Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a type of electron microscope that produces images of a sample by scanning it with a focused beam of electrons. The electrons interact with atoms in the sample, producing various signals that can be detected and that contain information about the sample's surface topography and composition. The electron beam is generally scanned in a raster scan pattern, and the beam's position is combined with the detected signal to produce an image. SEM can achieve resolution better than 1 nanometer. Specimens can be observed in high vacuum, in low vacuum, in wet conditions (in environmental SEM), and at a wide range of cryogenic or elevated temperatures. Read more

Remote Accessibility:

• NCI-SW at Arizona State University - (Phenom Pro)
• CABOCES - (Phenom ProX & JEOL-JSM-6010PLUS/LA)
• Grand Valley State University - (Hitachi S3400N)
• Erie Community College - (JEOL JSM-6010LA)
• Northcentral Technical College - (Hitachi TM 3030)
• Northwest Vista College - (Hitachi TM 3030 Plus)
• Oakton Community College - (Hitachi TM 3000)
• North Seattle College - (Aspex EXplorer)
• Pasadena City College - (Phenom ProX)
• Pennsylvania State University - (ZEISS 55 Ultra FESEM)
• Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network - (FEI Quanta 200 Field Emission Gun)
• Salt Lake Community College - (Hitachi TM3000)
• SUNY Polytechnic Institute - (Hitachi TM3000 w/ x-ray (EDS))
• University of California San Diego - (Zeiss Sigma 500 SEM)
• University of Texas at San Antonio - (Hitachi S5500 STEM)
• SCME at University of New Mexico - (Phenom ProX)
• Utah Valley University - (TESCAN VEGA3)

Electron Probe Microanalyzer (EPMA)

What is an Electron Microprobe, how is it different from a Scanning Electron Microscope, and when does a researcher choose the probe vs. the SEM?
An electron microprobe (or electron probe microanalyzer, EPMA) is a specialized scanning electron microscope, optimized for accurate and precise quantitative compositional analysis of solid materials at the micro-scale. In addition to electron imaging capability, it has a reflected light microscope to check focus and surface quality. It is equipped with five wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectrometers (WDS), which use diffracting crystals to separate the characteristic X-rays emiited by a sample before counting them. This gives the EPMA much finer spectral resolution than the energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometers (EDS) often installed on SEMs. In turn, in combination with careful analysis of standards and matrix correction software, WDS allows quantification of all major elements heavier than N and minor elements down in some cases to ~100 ug/g, with typically 1% relative precision and accuracy. Because each WDS spectrometer only counts one wavelength at a time, one usually only analyzes a short list of elements. By comparison, EDS analysis on the SEM achieves only about 5% relative precision and accuracy and generally cannot detect minor elements below ~1000 ug/g, but simultaneously measures all the elements. Hence, when accurate and precise determination of a known list of elements is desired, the EPMA is the instrument of choice. When quicker qualitative assessment of the elements present is desired, the SEM is the tool of choice. EPMA analysis gives a student an opportunity to learn and think about a number of important issues in microanalysis and in the science and statistics of measurement more broadly: choice of standards, background subtraction, counting statistics, reproducibility, detection limits, internal and external precision, etc.

Remote Accessibility:

• California Institute of Technology - (JEOL JXA-8200 Hyperprobe, Combined ED/WD Electron Probe Microanalyzer)

Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS)

Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS, EDX, or XEDS), sometimes called energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA) or energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDXMA), is an analytical technique used for the elemental analysis or chemical characterization of a sample. It relies on an interaction of some source of X-ray excitation and a sample. Its characterization capabilities are due in large part to the fundamental principle that each element has a unique atomic structure allowing unique set of peaks on its X-ray emission spectrum. Read more

Remote Accessibility:

• Erie Community College - (JEOL JSM-6010LA)
• Grand Valley State University - (EDAX EDS)
• North Seattle College - (Aspex EXplorer)
• Oakton Community College - (Quantax 70)
• Pasadena City College - (Phenom ProX)
• Pennsylvania State University - (Oxford Instruments X-act)
• University of Texas at San Antonio - (Hitachi S5500 STEM)

Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)

Atomic-force microscopy (AFM) or scanning-force microscopy (SFM) is a very high-resolution type of scanning probe microscopy (SPM), with demonstrated resolution on the order of fractions of a nanometer, more than 1000 times better than the optical diffraction limit. Read more

Remote Accessibility:

• Erie Community College - (AFM)
• Forsyth Tech Community College - (Nanosurf Flex Scan head AFM)
• Georgia Southern University - (Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) - Park System - NX-10)
• Grand Valley State University - (Agilent 5400 AFM/SPM)
• Northcentral Technical College - (Nanosurf easyScan 2)
• North Seattle College - (Nanosurf easyScan 2)
• Oakton Community College - (Nanosurf easyScan 2 FlexAFM)
• Pennsylvania State University - (Bruker Innova)
• Salt Lake Community College - (Agilent 5400 AFM/SPM & Nanosurf easyScan 2)

Profilometer

Profilometer is a measuring instrument used to measure a surface's profile, in order to quantify its roughness. Read more

Remote Accessibility:

• North Seattle College - (Bruker Dektak XT)
• Oakton Community College - (Bruker Dektak XT)
• Pennsylvania State University - (Veeco Dektak 6M)

Ultraviolet–visible Spectrophotometer

Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy or ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis or UV/Vis) refers to absorption spectroscopy or reflectance spectroscopy in the ultraviolet-visible spectral region. This means it uses light in the visible and adjacent (near-UV and near-infrared [NIR]) ranges. The absorption or reflectance in the visible range directly affects the perceived color of the chemicals involved. Read more

Remote Accessibility:

• Coppin State - (UV-VIS-NIR Spectrophotometer)
• Georgia Institute of Technology - (Thermo UV-VIS Spectrometer)
• Pennsylvania State University - (Cary 300)

Confocal Microscope

Confocal microscopy is an optical imaging technique for increasing optical resolution and contrast of a micrograph by means of adding a spatial pinhole placed at the confocal plane of the lens to eliminate out-of-focus light. It enables the reconstruction of three-dimensional structures from the obtained images. Read more

Remote Accessibility:

• Stanford University - (Keyence 3D Laser Confocal Scanning Microscope)
• North Seattle College - (Olympus Fluoview FV10i)

Optical Microscope

The optical microscope, often referred to as light microscope, is a type of microscope which uses visible light and a system of lenses to magnify images of small samples. Optical microscopes are the oldest design of microscope and were possibly invented in their present compound form in the 17th century. Basic optical microscopes can be very simple, although there are many complex designs which aim to improve resolution and sample contrast. Read more

Remote Accessibility:

• Pennsylvania State University - (Leitz Ergolux)

Molecular Analyzer

The molecular analyzer is used for the measurement of the size, electrophoretic mobility of proteins, zeta potential of colloids and nanoparticles, and optionally the measurement of protein mobility and microrheology of protein and polymer solutions.

Remote Accessibility:

• Georgia Institute of Technology - (Malvern Zetasizer Nano ZS)

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is a technique which is used to obtain an infrared spectrum of absorption or emission of a solid, liquid or gas. An FTIR spectrometer simultaneously collects high spectral resolution data over a wide spectral range. This confers a significant advantage over a dispersive spectrometer which measures intensity over a narrow range of wavelengths at a time. Read more

Remote Accessibility:

• Georgia Institute of Technology - (Thermo Scientific iS50 FT-IR Spectrometer)

X-ray fluorescence (XRF)

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is the emission of characteristic "secondary" (or fluorescent) X-rays from a material that has been excited by bombarding with high-energy X-rays or gamma rays. The phenomenon is widely used for elemental analysis and chemical analysis, particularly in the investigation of metals, glass, ceramics and building materials, and for research in geochemistry, forensic science, archaeology and art objects such as paintings and murals. Read more

Remote Accessibility:

• Nebraska Nanoscale Facility - (Rigaku Supermini200 X)

Fabrication Tools

The following fabrication tools are available:

Raith Voyager Electron Beam Lithography tool

Electron Beam Deposition, Angstrom Engineering, Model 450

Reactive Ion Etching tool, NGP80, Oxford Instruments

Reactive Ion Etching tool, TRION (Norfolk State University)

FIB FEI Nova 600 Nanolab (Dual Beam) with FESEM capability (COSINC)

Remote Accessibility:

• University of Iowa
• Norfolk State University
• COSINC at University of Colorado Boulder

Rough Vacuum Equipment Trainer (RA-RVET)

Remote Accessibility:

• Normandale Community College - (Custom Built Training System (RA-RVET))