This is one of three bold and innovative McMaster projects that received a total of $35 million in federal investment from the Canada Foundation for Innovation this week.
Click here to learn about the Canadian Neutron Beam Laboratory.
Click here to learn about the MACMINDS facility.
The technologies that power modern life, advanced electronics, electric vehicles, medical devices and systems with dual-use applications all depend on materials most Canadians rarely think about.
Nickel. Cobalt. Gallium. Tellurium. Antimony.
These critical elements, alongside next-generation semiconductors, form the backbone of Canada’s innovation economy. But securing that future requires more than extracting resources or fabricating devices. It requires understanding materials at every length scale, from atomic structure to full component performance.
At the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy (CCEM) at McMaster, researchers are doing exactly that. And with a major new grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the centre is expanding its ability to turn nano-scale discoveries into national-scale impact.
This week, CCEM was awarded a CFI grant of $15.5 million to expand its capabilities to address critical needs in the semiconductor value chain and build on its reputation as a global leader in advanced microscopy.
Seeing what others can’t
Inside CCEM’s facility, researchers use some of the world’s most advanced electron, ion and X-ray microscopes to probe materials at resolutions measured down to fractions of a nanometre.
For Scientific Director Nabil Bassim, a professor of Materials Science and Engineering, the work is about strengthening Canada’s entire materials ecosystem, from critical minerals to semiconductors to sustainable recycling.
“This investment strengthens Canada’s leadership in the semiconductor value chain,” Bassim says. “It enhances technological sovereignty and supports internationally competitive research that benefits our economy.”
The new CFI funding enhances CCEM’s ability to analyze materials in both two and three dimensions, linking atomic-scale chemistry and structure to real-world device behaviour.
Starting at the source
Canada’s materials story begins in the ground.
Critical minerals are essential to advanced manufacturing, but how trace elements are distributed within ores can determine how efficiently they can be extracted and refined.
In collaboration with the Royal Ontario Museum and the University of Toronto, CCEM researchers are characterizing mineral samples from geological regions rich in critical elements.
By studying specimens from the ROM’s mineral collection, the team is examining how rare elements such as tellurium and antimony segregate and combine within host materials like metallic gold.
Rather than conducting geological surveys, CCEM’s role is precision characterization, mapping microstructures and trace-element distributions at the nano scale.
“By understanding how these elements occur in nature, we can help identify more promising sources and improve processing strategies,” says Bassim.
That knowledge feeds directly into Canada’s critical minerals strategy at a time of intensifying global competition.
Advancing the semiconductor age
Beyond raw materials, the infrastructure also supports next-generation semiconductor research, a cornerstone of Canada’s digital and quantum economy.
Semiconductors power everything from smartphones to electric vehicles. At CCEM, researchers perform whole-chip imaging and device-level analysis to study how these components function, and how they fail.
The centre is also advancing research in emerging materials, including two-dimensional (2D) materials and platforms designed for quantum and dual use applications. By correlating atomic structure with device performance, researchers can diagnose defects, optimize fabrication strategies and accelerate innovation.
“Very few facilities can link atomic structure directly to device functionality the way we can,” Bassim says. “That precision opens the door to entirely new Canadian innovations.”
Supporting semiconductor research at this level reinforces Canada’s position across the semiconductor value chain, from material discovery to device performance.
Closing the loop on electronic waste
With this new infrastructure, CCEM researchers aim to tackle a growing global challenge: electronic waste.
Modern electronics contain significant concentrations of valuable critical elements. Yet when devices reach end-of-life, much of that material is discarded.
CCEM researchers are applying advanced microscopy to understand how critical elements are distributed within complex electronic assemblies. By mapping composition and structure at ultra-high resolution, they are helping develop more efficient recovery and recycling strategies.
This circular recovery approach reduces environmental impact while strengthening domestic supply chains, ensuring Canada’s materials strategy is not only innovative, but sustainable.
Infrastructure that built a reputation
CCEM’s leadership rests on decades of investment in world-class instrumentation.
The centre was the first facility in Canada to introduce aberration-corrected microscopy, a breakthrough that dramatically improves resolution by correcting distortions in electron lenses. That pioneering step established its scientific reputation and helped attract additional state-of-the-art equipment.
Today, more than 500 researchers from academia, government and industry use the facility annually. On average, over 110 peer-reviewed journal articles each year rely on data generated at CCEM.
The new CFI investment builds on that foundation, ensuring Canada remains internationally competitive in advanced materials research.
From atoms to impact
From characterizing mineral samples, to advancing quantum-ready semiconductors, to recovering valuable elements from discarded electronics, CCEM’s work spans the full life cycle of critical materials.
The CFI grant strengthens that integrated approach, connecting atomic-scale insight to national priorities in economic resilience, technological sovereignty and sustainable innovation.
In a world increasingly defined by materials performance, Canada’s future may depend on how well it understands what lies beneath the surface.
At CCEM, that understanding begins at the smallest possible scale, and reaches all the way to the technologies shaping tomorrow.
“Investing in microscopy is investing in the future,” says Bassim.
“With continued support, we can ensure that Canada remains at the forefront of scientific discovery and technological innovation.”