Table top scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy for imaging and analytical research.

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Direct observation and documentation are fundamental tools common to all scientific endeavour. Accurate representation and analysis of objects is critical, whether studying natural phenomena, experimental results, or manufactured products. Here, we seek to purchase an innovative imaging and analytical instrument called a Hitachi TM 3000 variable pressure benchtop scanning electron microscope (SEM). This unit will also be equipped with a Bruker Quantax 70 energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). This instrument is capable of imaging specimens up to 30,000X without special sample preparation, as required for traditional SEM. This is a critical advantage if one is interested in conducting further work on the object under study. One can actually image living specimens at a level of magnification well beyond a light microscope. On the analytical side, the EDS will enable the identification and quantification of any element in the periodic table from Boron upwards. The combination of these two technologies in a single instrument means that the spatial precision with which elemental analysis can be performed and imaged well exceeds that currently available for a benchtop instrument.