Muscovite mica is a common layered phyllosilicate mineral with perfect cleavage planes. These atomically flat surfaces are ideal for studying minerals and clays using scanning probe techniques with atomic resolution. However, there are still unresolved questions about ordering K+ ions on the cleaved surface.

SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) and Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology announced SUNY Poly’s purchase of a new tool that will enable various types of plasma processing, a process used to engineer material during the computer chip manufacturing process, without the need to change hardware systems. This can lead to more efficient Micro Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) and advanced packaging processes.