Ion Beam Lab

Powerful Technology in a Collaborative Space

UAlbany’s renowned Ion Beam Lab (IBL) has developed unique capabilities for measurements, analyses and controlled modifications of materials using ion beams for more than 50 years.

The sophisticated IBL equipment can be used for materials elemental and structural analysis, ion implantation, sample irradiation and nanostructure fabrication. Modest investments in facilities upgrades would yield even more valuable and much needed benefits to the larger research and development communities.

The laboratory offers analysis techniques, not available anywhere else in the country, to our academic, industry and government partners. It also offers students and faculty a world-class facility for experiential learning, teaching and scholarship.

Reserve Equipment Time Contact the Ion Beam Lab

The Impact of Ion Beam Techniques on Research

From simulating solar winds and studying the effect of radiation on humans, microchips and batteries, to breaking down PFOAs in water, and treating cancer, ion beams serve as a powerful tool for a broad range of chemical, physical and biological research areas with various uses and impacts on society.

Research Technique	Uses & Impacts
Ion Implantation	Doping Silicon for computer chip manufacturing Hardening the surface of real devices Creating metastable materials Cleaving materials to yield single crystal thin films Creating reference samples for other methods of analysis Simulating natural radiation damage
Thin Film Engineering	Aiding in the development of microelectronic devices Researching renewable energy technologies, such as advanced batteries Analyzing near surface elemental composition
Art History & Archaeology	Tracing element fingerprints to determine source of materials Authenticating materials used in art objects Understanding early technology Analyzing inks on paper or parchment, such as the Vineland map, Gutenberg bible and Mormon documents
Chemistry	Characterizing the surface chemistry of ice and glass Repulsion of ions from surface of liquids Surface chemistry of glass
Fundamental Physics	Containing ultra-cold neutrons in material bottles Exploring the role of hydrogen in amorphous silicon
Crystallography	Profiling defects in single crystal samples Determining impurity lattice sites in single crystals
Radiation effects	Studying cancer treatments, including Boron Neutron Capture Therapy Creating calibration standards for researchers to determine low dose radiation damage’s effect on human DNA
Geology & Astronomy	Simulating solar wind damage to develop radiation hardening for satellites and spacecrafts Creating reference samples to analyze objects brought back from space Detecting damage tracks created by neutrons in geological rocks to search for Dark Matter Measuring atomic diffusion in minerals Studying weathering in geological and planetary samples Characterizing dissolution of minerals

contact

Contact the Ion Beam Lab

ES 001

1400 Washington Ave.
Albany, NY 12222
United States

[email protected]

Phone

518-442-4480

Office Hours

8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday

The Ion Beam Lab is on the basement level between the Earth Science Building and the Biology Building.