Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer and Electron Backscattered Diffractometer for Scanning Electron Microscopy Research

材料或器件的微观结构和化学信息在许多研究领域都是至关重要的。扫描电子显微镜（SEM）可以说是获得从毫米到纳米尺度的微观结构信息的最广泛使用和最强大的表征工具之一。样品的元素组成和晶体材料的晶体学在先进制造、生物成像与生命科学、能源、环境与健康、采矿、地质与岩石学、半导体和微电子学等领域具有重要的应用价值。在扫描电镜中，聚焦的电子束扫描样品表面并产生反射电子，从而揭示形貌、晶体学和形态信息。具体来说，只有在扫描电镜上配备电子背散射衍射仪（EBSD），才能从背散射电子中获得晶体信息。同时，由于入射电子束与样品的相互作用，也会发射出具有明确能量的所谓“特征x射线”。特征x射线可用于能量色散x射线光谱（EDS）的元素鉴别和定量。多伦多大学最近获得了最先进的高分辨率扫描电镜，每天有40多名研究人员（主要是HQP）用于60多个研究项目。没有EDS，我们无法获得元素信息。没有EBSD，就没有晶体信息可用。我们特此申请资金购买EDS探测器和EBSD，这是在我们共享的用户设施中进行尖端SEM研究迫切需要的两个必要配件。拟议仪器的增加将支持由应用团队（Jane Howe， Doug Perovic和Cathy Chin）和合作者Yu Zou代表的更广泛的nserc资助的先进制造，能源转换和生产以及法医研究项目。拟议的仪器将位于先进材料表征开放中心（OCCAM）共享用户设施内，并由专门人员维护。将采取措施，确保所有感兴趣的研究人员根据电子数据交换原则尽可能地利用和使用拟议的仪器。申请人和OCCAM在包容性研究环境中指导不同的高素质人才（HQP）方面有着良好的记录，并致力于进一步打破研究空间中的隐藏障碍。HQP将使用最先进的设备来解决催化和能量转换、腐蚀、法医工程、材料科学和核能领域的关键问题。他们将获得与基础研究结合应用，工业相关项目的第一手经验。

Information of microstructure and chemistry of a material or device is critical in many fields of research. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is arguably one of the most widely used and powerful characterization instruments for obtaining such microstructural information, from millimeter down to nanometer length scales. Elemental composition of the specimens, and crystallography of crystalline materials are of great importance for applications in advanced manufacturing, bio-imaging and life science, energy, environment and health, mining, geology and petrology, semiconductors and microeletronics. In an SEM, a focused electron beam scans across the surface of a specimen and produces reflected electrons that reveal topographic, crystallographic and morphological information. Specifically, the crystalline information can be obtained from backscattered electrons only if the SEM is equipped with an electron backscattered diffractometer (EBSD). Concomitantly, the so-called "characteristic X-rays" with sharply defined energies are also emitted as a result of the incident electron beam's interaction with the specimen. The characteristic X-rays can be employed for identification and quantification of elements using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). University of Toronto has recently acquired a state-of-the-art high-resolution SEM which has been used daily by more than forty researchers (mostly HQP) for over sixty research programs. Without the EDS, we cannot obtain elemental information. Without the EBSD, no crystalline information is available. We hereby request the funds to purchase an EDS detector and an EBSD, which are two essential accessories urgently needed for conducting cutting-edge SEM research at our shared user facility. The addition of proposed instrumentation will support even a broader range of NSERC-funded research programs in advanced manufacturing, energy conversion and production, and forensics, represented by the Application Team (Jane Howe, Doug Perovic, and Cathy Chin) and collaborator Yu Zou. The proposed instrument will be located at the Open Centre for the Characterization of Advanced Materials (OCCAM) shared user facility, and maintained by dedicated personnel. Measures will be taken to ensure the proposed instrumentation has the highest possible degree of utilization and accessibility by all interested researchers per EDI principles. The Applicants and OCCAM have a proven track record in mentoring diverse highly qualified personnel (HQP) in an inclusive research environment and are committed to further break down hidden barriers in research space. HQP will use the state-of-the-art equipment to solve critical problems in the fields of catalysis and energy conversion, corrosion, forensic engineering, materials science, and nuclear energy. They will gain first-hand experience to work with fundamental research coupled with applied, industrially relevant projects.