Equipment for scanning electron microscope

我们是一个由12位自然和生物医学科学家组成的跨学科小组，他们对显微镜感兴趣，并使用达尔豪西大学的科学成像套件。 我们在一系列系统上工作，有生命的和非生命的，具有一系列物理尺寸，并且我们都长期需要扫描电子显微镜（SEM）。 进入研究级扫描电镜在达尔豪西是有限的一个严重预订仪器位于我们大多数人2公里远。 过去为该套件获得新仪器的尝试没有得到资助，而不是等待未来的前景，我们试图通过购买最近从国防部实验室退役的二手仪器来满足我们的迫切需要。 这台有10年历史的仪器在退役前一直得到定期维护，工作正常，但需要新的计算机硬件和更新的软件才能运行。 我们要求提供资金，让制造商安装这台仪器，以及相关的硬件和软件，使其全面运作。 我们还需要两个额外的样品制备设备，一个临界点干燥器和一个溅射镀膜机，这两个都是扫描电镜的常规设备，我们缺乏工作秩序。 有了这些项目和我们的SEM的安装，我们将有一个完全运行的设施，仍然有一个非常经济的价格长的预期工作寿命。 我们没有其他办法启动这个仪器。 我们的用户将使用它来成像标本，包括广泛的样品，并在这种有用的和技术上简单的显微镜模式，我们目前缺乏一个研究级仪器的培训HQP。

We are an interdisciplinary group of 12 natural and biomedical scientists who share an interest in microscopy and who use the Scientific Imaging Suite at Dalhousie University. We work on a range of systems, living and non-living, with a range of physical dimensions, and we have in common a longstanding need for a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Access to a research grade SEM at Dalhousie is limited to one heavily-booked instrument situated for most of us 2km away. Past attempts to secure a new instrument for the Suite have not been funded, and rather than await future prospects, we have sought to fill our immediate needs by purchasing a used instrument recently decommissioned from a lab of the Department of National Defence. This 10-year old instrument had been regularly maintained and worked perfectly until its decommissioning, but needs new computer hardware and updated software to operate. We request funds to have the manufacturer install this instrument, and the associated hardware and software, to bring it into full operation. We also request two additional items of equipment for specimen preparation, a critical point dryer and a sputter coater, both of which are routine items for SEM which we lack in working order. With these items and the installation of our SEM we will have available a fully operational facility which still has a long expected working life at a remarkably economical price. We have no other means to activate this instrument. Our users will use it for imaging specimens that include a wide range of samples, and for training HQP in this useful and technically straightforward mode of microscopy for which we currently lack a research grade instrument.