functional Materials (SAFMAT) project under registration No. CZ.2.16/3.1.00/22132 was approved by resolution No.30/60 of the local authority of the City of Prague as the best evaluated project within the framework of the 2nd call of the Operational Programme: Prague – Competitiveness – Field of Support, 3.1. Development of innovative environment and partnership between the basis of R&D and practice.

The realisation of the SAFMAT project, whose goal is to create a laboratory with state-of-the-art technological equipment for research purposes, will lead to radical improvement of the quality of research in the field and enhancement of the research potential within the territory of the City of Prague. The possibility of using the new equipment for applicants from among business companies will enhance their competitiveness, because the measurements carried out for these subjects will enable them to upgrade their production and introduce completely new products on the market. Thus, a top-level and best equipped lab in the given field will be created, not only by Czech Republic standards, but within the whole Central and Eastern Europe. This will stimulate the development of R&D capacities, including the underlying infrastructure and human resources.

The project is aimed at:

• Analysis of new materials from the viewpoint of atomic composition and structure, which is one of the most demanding branches of experimental physics of materials, calling for high concentration of both material resources and highly qualified experts. The use of such methods is of essential importance for Czech companies to penetrate and stay on the demanding world markets, for which the preparation of materials has to be perfectly defined from the viewpoint of atomic composition and structure and has to allow diagnostics on sub-nanometric scale. The research within the SAFMAT project also comprises the metrology of thin films in the field of nanotechnologies.
• Analysis of technologically important centres and structural defects responsible for localisation of electric charge in semiconducting, magnetic and other materials. The method used – electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) – is well suited for determination of concentration, charge state, valence and electronic structure of these centres on atomic scale, and the nature of their incorporation into the host structure.

The knowledge obtained in this way is an indispensable prerequisite for transition of the technologies common in the macroworld to nanotechnologies, which make use of entirely new physical principles.

The SAFMAT laboratory, set up in the Institute of Physics ASCR, will contribute to maintain the world-class level of this research in the Czech Republic. Two most up-to-date instruments for characterization of nanostructured functional materials will be but into operation within this lab:

NanoESCA is an instrument combining in a unique way the electron microscopy of photoelectrons with electron spectroscopy for studies of local chemical composition and structural properties at nanometric spatial resolution. In practice, it will allow carrying out unique analyses of the atomic structure and bonding in the investigated materials.

EPR spectrometr Bruker ELEXSYS E580 determines the structure, dynamics and spatial distribution of paramagnetic particles on atomic level in arbitrary material at temperatures from 4 to 300 K. The instrument allows analysing not only solids, but also gels, liquids and biological samples.

The SAFMAT project was integrated into the national map of large infrastructures for research and development. It is targeted at fundamental research, education and applied research:

• Within the framework of scientific cooperation with other research institutions, the Institute of Physics ASCR will focus on materials research in the domain of nanotechnologies and, in cooperation with universities – in particular with the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics CU and the faculties of CTU – also on education of post-graduate students.
• The Lab will be also open to applicants from among entrepreneurial subjects active in the R&D field.

The SAFMAT project was launched on March 1, 2010. The construction of a new building with laboratories and office rooms for the project was financed by the Academy of Sciences. It was finished and finally approved early in 2011. The FT-EPR instrument was installed in June 2011. The NanoESCA instrument has been put in operation in August and September 2011. A specialized seminar for broad professional audience will be held prior to termination of the construction of the whole laboratory, in December 2011

The uniqueness and usefulness of the instruments acquired so far, as well as interest in their utilization in practice, is witnessed by the fact that among the SAFMAT partners are also business subjects, whose sponsor contributions of 3.25 million CZK correspond to more than 4% of total budget of the project. Among the partners are the following companies:

ČEZ, a.s., will cooperate in the research of materials for nuclear power engineering. The research will be focused mainly on corrosion end segregation of elements that lead to degradation and undesired changes in the mechanical properties of individual parts of nuclear power plants, influencing in a decisive way on their durability and safety. With the aid of NanoESCA instrument it is possible to examine the structure, spatial distribution and chemical composition of defects on nanometric scale, which was hitherto impossible. Joint research in this field would proceed in cooperation with daughter companies of ČEZ a.s. and with other companies concerned with these problems, in particular with: Nuclear Research Institute Řež a.s., ÚJP Praha a.s. and Research and Testing Institute Plzeň s.r.o.

HVM plasma, s.r.o., is a company dealing with development and production of special thin-film coatings for automotive industry. The company is interested in cooperation on the research and development of methods suitable for analysis of nanostructured thin-film coatings and in the underlying optimization of plasma deposition processes. The company shows also eminent interest in the metrology of thin films.

Crytur, a.s., plans to utilize the FT-EPR instrument for research into new scintillators and crystals for optics and optoelectronics.

ÚJP Praha, a.s., is interested in cooperation in the research of the structure of various types of steels for nuclear power engineering with the aid of the NanoESCA instrument.

Vakuum Praha, s.r.o., active in the field of development and production of vacuum systems, has shown interest in utilizing the NanoESCA instrument to analyse materials and their surfaces. In particular, the research into the surfaces of ultrahigh vacuum systems, XHV systems and ionic sorption pumps.

Polovodiče, a.s., is interested in utilizing NanoESCA for visualization of the spatial distribution of elements on the surfaces of semiconductor devices as well as in the research of new technologies and properties of doped silicon materials using the FT-EPR instrument. Application of these results in the production is of fundamental importance for semiconductor industry in the Czech Republic.