This project will be carried out in collaboration with Oregon Physics company in Portland Oregon. Ion beams can be used to mill surfaces and to fabricate micromachines (MEMS). Additionally, they can be used to ablate surfaces for coatings and for mass spectrometry. A powerful ion beam (Master Blaster) developed by Oregon Physics can do both of these but the physics is poorly understood. The project would analyse ion beam processed samples from Oregon Physics and develop a model for the powerful ion beam/surface interaction. A visit to Oregon Physics may be possible depending on the progress made in the project.

A background in Physics or Engineering is desirable.