MRI: Acquisition of an electron microprobe for research in Earth sciences, materials science, and applied physics

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Abstract

This grant will fund the acquisition of a new Electron Probe Micro-Analyzer (EPMA), which will replace an aging and malfunctioning instrument and thus greatly enhance the capabilities of a facility critical to research and scientific training in the Earth and Materials Sciences. This instrument focuses a narrow beam of electrons onto the surface of a solid material such as a rock or mineral, an experimental product, or an electronic component. It then analyzes the emitted X-rays and provides precise chemical analyses on spots as small as one micrometer. Images and maps of composition can also be produced to visualize the complex spatial variations that are captured in both natural and laboratory-grown materials, which reveal details of processes and history. A fully-functioning EPMA with state-of-the-art capabilities will be essential to a wide range of research programs in the Earth sciences, ranging from experimental studies of the minerals of the planet's deep interior, to samples obtained from the mantle and crust that reveal the intricate processes of the growth of continents and ocean basins, to studies of fluid flow in fractures near the surface and chemical weathering. In the fields of Applied Physics and Materials Science, the EPMA will provide critical and unique data for a variety of research on complex electronic and superconducting materials, on ceramics, and on glasses for applications such as display screens and solar cells. In all of these fields, most of the research is funded by grants from NSF or other U.S. government agencies. The EPMA facility will be synergistic with a number of other world-class analytical instruments at Stanford such as ion microprobes, electron microscopes, and geochronology labs. Besides being a major contribution to the research infrastructure of the University, and being key to the research of at least five women faculty in our Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, the new EPMA will provide wonderful opportunities for scientific training of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students.