Acquisition of Cathodoluminescence System for Scanning Electron Microscope

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A new high-resolution cathode-luminescence (CL) imaging system will support the next generation of research studies at Weber State University, a primarily undergraduate institution in northern Utah. The new CL system will interface with an existing scanning electron microscope (SEM) housed in the College of Science Microscopy (COSMic) lab and promote student training in instrumentation, data science, and image processing via undergraduate research experiences and course-based projects with a focus on enhanced recruitment and retention of students from under-represented groups into the physical sciences. The system will improve the institutional research infrastructure and capabilities, supporting interdisciplinary collaborations among faculty and students in multiple science departments and with outside institutions and government agencies. Images from the SEM-CL system and research results will be disseminated to broad, diverse audiences. SEM-CL is a key micro-analytical technique to image features within a variety of materials. Projects that will utilize integrated CL imaging include: (1) geochronologic and geochemical analysis of minerals to test models of crustal evolution of Paleoproterozoic basement rocks with inherited Archean components western North America, which record a key time in Earth history marked by onset of supercontinent cycles along with the characterization of source-to-sink patterns in synorogenic strata in Cordilleran sedimentary basins, which will increase understanding of retroarc fold-thrust belt exhumation patterns and volcanic arc tempos; (2) microstructural analysis of quartz and calcite from fault/shear zones and vein systems will increase understanding of fluid pathways and fluid-rock interaction that result in hydrolytic weakening, reaction softening, grain size reduction, and concentrated deformation, which partly control overall crustal rheology; and (3) characterization of thin-film materials providing key data to understand the nature of impurities and defects that can be used to refine deposition/synthesis processes and control/passivate impurities ultimately improving the opto-electronic performance of materials.This project is jointly funded by the EAR Instrumentation and Facilities Program and Division of Earth Sciences to support projects that increase research capabilities, capacity and infrastructure at a wide variety of institution types, as outlined in the GEO EMBRACE DCL.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.