Events

Photonics Seminar

Advances in Electron Microscopy Techniques using the Zeiss FIB-SEM

Jerry Lehman, Applications Scientist,
Zeiss Nanotechnology Systems Division

Today’s electron microscopy investigations are being
conducted in entirely new ways. More accurate analytical
techniques and 3D reconstructions are leading to a better
understanding of all kinds of materials and processes. Old
samples are getting a second look, driven by recent advances in
charge control, energy selecting electron detectors, beam
control and simultaneous signal acquisition. New devices are
being constructed with the aid of sophisticated beam milling
algorithms.

These advances are being applied to an expanding range of
research fields including nanomaterials and nanomachining;
process development and failure analysis; geology and oil
exploration; brain mapping and pathology. In semiconductors
and photovoltaics, these advances are accelerating
development cycles and time to market. Examples of these
applications and an introduction to the newest Zeiss FIB-SEM,
the Auriga, will be presented during this 45 minute seminar.

Spring Cleaning Day

Spring has arrived! Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping and the
labs need cleaning. This year we're giving away even more prizes to the
labs that are the safest, most sparkling, most eco-friendly and new this
year, the most prepared for emergencies.

The Office of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) will be hosting
Laser Safety and Laboratory Safety training sessions. These sessions are
free of charge and everyone working in a building lab is encouraged to
attend. Attending these classes will count toward your annual laboratory
safety-training requirement. The Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering will also host Machine Shop training.

Attached you will find a Laboratory Emergency Response Plan. An
electronic version of this form has been sent to the laboratory's PI.
Each lab will need to fill out this form to be eligible to win the prize
for Most Prepared for Emergencies Award.

Make sure to join us on June 8 for a day filled with special
give-a-ways, a Red Sox themed lunch social and Emergency response
training. Lab registration begins at 8 am in the 7th Floor Atrium.

Schedule of Clean-up Day Events:

8:00 AM - 7th Floor Atrium - Check-in, Breakfast
9:00 AM - PHO901 - Laser Safety Training
10:45 AM- PHO901 - Laboratory Safety Training
12:30 PM- ECE Conference Rm, 3rd Floor - Machine Shop Training
1:30 PM - Babbit Street - Lunch
2:00 PM - Babbit Street - Awards Ceremony

To all labs participating in spring clean up - here are a couple of
helpful hints to work in the labs safely.

1. Any "Lab Snacks" sent to you by Thor Labs, do not belong in the lab -
remove them immediately

2. Any BL2 labs CANNOT have any food or drinks even if they are
capped/sealed - they belong outside the lab door in the hallway

3. If you are in a lab and think your desk area is in an office, take a
moment while sitting at your desk, look around - are there walls/doors
that separate you from the rest of the lab/working areas - i.e. laser
curtains are not considered walls/doors - if you do not have walls or
doors separating your desk from the lab working area - there should not
be any food or drinks.

4. If you think you need some help or have many old/unused chemicals or
lasers let us know ASAP so we can get you a dedicated time for
assistance from EHS/Triumvirate.

The attached schedule shows the times the judges will be inspecting your
lab on June 8. Your lab should be inspection ready by your scheduled
time. Triumvirate will be picking up waste disposal during their
inspections and at each floor's designated time.

Award Criteria:

Safest: The Laboratory with protective eyewear, highest EHS inspection
score, no clutter, access to safety showers and equipment and properly
grounded equipment

Most Sparkling: The Laboratory that is organized, has no food or drink
in the lab and score high on the EHS inspection

Most Eco-Friendly: Labs with recycling bins, closed chemical hoods and
lights, computers and other equipment turned off during non-use.

Most prepared for Emergencies: Emergency response plan thoroughness,
clear pathways to safety equipment or egress and lab members
knowledgeable of emergency response plan

Photonics Seminar

Gas in Scattering Media Absorption Spectroscopy

Sune Svanberg, Ph.D.
Atomic Physics Division, Lund University, Sweden

An overview of the new field of Gas in Scattering Media
Absorption Spectroscopy (GASMAS) will be given. GASMAS
combines narrow-band diode-laser spectroscopy with diffuse
media optical propagation. While solids and liquids have
broad absorption features, free gas in pores and cavities in
the material is characterized by sharp spectral signatures,
typically 10,000 times sharper than those of the host material. Many applications in materials science, food packaging, pharmaceutics and medicine have been demonstrated. So far molecular oxygen and water vapour have been studied around 760 and 935 nm, respectively. Liquid water, an important constituent in many natural materials, such as tissue, has a low absorption at such wavelengths, allowing propagation. Polystyrene foam, wood, fruits, food-stuffs, pharmaceutical tablets, and human sinus cavities (frontal, maxillary and mastoideal) have been studied, demonstrating new possibilities for characterization and diagnostics. Transport of gas in porous media can readily be studied by first immersing the material in, e.g., pure nitrogen, and then observing the rate at which normal air, containing oxygen, reinvades the material. The conductance of the sinus connective passages can be measured in this way by flushing the nasal cavity with nitrogen. Also, other dynamic processes such as drying of materials can be studied. The techniques are now being extended to remote-sensing applications (LIDAR-GASMAS).

Professor Svanberg received his PhD in Physics from Göteborg University, Sweden in 1972. Since 1980 Professor Svanberg has been head of the Atomic Physics Division, Lund Institute of Technology, Sweden. In 1995 he became the director of the Lund Laser Center. Starting his research with atomic resonance spectroscopy, iProfessor Svanberg has been utilizing tuneable lasers for basic and applied atomic and molecular spectroscopy. Professor Svanberg is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the Optical Society of America. From 1997 until 2007 he was a Member of the Nobel Prize Committee for Physics serving as chairman for two years. In 2004 he was awarded the SKAPA Innovation Prize, in 2005 the W.E. Lamb Medal, and in 2006 the Celsius Gold Medal.

Applications pursued by Professor Svanberg include environmental monitoring by laser radar and diode laser spectroscopy. He has been active for over 20 years in medical laser applications including fluorescence diagnostics of malignant disease, optical mammography and photodynamic treatment of tumors. Presently he and collaborators are developing advanced techniques for interstitial fiber-based therapy pursued interactively with spectroscopic diagnostics.

Special Guest

Dr. Katarina Svanberg Chief Oncologist at the Lund University Hospital Professor of Oncology at the Lund University, Lund Sweden

Title: "Diagnostics and Treatment of Tumours using Laser Techniques"

Summary: Applications of optical and laser spectroscopy to the medical field, including photodynamic therapy (PDT) and laser-induced fluorescence diagnostics (LIF) for cancer treatment and diagnostics, respectively, will be presented. Photodynamic therapy, when delivered as a superficial illumination to the target area, has a limitation due to restricted light penetration through tissue. One way of overcoming this is interstitial illumination (IPDT) in which the light is transmitted to the tumour via optical fibers. Interactive feed-back dosimetry is of importance for optimizing the modality and such a concept has been developed and will be presented. The most important prognostic factor for cancer patients is early tumour discovery. If malignant tumours are detected during the non-invasive stage, most tumours show a high cure rate of more than 90 %. There is a variety of conventional diagnostic procedures, such as X-ray imaging. More advanced results are given in computerized investigations, such as CT-, MRI- or PET-scanning. Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) for tissue characterization is a technique that can be used for monitoring the biomolecular changes in tissue under transformation from normal to dysplastic and cancer tissue before structural tissue changes are seen at a later stage. The technique is based on UV or near-UV illumination for fluorescence excitation. The fluorescence from endogenous chromophores in the tissue alone, or enhanced by exogenously administered tumour seeking substances can be utilized. The technique is non-invasive and gives the results in real-time. LIF can be applied for point monitoring or in an imaging mode for larger areas, such as the vocal cords or the cervical area. The possibility to combine LIF and PDT will be discussed and illustrated with clinical examples from many specialties, such as dermatology, gynecology and laryngology. A new method where free gas (oxygen or water vapour) in the human sinus cavities is detected will be described. The technique is based on gas absorption spectroscopy in scattering media. The method can also be used to study the gas exchange in between the nasal cavity and the different sinuses in the facial region.

Bio: Katarina Svanberg is an MD and a PhD. She works as a chief oncologist at the Lund University Hospital as well as a Professor of Oncology at the Lund University. Her research interests include laser-induced fluorescence detection of early malignancies as well as photodynamic therapy, in which field she very early introduced ALA for topical sensitisation. She is also involved in a new research field; GASMAS - Gas Detection in Scattering Media. Within this project the Lund group is developing non-intrusive techniques for detection of free gases within the human body, such as the gas exchange in the facial sinuses. Katarina Svanberg is the director of the Lund University Medical Laser Centre and is currently Vice President of the SPIE. She is also a fellow of the same society. She is author and co-author of more than 90 peer-reviewed papers, has been a co-organizer of conferences within the field and has presented numerous invited talks. She has a special interest in collaborations with countries in the developing world and has, together with collaborators, introduced PDT and fluorescence detection to Malaysia, Senegal and Lithuania, and is also involved in collaborations within other countries in Africa and in China.