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Physical Measurement Laboratory / Quantum Measurement Division

Atomic Spectroscopy Group

EBIT Milestones

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A brief history of the development of the NIST EBIT Facility:

1991First staff hired (Gillaspy). Begin preparation of laboratory space, control electronics, etc.
1992Begin assembly of EBIT.
1993First trapped ions.
1994First major atomic physics results submitted for publication [Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 1716 (1995)]. Begin planning of ion-surface studies (5 year competence building funds secured). Second staff hired (Ratliff).
1995First extracted ions.
1996Beamline for extracted ions fully operational. Beamline publications document record beam fluxes.
1997First ion-surface results submitted for publication. UHV Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM) purchased, and installation begun.
1998SPM coupled to EBIT. Vibration isolation developed. Atomic scale imaging demonstrated.
1999First in-situ images of surfaces bombarded with highly charged ions submitted for publication. Microcalorimeter installed by collaborators from Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
2000Visible/UV work on Ti-like data complete (>125 cumulative citations to date). First data using microcalorimeter published. First QED results on He-like ions published (funded by ARC).
2001NASA funding begins. Intel asks NIST to deploy EBIT for EUV lithography. First low energy (<100 eV) EBIT operation. Invited HCI review article published in J. Phys. B.
2002International SEMATECH funding begins. Ion-gas collision studies with extracted beams begin. Compilation of first 42 NIST EBIT papers published.
2003DOE funding begins. Joseph Tan and Josh Pomeroy hired. EPSRC funding begins (UK theory support for NIST EBIT work). First EUV spectroscopy.
2004Second generation Harvard-Smithsonian microcalorimeter deployed. Switchable NRL MEVVA deployed. Belfast fellowship and collaboration.
2005Collaboration with NIH Radiation Oncology Branch begins. Fusion research agreements signed with JAERI and IAEA. First QED measurements on H-like ions performed (funded by ARC).
Physics and Atomic / molecular / quantum
Created March 1, 2010, Updated September 15, 2025
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