UA Atom Probe Expert Takes Top Award

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – In his work at The University of Alabama as an atom probe microscopist, Richard Martens usually focuses on the science of the small.

But recently, the big picture was on Martens when he received the Professional Technical Staff Award from the Microscopy Society of America at the Microscopy and Microanalysis 2008 annual meeting in Albuquerque, N.M., Aug. 4.

Martens said he has seen this area of nano-related research expand greatly in recent years. “When I first presented my early atom probe research at Microscopy and Microanalysis in 2000, there were five other atom probe presentations. Now M&M has full-day and afternoon sessions dedicated to atom probe research,” he noted.

As a technical staff member in UA’s Central Analytical Facility, Martens is in charge of the FIB/LEAP (Local Electron Atom Probe) instrument cluster where he works as an expert in atom probe tomography. His experience includes all aspects of electron microscopy and analysis.

UA is the fourth academic institution in the country to obtain the new LEAP Si. The highly sophisticated microscope allows UA researchers to determine the positions and types of atoms in various materials and view the structure in 3-D.

“It’s a very exciting time to be in this field, especially when you have a fully equipped facility like the Central Analytical Facility to assist in the development of new techniques and applications,” Martens said.