A Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope for Biological Research

该提案是为了购置一台场发射枪扫描电子显微镜(FEG-SEM)和相关的X射线显微分析系统。场发射电子源即使在低加速电压(1keV)下也非常稳定，与使用热离子发射器电子源的仪器相比，它们在扫描电子显微镜中的使用极大地增强了FEG-SEM的能力。FEG-SEM最显著的优点是它能够对低于传统扫描电子显微镜分辨率极限的样品成像。FEG-SEM的分辨率可以比可比的常规SEM高1到1.5个数量级。事实上，FEG-SEM可以在低加速电压下工作，这意味着人们通常能够检查不需要太多额外导电涂层的样品。尽管佐治亚大学的大量研究人员经常使用扫描电子显微镜，但目前校园内任何地方都找不到适合高分辨率/低keV工作的扫描电子显微镜。创造微观标本的扫描电子显微镜图像的能力对佐治亚大学的各种研究人员来说至关重要。当一个人在非常高的放大倍数下工作时，这一点尤其重要，其中涂层本身可能是可视化的，而不是研究的对象。按照配置，这种FEG-SEM还将使研究人员能够使用EDS X射线进行元素分析，其精度比中心目前的仪器高得多。与中心目前的扫描电子显微镜相比，FEGSEM的最后一个优势是能够以高分辨率格式以数字方式捕获图像，然后可以在中心的成像计算机或连接到以太网的任何计算机上进一步处理或分析图像。超微结构研究中心是为佐治亚大学的研究人员提供电子和光学显微镜领域的各种专门设备和专业知识的中心设施。在过去五年中，该中心平均每年协助60个不同的研究实验室，代表25个不同的部门或学术单位。该中心还向研究生和本科生教授正规课程(扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、现代显微镜技术)。该中心增加一台FEG-SEM将极大地增强那些处理生物和非生物标本的人员的研究能力，并被视为确保研究人员和学生获得最先进的成像仪器的关键收购。

The proposal is for the acquisition of a Field-Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscope (FEG-SEM) and associated X-ray microanalysis system. Field emission electron sources are very stable even at low accelerating voltages (1 KeV) and their usage in a SEM greatly enhances the capabilities of a FEG-SEM when compared with instruments that use a thermionic emitter electron source. The most significant advantage of a FEG-SEM is its ability to image specimens that are below the limits of resolution of a conventional SEM. A FEG-SEM can have a resolution that is 1 to 1.5 orders of magnitude greater than a comparable conventional SEM. The fact that a FEG-SEM can operate at low accelerating voltages means that one is often able to examine samples that do not require much additional conductive coating. Despite the large number of researchers at the University of Georgia who routinely use scanning electron microscopy, a SEM of suitable quality for high resolution/low KeV work is presently not available anywhere on campus. The ability to create SEM images of microscopic specimens is of critical importance to a wide variety of researchers at the University of Georgia. This is especially important when one is working at very high magnifications where the coating itself may be what is visualized and not the object of study. As configured, this FEG-SEM would also enable researchers to conduct elemental analyses using EDS X-ray at a much higher level of precision than is possible with the Center's present instrument. A final advantage that a FEGSEM has over the Center's present SEM is the ability to capture the images digitally in a high resolution format that can then be further processed or analyzed either on the Center's imaging computers or on any computer linked to the Ethernet. The Center for Ultrastructural Research is the central facility that provides University of Georgia researchers a variety of specialized equipment and expertise in the area of electron and light mic roscopy. For the past five years the Center has assisted with an average of 60 different research laboratories representing 25 different departments or academic units per year. The Center also teaches formal courses (Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Techniques in Modern Microscopy) to both graduate and undergraduates students. The addition of a FEG-SEM to the Center would greatly enhance the research capabilities of those working with both biological and non-biological specimens and is seen as a critical acquisition in ensuring that researchers and students have access to state of the art imaging instruments.