Acquisition of a Cold Cathode Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscope

University Of California-San Diego, La Jolla CA

Investigators

Abstract

This award from the Instrumentation for Materials Research program to the University of California San Diego is for the acquisition and installation of a cold cathode field emission gun scanning electron microscope(FEG-SEM) with analytical capabilities for the Electron Microscopy Facility of the Materials Science Program, part of the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). The new instrument will enhance existing and new research projects currently active at UCSD in the engineering, physics and chemistry departments, as well as at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. The FEG-SEM will provide high beam stability, low energy fluctuation, low beam current and high brightness in a range of accelerating voltages, features that are required for imaging nanoscale features in electronic, magnetic, optical, structural, organic and biological materials. The instrument will enhance both graduate and undergraduate research and education. The graduate students will benefit from hands-on exposure to a state-of-the-art microscope that will aid significantly in their research projects. Undergraduates will particularly benefit from this class, as it will be offered to upper division students who have a materials emphasis in their major program (currently available in mechanical, electrical, physics and chemistry departments). This award from the Instrumentation for Materials Research program to the University of California San Diego is for the acquisition and installation of a cold cathode field emission gun scanning electron microscope(FEG-SEM) with analytical capabilities for the Electron Microscopy Facility of the Materials Science Program, part of the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). The proposed equipment will replace the existing Cambridge 360 SEM, now 10 years old, and provide state-of-the-art capabilities. This system currently supports the research programs of faculty from departments and research units campus wide. The Materials Science Program will manage the new SEM and it will be available to all UCSD affiliated personnel and the outside community on an hourly fee basis. The new instrument will enhance existing and new research projects currently active at UCSD in the engineering, physics and chemistry departments, as well as at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography (SIO). The FEG-SEM will provide imaging of detailed structures coupled with the elemental analysis capabilities; it is a crucial tool for modern materials research and for training the next generation of engineers and scientists. The instrument will enhance both graduate and undergraduate research and education. The graduate and undergraduate students will benefit from hands-on exposure to a state-of-the-art microscope. A graduate level course in scanning electron microscopy will be introduced yearly into the Materials Science curriculum and will be available to all graduate students at UCSD and SIO. Undergraduates will particularly benefit from this class, as it will be offered to upper division students who have a materials emphasis in their major. In summary, the new instrument will provide a much-needed research and teaching tool by providing image and analytical capabilities not currently available to students on the UCSD campus.