History

2000 - Nano-Imaging established.  Infrastructure: Hitachi 8100 STEM, Philips 300 TEM, and B & Lomb SEM; thermal electron sources; locations scattered in physics and chemistry dept.  Users: Limited to 3 PI's and their group members

2003 - CFI/BCKDF funds state-of-art STEM, SEM/FIB, and SPM  Infrastructure: FEI Tecnai G2, FEI 235 SEM/FIB, SPM;   Lab Manager: Dr. Li Yang  hired supported by NSERC/SFU and user fees;  Users:  Expanding to SFU researchers from other faculties,  external users from universities, companies;

2005 - Lab Manager BC-funded position (Chemistry Technician)

2006 - CFI/BCKDF funds 4D Labs   All instruments moved into TASC II isolated slab space;  Users:  Drawn from all experience levels and locations

2007: Worlds smallest book: Robert Chaplin used the SFU focussed gallium ion beam system to publish a nanoscale book entitled 'Teeny Ted from Turnip Town' by Malcolm Douglas Chaplin (ISBN-978-1-894897-17-4). For further details go to: http://rchaplin.blogspot.ca/.

2008 - Self-supporting facility  Users:  Over 50 PI's from BC and region including 8 companies.  More than 200 students and postdoctoral fellows trained.

2012 - Guinness World Record awarded for world's smallest book published by Robert Chaplin in 2007.

2013 - Management and Website merged with 4D Labs

2017 - Re-established as the Electron Imaging and Holography Facility

2023 - Hitachi 8100 STEM moved to Shrum Science Centre P8414 - being re-assembled

2023 - Dualbeam 235  SEM/FIB sold in favour of 4DLabs Helios

2024 - Tecnai F20 retired

Gallery

Above: SEM image of the world's smallest book milled in Si using the Ga ion beam. Below images of electrodeposited Fe/GaAs nanowires.