Sample Lab

Target development is an essential step to allow the success of high-pressure experiments on FEL and synchrotrons. Due to the intrinsic difficulties, such advanced targets preparation is neither common, nor envisaged yet and the acquisition of such know-how will place us at the top competitive front line for future EU-XFEL experiments. In addition, the determination of EOS requires also complex ad-hoc target design where the studied material is directly compared with a well-know reference material (such as pure iron or quartz) [Knudson2009]. We will build a specific deposition machine to make targets and modify them to follow up our needs during the project. This equipment will allow us to make a variety of deposition such as various metals and CH, treatment of oxidation later and heating of the samples for production of well identified crystallographic phases. First contacts with companies are now orienting us on customized deposition systems.

In addition, IMPMC affords access to in-house X-ray diffraction equipments, analytical transmission microscopes (SEM and TEM), a focused ion beam (FIB) available late this year, and a complete synthesis laboratory including a double-sided laser-heating diamond-anvil cell laboratory, a large volume synthesis laboratory (PE cell and multi-anvil cell to synthesize large volume starting high-pressure samples) and various optical spectrometers (micro-Raman, infrared, Brillouin spectrometers).

© IMPMC 

MEB image of a multi-layer shock target