Acquistion of a New Automation System for an Electron Microprobe

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0107175FerrySupport is requested for acquisition of a new automation system for the JEOL JXA-8600 electron microprobe in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. The instrument is 13 years old and a number of components are failing and unreliable including the memory devices, the LSI 11/73 computer, the energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and the stage motor drives. In addition, because the operating system, EDS, and computers are outdated, the instrument is incapable of a number of important functions that modern microprobes can perform such as light element detection by EDS (B through F); position-tagged spectroscopy; simultaneous collection of images and compositional data; integrated data collection, data reduction, and image processing with the same computer; and rapid exchange of images and analytical data between the microprobe and external computers. Support is also requested to replace the aging and dysfunctional carbon coater in the microprobe laboratory. An upgraded electron microprobe would be used in a wide variety of research projects including studies in metamorphic petrology, igneous petrology, mineralogy, crystallography, sedimentology, geochemistry, geochronology, radioactive waste disposal and remediation, materials science, and medicine. An electron microprobe, operating at top performance, will continue to play a key role in training the next generation of Earth scientists by serving as a principal research instrument for students at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels. The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the School of Arts and Sciences have pledged to cover 16.7% and 33.3% of the cost of the acquisition, respectively. NSF is requested to cover the remaining 50%. The Department will continue to support the electron microprobe facility by paying the salary and benefits of the technician. The School of Arts and Sciences will continue to support the facility with an annual block contribution.***