12/08/2024
TQM has a shiny new piece of equipment to help get us to the heart of quantum materials - a Broad Ion Beam Polisher, or BIB! ✨
This first video (in the comments) shows the control screen of the BIB polisher. Here we can set up the parameters of the cutting/polishing of crystals as samples. Then we see the whole device with a microscope for sample checking on top. Finally, we zoom in to the beam observation window where we see the beam (blue-purple) polishing the sample while the sample holder moves back and forth for an even polish.
The next video (also in the comments) shows the beam during a broad beam polishing. The sample is tilted and rotated, while the beam hits its entire surface, removing unevenness uniformly.
And the rest of the photos show the sample holder and a silicon sample in it, after about 30 minutes of polishing. The small darker dimple is the polished bit. The beam is quite narrow in this case. One of the photos is taken through the beam observation window while the beam was still on.
Special thanks to our Research Engineer Zoltán for the videos, images & text!