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中都是至关重要的。扫描电子显微镜(SEM)可以说是获得这种从毫米到纳米长度的微结构信息的最广泛和最强大的表征工具之一。样品的元素组成和晶体材料的结晶学在先进制造、生物成像和生命科学、能源、环境和健康、采矿、地质和岩石学、半导体和微电子等领域的应用中具有重要意义。在扫描电子显微镜中，聚焦的电子束扫描样品的表面，产生反射的电子，揭示地形、晶体和形态信息。具体地说，只有当扫描电子显微镜配备电子背散射衍射仪(EBSD)时，才能从背散射电子获得结晶信息。同时，由于入射电子束与样品的相互作用，具有严格定义的能量的所谓“特征X射线”也被发射出来。特征X射线可用于利用能量色散X射线能谱(EDS)对元素进行识别和定量。多伦多大学最近获得了一台最先进的高分辨率扫描电子显微镜，每天有40多名研究人员(主要是HQP)使用它进行60多个研究项目。没有EDS，我们就无法获得基本信息。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，这是我们共享用户设施进行尖端扫描电子显微镜研究急需的两个基本配件。拟议仪器的增加将支持由NSERC资助的更广泛的先进制造、能源转换和生产以及取证方面的研究项目，以应用团队(Jane Howe、Doug Perovic和Cathy Chin)和合作者邹宇为代表。拟议的仪器将设在先进材料特性开放中心(OCCAM)共享用户设施，并由专职人员进行维护。将采取措施，根据电子数据交换原则，确保所有感兴趣的研究人员尽可能高程度地利用和使用拟议的仪器。申请者和OCCAM在包容性研究环境中指导不同的高素质人员(HQP)方面拥有良好的记录，并致力于进一步打破研究领域的隐藏障碍。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以及与工业相关的应用项目合作的第一手经验。

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.