Upgrading of Electron Microprobe Facility, Department of Geology and Geography, University of Massachusetts

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9503054 Williams This grant provides $33,287 as one-half support for upgrades to the Cameca SX-50 electron microprobe facility at the University of Massachusetts. This facility has become an essential research and teaching tool for a diverse group of researchers from western New England. One particular focus of many studies is the integration of high-resolution compositional mapping (x-ray mapping) with high-precision quantitative analysis. In the five years since the microprobe was installed, Cameca has made several improvements to the hardware and software of the SX-50, and the new SX-100, that significantly improve the quality and efficiency of the instrument. Specifically, upgrades will be made to four essential subsystems of the SX-50: (1) autofocusing (2) fast image acquisition, (3) frame buffering, and (4) replacement of a SUN 3 computer with a SPARC 5. The first two items will allow users to collect high-resolution qualitative and quantitative data much more quickly and efficiently. Frame buffering offers a much improved method for viewing electron images and for integrating these images with other compositional or optical data sets. The upgraded computer is required for running the new and dramatically improved version of the Cameca software. The proposed upgrades are essential for the laboratory to remain a state-of-the-art research facility and to keep its position as one cornerstone of the analytical community of western New England. ***