Todays activities were… marginally productive. I saw more-or-less what I need to see in the model system. Even better, I saw it at slightly less intense conditions than I had originally suspected would be necessary. Then, when I went to repeat the experiment and get the data that will make or break my thesis, my chip died. Of course.

So I did what anyone would do. I troubleshot it to destruction. It turns out that my chips literally explode at about 10-15 kilovolts. I figure that’s good information to have. Here’s an image of the glass surface that blew up. It was a small explosion, but satisfying. Now I need it to work again without blowing up.

That means it’s back to fabrication hell. More hydrofluoric acid will be used. I’m not going to lie: I hate hydrofluoric acid. Not only is it corrosive, but it is also highly toxic. And, even better, it tends to have a numbing effect. So if you get it on you, it will burn and poison you and you won’t know it until it’s too late to get the antidote. Delightful.

I love science!

-Peter