Electron Microprobe Facility
Quantitative and qualitative chemical analysis of micron-sized solids
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Lab location: Rm 621 in POST building Mailing address: |
JEOL Hyperprobe JXA-8500F
The electron microprobe at the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology is a state-of-the-art instrument. Its installation was completed in the fall of 2008.
What it can do:
- Acquire major, minor and trace (30-300 ppm, matrix-dependent) element concentrations in minerals, glasses and other solid materials
- Wavelength-dispersive (WDS) and Energy-dispersive (EDS) analysis of elements from boron to uranium
- High-resolution imaging using secondary-electron, backscattered-electron, cathodoluminescence and WDS X-ray signals
- High spatial resolution achieved through a Schottky-type field-emission gun, resulting in a highly focused (30-50 nm) electron beam on the sample surface
- Quantitative analysis of features below 1 micron under low-kV conditions
What it cannot do:
- Liquids
- Highly volatile materials (the instrument operates under high vacuum: 10E-4Pa)
- Organic materials (we can detect presence of carbon, but not quantitatively as these organics tend to volatilize under the beam). Imaging and qualitative analyses may be possible.
Rates:
- Independent academic users: $40/hr, with a maximum of $500/day
- Assistance by the operations manager: additional $65/hr
- Non-academic rate: $300/hr