Equipment coming soon to MRL

Asylum Research MFP-3D-Bio AFM

The Asylum Research (Oxford Instruments) MFP-3D-Bio AFM is a high-quality atomic force microscope atop an inverted optical fluorescence microscope, enabling simultaneous AFM and optical microscopy.

Accessories: BioHeater, Petri Dish Heater, extended z range -- in addition to compatibility with all accessories from the other MFP-3D AFMs at MRL

Available: Fall 2022

EDS detector upgrade to our Scios2 dual-beam FIB system

A new silicon-drift energy-dispersive detector (EDS), the EDAX-Ametek Octane Elite Super with a 70 mm² window, is being added to our Thermo Scios2 dual-beam focus ion beam (FIB) system. It will complement the EDAX Hikari Super electron-backscatter diffraction (EBSD) detector already existing in that system, adding unique, correlated chemical and structural analyzes over large regions of interest with unprecedented spatial resolution. This upgrade has been funded by the 2022 Grainger College of Engineering Small Equipment program with 10% cost match from faculty (Charpagne, Braun and Zahirisabzevar) from the Materials Science and Engineering Department in addition to the MRL facilities.

Some key features of the EDAX Octane Elite Super EDS detector:

• Silicon-drift detector (SDD) technology allowing ~ 20 times faster data collection than corresponding detectors using previous Si(Li) technology.
• Increased spectral resolution enables detection of light elements, with guaranteed resolution of 48eV for C K-alpha. Energy resolution 125 eV at Mn K-alpha. Detection range: Al L (73 eV) to Am. Al L to Al K peak height ratio of 1:1 at 2.5 kV.
• 70 mm² silicon nitride window offering improvements in low energy sensitivity for light element detection and low kV analysis. Cooling system: Peltier.
• The advanced processing software can correct for both sample motion and beam drift. Patented Fast Phase Mapping routine, materials library, diagnosis, acquisition and data management.

These capabilities to the detector allow to probe large sample areas with high resolution and map beam-sensitive materials requiring low electron energies.

Available: Fall 2022.

(Images from EDAX-Ametek).