Emergency Repair and System Upgrade for ESCALab 250

该小型设备申请寻求滑铁卢大学成像ESCA微探针中几个重要组件的关键维修支持。 配备多种技术（包括X射线和紫外光电子能谱、深度分析、化学状态成像、扫描电子显微镜和俄歇电子显微镜），赛默飞世尔VG Scientific ESCALab 250系统是世界上最好的实验室成像ESCA仪器之一。 滑铁卢仪器也是加拿大唯一的ESCALab 250，是一种最先进的、基于实验室的ESCA仪器，能够以高空间分辨率进行化学状态成像。 该成像ESCA系统自2000年以来一直在运行，并一直在大量使用，服务于滑铁卢大学超过75个当地研究小组和来自其他加拿大大学的30个学术团体的研究需求。 具体而言，所请求的支持将允许我们更换X射线源，维修和/或更换柱内电荷补偿设施，并将数据系统升级到Windows 7环境。 这些重要的维修和升级是必要的，因为该系统现在已接近15岁。 我们可以通过更换损坏和老化的组件将性能恢复到接近新的状态，这将使这台价值250万美元的仪器的使用寿命再延长10年。 这一请求将使滑铁卢ESCALab系统恢复全面运行，并具有最先进的性能。 该请求是至关重要的，需要在滑铁卢的各种材料科学和工程研究项目的持续生存（和至少30论文项目依赖于这个仪器）。

This minor equipment application seeks the support for critical repair to a few vital components in the Imaging ESCA Microprobe at the University of Waterloo. Equipped with multiple techniques (including X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, depth profiling, chemical-state imaging, scanning electron microscopy, and Auger electron microscopy), the Thermo Fisher VG Scientific ESCALab 250 system represents one of the best laboratory-based imaging ESCA instruments in the world. The Waterloo machine is also the only ESCALab 250 in Canada and is a state-of-the-art, laboratory-based ESCA instrument capable of chemical-state imaging at high spatial resolution. This imaging ESCA system has been in operation since 2000 and has been under heavy usage, serving the research needs of over 75 local research groups from the University of Waterloo and 30 academic groups from other Canadian universities. Specifically, the requested support will allow us to replace the X-ray source, to repair and/or replace the in-column charge compensation facility, and to upgrade the data system to Windows 7 environment. These critical repairs and upgrades are necessary as the system is now approaching 15 years old. We can bring back the performance to close to as-new condition by replacing the broken and aging components, which will extend the life-time of this $2.5 M instrument for another 10 years. This request will bring the Waterloo ESCALab system back up to full operation, with its state-of-the-art performance. The request is critically needed for the continued survival of the diverse materials science and engineering research programs at Waterloo (and at least 30 thesis projects depend on this instrument).