6. Decision

If the Validator declines to validate, they are asked for a reason by the UKNIBC, which communicates this to the proposer. But if the proposal is validated, the project starts immediately.

5. FAF validation

The Validator (if required) is not a referee, although s/he is welcome (and encouraged) to make comments on proposal quality. Indeed, such comments will be helpful to rank proposals in the event that the UKNIBC is oversubscribed.

However, the UKNIBC funding is classed by EPSRC as already refereed, so the primary purpose of the Validator is purely as an independent confirmation that UKNIBC resource is being applied appropriately.

4. FAF creation

The FAF will contain all appropriate details, including the user’s name (and also the PI’s, if it is different). A Summary Statement of the Grant Holder shows how the proposed project is related to the EPSRC grant named. A Summary of UKNIBC Contribution to the Project includes the specifics of the work proposed at the Facility. This should be detailed enough to justify the resource requested. ​

3. Request refinement

The request is further refined following the review by the team. The Discussion will be documented (via email), and may be as detailed and extended as required.

2. Request review

The request is reviewed. Someone at the Local Facility (the Liaison Fellow, LF) is chosen to discuss the request with the user through the contact details shared during request submission.

1. Request initiation

Potential users can approach the facility without any introduction. Conversely, Facility staff may have encouraged their contacts.

Ion Beam Induced Current (IBIC) : Measures the charge collection efficiency or current generated in an electronic or semiconductor device when irradiated with an ion beam. IBIC provides spatially resolved maps of electrical activity, carrier transport, and radiation damage, enabling the evaluation of detector performance and semiconductor device integrity.

• Applicable to the analysis of devices and planar semiconductor or insulator wafers, which may contain grain boundaries, dislocations or other types of lattice defects
• Can be run simultaneously with PIXE, RBS and IBIL

Ion Beam Induced Luminescence (IBIL) : Detects visible or near-visible photons emitted from the sample as a result of ion excitation. The luminescence spectrum reveals information about electronic structure, impurities, and defect states, making IBIL a valuable tool for studying semiconductors, minerals, and scintillating materials.

• Light is emitted as a result of outer-shell electron transitions, giving information about molecular bonds in the material
• Potential to probe up to ~20 μm below the surface

Scanning Transmission Ion Microscopy (STIM) : Uses a finely focused MeV ion beam scanned across a thin specimen. By measuring the energy loss or transmitted particle intensity, STIM provides quantitative two-dimensional or three-dimensional maps of areal density and thickness at sub-micrometer spatial resolution. It is particularly useful for biological samples, thin films, and microelectronic structures.

• Technique allows measurement of energy loss through thin layers of material
• Energy loss of primary beam increases with increasing atomic mass
• Can be run simultaneously with PIXE and RBS

MeV Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (MeV-SIMS) : Combines the principles of SIMS with high-energy (MeV) primary ions. The electronic stopping processes at these energies produce significantly higher secondary ion yields with minimal fragmentation, allowing for molecular analysis while preserving depth resolution. MeV-SIMS bridges the gap between traditional SIMS and nuclear-based IBA, offering chemical and molecular information alongside elemental quantification.

• MeV beams can be focused and scanned several centimetres into air.
• Molecular mapping.
• Highly desirable for large samples that cannot be placed in a vacuum chamber.

Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA) : Detects atoms recoiling from the surface after ion impact, particularly useful for quantifying light elements such as hydrogen.

• Depth profiling of light elements and isotopes (e.g. H and D)
• Depth resolution of 10 nm (except for H and He)
• Detection limits of 0.1 at% in volume, 5×10¹⁴ at/cm² as thin film
• Heavy ion ERD (10-100 MeV) and light ion ERD (~MeV)
• Good mass resolution for lighter atoms
• Multi-elemental stoichiometry in complex matrices or multilayer films (including polymers)