Hobart Campus, Chemistry Building, Level 2, Rooms 255/256

This facility houses:
- a Cameca SX100 electron microprobe
- a FEI Quanta 600 MLA environmental scanning electron microscope
- a Horiba XGT-7000V MicroXRF
- a digitised Olympus BX40F4 light optical microscope
- a BalTec SCD 050 sputter Coater
- a Ladd 40000 carbon evaporator
- a Balzers CPD 030 critical point dryer

Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) are closely related techniques for high-magnification imaging and spatially resolved chemical analysis of solid samples. Both employ a focussed electron beam to excite various secondary signals: Secondary electrons (SE) show surface morphology, backscattered electrons (BSE) local differences in average atomic number, cathodoluminescence (CL) local variation in defect chemistry, x-rays are detected by wavelength and energy dispersive spectrometers (WDS, EDS) for chemical analysis. Whereas SEM is optimized for high-resolution microscopy, EPMA is mainly used for quantitative chemical analysis of micrometer-sized volumes. For accurate quantitative analysis the samples have to be flat and polished. Non-conductive samples are coated with a layer of carbon or gold. Samples not withstanding high vacuum such as fresh biological specimens can be observed on the SEM in low vacuum or environmental mode. The microXRF uses a primary x-ray beam and EDS for lower resolution chemical microanalysis. No coating is required and operation in air is possible.

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