Carbon coater for the Dalhousie Regional Microprobe Facility

利用电子束方法对非导电材料进行高空间分辨率成像和微分析，需要在样品表面应用导电膜。碳是典型的选择薄膜，因为它的低原子序数质量导致元素分析中使用的特征x射线的衰减最小。如果没有一种装置来获得足够薄且厚度可复制的碳涂层，就不可能通过电子诱导的x射线发射对非导电材料进行精确的微分析。达尔豪斯大学Robert M. MacKay Microprobe设备中使用的碳涂层机已有20多年的历史，已经到了使用寿命的末期。现在，越来越频繁的关键组件故障降低了分析所需样品制备的确定性，并影响了设施提供分析服务的能力。在过去的五年中，该地区大约有50个不同的pi使用了该设施，其中包括他们监督的研究生和本科生以及pdf文件的两倍多。该设施还被当地工业用于不同领域，如矿产勘探、先进储能开发、腐蚀测试和故障分析。如果没有足够薄且厚度可复制的碳涂层装置，使用EMP对非导电材料进行准确分析是不可能的，并且涉及该仪器的研究将受到严重影响。要求提供资金，以一种新的仪器取代现有的碳涂层机，这种仪器能够应用必要的导电薄膜，并具有将微分析的应用扩展到新的研究和发展领域的附加功能。

High spatial resolution imaging and microanalysis of non-conducting materials using electron beam methods requires the application of a conducting film to the sample surface. Carbon is typically the film of choice, as its low atomic number mass results in minimal attenuation of the characteristic x-rays used in elemental analysis. Without a device for achieving carbon coats that are sufficiently thin, and whose thickness is reproducible, accurate microanalysis of non-conducting materials by electron-induced x-ray emission is not possible. The carbon coater used in the Dalhousie University Robert M. MacKay Microprobe facility is more than 20 years old and is at the end of its useful service. More frequent failure of critical components is now reducing the certainty of adequate sample preparation for analysis, and impacting the facility's ability to deliver analytical services. Approximately 50 different PIs across the region have used the facility over the past five years, including more than twice that number in the graduate and undergraduate students and PDFs they supervise. The facility is also used by local industry involved in diverse areas such as mineral exploration, development of advanced energy storage, as well as corrosion testing and failure analysis. Without a device for achieving carbon coats that are sufficiently thin, and whose thickness is reproducible, accurate analysis of non-conducting materials using the EMP is not possible, and research involving this instrument would be severely impacted. Funds are requested to replace the existing carbon coater with a new instrument capable of applying the necessary conducting films, and with additional features that would extend the application of microanalysis into new areas of research and development.