Ion Beam Materials Lab

The Ion Beam Materials Laboratory (IBML) is a Los Alamos National Laboratory resource devoted to the characterization and modification of surfaces through the use of ion beams.

The IBML provides and operates the core facilities, while supporting the design and implementation of specific apparati needed for experiments requested by users of the facility. The result is a facility with competencies in routine ion beam experiments and the versatility to cater to the individual researchers’ needs.

The core of the laboratory consists of a 3 MV NEC tandem accelerator, a 200 kV Varian ion implanter, and a 200 kV Danfysik ion implanter together with several beam lines. The research capabilities include routine ion beam analysis techniques such as Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), nuclear reaction analysis (NRA), elastic recoil detection (ERD), particle-induced i- or gamma-ray emissions (PIXE or PIGE), and ion channeling, etc.; ion-enhanced synthesis and modification of materials through ion implantation; and ion irradiation damage effects in materials, including complex oxide ceramics, metals, semiconductors, and polymers.

Attached to each beam line is a series of experimental stations that supports various research programs. Tandem accelerator and Varian implanter also share a joint target chamber that allows for concurrent ion irradiation and ion implantation or ion irradiation and ion beam analysis. Two unique tandem beamlines are also available for users research: one for conducting radiolysis research of gases, liquids, and solids with high-energy protons, alphas, and photons using mass spectrometry or infrared spectroscopy; and one for performing irradiation and corrosion experiments (ICE) that emulates radiation environment for clad-coolant interface in nuclear reactors using a high-energy proton beam.

The operation of IBML and its interactions with users are organized around core facilities and experimental stations. The IBML is operated as a part of the "Materials Science in Radiation and Dynamics Extremes” Group (MST-8) in the Materials Science and Technology Division, and is currently classified as a DOE user resource through the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), a DOE nanoscience center jointly operated by Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories.