This high-resolution scanning electron microscope (HR-SEM) was installed in the Chemical Engineering Sobell Building in February 2008. Its Schottky field emission electron gun provides excellent brightness, even at very low electron acceleration voltages, down to a few tens of volts. This is an important feature for high-resolution imaging of surface nanostructures, and for overcoming charging of uncoated non-conductive specimens. A Charge Compensation (CC) system improves that feature even further. The microscope is equipped with four imaging backscattered and secondary electron detectors: two of the in-lens type, and two outside the lens. It is also equipped with a Bruker Xflash x-ray energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) for x-ray elemental microanalysis. A Bal-Tec cryo-stage allows imaging of cryogenic specimens, such as fast-cooled liquids and biological systems. All this makes a versatile and flexible tool for the complete nano- and microstructural analysis of a wide range of systems.
