Carbon coater for the Dalhousie Regional Microprobe Facility

使用电子束方法对非导电材料进行高空间分辨率成像和微观分析需要在样品表面涂覆一层导电膜。碳通常是选择的薄膜，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。如果没有一种设备来获得足够薄、厚度可重复的碳涂层，就不可能通过电子诱导X射线发射对非导电材料进行准确的微量分析。达尔豪西大学罗伯特·M·麦凯微探测器设施中使用的碳涂层已有20多年的历史，即将投入使用。关键部件更频繁的故障现在降低了充分的样品准备用于分析的确定性，并影响了该设施提供分析服务的能力。在过去的五年里，该地区约有50家不同的私人投资机构使用了这一设施，其中研究生和本科生以及他们监管的PDF的人数是这个数字的两倍多。该设施还被当地行业使用，涉及多个领域，如矿产勘探、先进能源储存的开发，以及腐蚀测试和故障分析。如果没有足够薄且厚度可重复的碳涂层的设备，就不可能使用电磁脉冲对非导电材料进行准确的分析，涉及该仪器的研究将受到严重影响。请拨出资金，用能够涂覆必要的导电膜的新仪器取代现有的碳涂层，并增加新的功能，以便将微量分析的应用扩展到新的研究和开发领域。

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.