Materials Fabrication and Characterization

Core Facility Name: Focused Ion Beam-Scanning Electron Microscope systems (FIB-SEMs) Laboratory

Director/Manager: Suat Ay

Contact information: 208-885-1063, fibsem@uidaho.edu

Website address:  uidaho.edu/engr/research/fibsem

Dual-Beam FIB/SEM Laboratory is equipped with a state-of-the art Thermo Scientific / FEI Scios dual-beam system composes of focused ion beam (FIB) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) columns with ThermoTM EBSD (QuasOr) and EDS (UltraDry) detectors.

It is equipped with Gold (Au) and Platinum (Pt) sources for deposition.

We provide TEM sample preparation, SEM imaging, compositional analysis of materials, FIB for integrated circuit edits, micro/nano deposition, patterning, etching, drilling, and many more service options with our instruments. Material analysis with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) detectors are also available.

Core Facility Name: Electron Microscopy Center

Director/Manager: Tom Williams

Contact information: 208-885-6656, tomw@uidaho.edu

Website address:  none

The University of Idaho Electron Microscopy Center is a multi-user shared instrumentation facility for materials characterization and research that spans disciplines from materials engineering and chemistry to soils and geology to biology and food science.  Instrument capabilities include scanning and transmission electron microscopy, x-ray micro-analysis, visible light & polarized light microscopy and powder x-ray diffraction.

Core Facility Name: Mechanical Engineering Machine Shop

Director/Manager: Brian Petty

Contact information: 208-885-7904, brpetty@uidaho.edu

Website address: none

We offer machine shop services such as milling and turning on manual and CNC equipment. We can also provide welding and fabrication services as well as design review for your projects.

Core Facility Name: Image and Data Acquisition Core (IDAC)

Director: Onesmo Balemba

Manager: Raquel Simão Gurge

Contact Information: imci-idac@uidaho.edu, rsimaogurge@uidaho.edu, obalemba@uidaho.edu   

Website Address:  https://imci.uidaho.edu/idac/

The Image and Data Acquisition Core (IDAC) at University of Idaho is a state-of-the-art, fee-for-service facility managed by the Institute for Modeling, Collaboration, and Innovation (IMCI). It serves both on-campus and off-campus researchers, providing access to cutting-edge technologies for imaging and data acquisition.

The IDAC is equipped to handle a wide range of research applications, from high-resolution imaging to complex data analysis. The facility features advanced imaging instruments, including confocal microscopes capable of in vivo imaging, allowing researchers to observe live biological processes in real-time. Additionally, the core provides powerful cytometry tools, including an analytical flow cytometer and cell sorter, enabling high-throughput analysis and sorting of cells based on specific properties, a critical tool for immunology, cancer research, and cell biology studies.

To complement its imaging capabilities, the IDAC offers specialized software for data analysis and processing, ensuring that researchers can efficiently manage and interpret their data. This shared resource fosters collaboration and innovation across various scientific disciplines, empowering researchers to push the boundaries of discovery in their respective fields.

Core Facility Name: CER StreamLab

Director/Manager: Prof. Ralph Budwig

Contact information: rbudwig@uidaho.edu

Website address: uidaho.edu/engr/research/cer/research/stream-lab

CER StreamLab: A large-scale, tilting sediment flume to allow fundamental and applied research of processes in headwater streams and mountain rivers with a unique combination of scale, instrumentation, computer-control and ability to interface with researchers through the Internet.

Low-cost Aquatic Sensors: Design and fabrication of aquatic sensor systems for long-term field deployment. Measurements include dissolved oxygen, temperature, pressure, and electrical conductivity. Sensor systems are self-contained to take and store data for over a year and are powered by a small on-board battery.

Core Facility Name: Combustion Laboratory

Director/Manager: Kamal Kumar

Contact information: kkumar@uidaho.edu

Website address: webpages.uidaho.edu/energy-systems-lab/

The service center will provide users FTIR spectra of gaseous samples using short path length gas cells. The samples will be tested using a Thermo-Nicolet iS5 spectrometer. The tests will be carried out in the laboratory facility located in Gauss-Johnson Rm 121. The same facility will also provide resources (TA Instruments Q500 TGA) for thermogravimetric analysis of solid samples using both conventional and modulated TGA experiments.