[Excerption from T-time Vol.11 / 2006.2]

Special Topic: A new type of academic-industrial alliance

- Exploring the atomic world with ultrahigh-resolution
　electron microscopes -

Five minutes' walk from the Yayoi Gate of the Hongo Campus will take you to the Asano Campus, where many facilities of the School of Engineering stand side by side. A new type of academic-industrial alliance was launched recently at the Institute of Engineering Innovation based in the Engineering Building No. 9.
We interviewed Professor Yuichi Ikuhara, who heads the Institute.

Professor Ikuhara	Ultrahigh Voltage Electron Microscope

Q: First of all, could you tell us about Nanotechnology Center at the Institute of Engineering Innovation ?
A: The Nanotechnology Center controls and administrates large or special apparatus commonly used in the School of Engineering so that they can be effectively shared and utilized by researchers and students. Specifically, we have electron microscopes, intense X-ray apparatus, laser equipment and so on which are so expensive that a single laboratory can not maintain individually.
Q: We learned that a new type of academic-industrial alliance was launched recently.
A: The alliance was established to effectively use ultrahigh-resolution transmission electron microscopes. These microscopes can achieve much higher resolution than conventional ones by using high-energy electron beam produced by ultra-high voltage as a source. Since operational and maintenance costs are enormous, we decided to establish an academic-industrial alliance between the University of Tokyo and Japan Electron Optics Laboratory (JEOL) and we have installed various kinds of JEOL electron microscopes. This alliance has benefitted both sides; the University of Tokyo can use and maintain the latest transmission electron microscopes and JEOL can promote their electron microscopes through collaboration. In addition, further development in the studies of this field is expected from the collaborative researches by skilled JEOL engineers in application technology and researchers of the University of Tokyo excelling at data analysis.
Q: May I see the microscope?
A: Sure. This is the ultrahigh-voltage electron microscope. Actually, the part we see now is only a small portion of the whole microscope. This microscope has the height of three stories from the first basement level to the second floor. The microscope has a resolution less than 0.1nm, the highest point-point resolution among transmission electron microscopes in the world. Being sophisticated enough to examine nanostructural objects, it is highly sensitive to external influences. Therefore, we have taken protective measures such as shielding the room against magnetic field with coils and making the whole first basement floor vibration free.
Q: Observing nanostructures is very tough, isn't it?
A: In order to be free from vibrations caused by subway trains near here, we have to do our experiments in the middle of the night after train service.
We have various other electron microscopes of latest models in the Center.
Q: What kind of experiments do you do with these instruments?
A: I'll just show you two recent examples. First, look at the following photograph showing a crack wall resulting from splitting ceramic silicon nitride in vacuum. The process of crack propagation is observed at an atomic level.
The next photograph recently published in Science shows the grain boundary structure in alumina ceramics before and after yttrium (Y) addition. It clearly shows where and how Y atoms are placed. Addition of Y atoms drastically strengthens the creep resistance of alumina ceramics and we are now looking into its causes. Direct observation at an atomic level can clarify a lot of unknown characteristics and broaden application fields of electron microscopes.
Q: It is amazing that we can see atoms one by one at an atomic level.
A: It can be realized only by using highly efficient instruments. The collaboration with JEOL has increased the availability of these apparatus. Members of the School of Engineering can use them once they obtain permission. The new academic-industrial alliance of collaborative instruments management is expected to produce a lot of scientific and technological achievements.

Silicon Nitride Alumina Ceramics

Contact：
Global Ware Project
Center for Innovation in Engineering Education
School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo
e-mail:
morimura＠t-adm.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp
conference-gwp ＠ t-adm.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Tel: +81-3-5841-6044; +81-3-5841-7549