2007 Fall Semester

Lectures (EERC 218): M 12:05-12:55 pm 

Goal of the Course: Practical (safe) training with operation of the scanning electron microscope (JEOL JSM-6400) and introduction to scanning electron microscopy at the undergraduate level.

Internet Resources: Training modules with interactive (virtual) tours over the components of the JSM-6400 instrument and tours demonstrating a safe preparation and operation of the instrument are available at the web site of the Applied Chemical and Morphological Analysis Laboratory (link). Although the electronic training is supplementary to the lab training and introductory material discussed during the lectures, every student is asked to review the training modules. The modules contain the essence of the course that every student completing MY4200 needs to possess.

Textbook: "Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-Ray Microanalysis" by J.I. Goldstein et al., 3rd edition, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers New York 2003.

Students will not be required to know every detail within the textbook to pass the course.  The following sections of the textbook will be covered during the lectures:

Lectures 1-4: Design and operating principles of the scanning electron microscope.  The basic principles of optics will be reviewed with emphasize on application to electron beam focusing and scanning.  Self-biasing electron sources and electromagnetic lenses will be briefly discussed. 

Lectures 5-6: Discussion on the interactions of electrons with solids.  Topics will include inelastic and elastic electron scattering, interaction volume backscattered electrons, secondary electrons (type I and II) and x-ray production at the specimen.

Lectures 7-9: Image formation and quality in the SEM.  The principles of operation relating to spatial and contrast resolution will be discussed.  The topics include beam diameter, accelerating voltage, electron detectors, topographic contrast, composition contrast, and high resolution imaging techniques.

Lectures 10-13: X-ray signal production, collection, and processing.  Operating principles of SEM EDS X-ray signals systems will be described.  The processing of X-ray signals and the resulting artifacts in the EDS systems will be discussed.  

Lecture 14: Students will practice qualitative analysis of specimen composition.

Laboratories:

1. Training with the Scanning Electron Microscope

2. Electron Beam Parameters

3. Sample Preparation for SEM

4. Specimen-Beam Interactions

5. Qualitative EDS Spectrometry

6. Quantitative EDS Analysis

7. Practical Exam

Laboratory component of the course begins in the first week.  The laboratory sessions of the last two weeks of the semester are used for practical exam. The list of the lab groups and the schedule of the lab sessions for Fall 2007. 

Each student is obligated to print a copy of the  JSM-6400 Operators Manual,  Brief Start-up Procedure  and a lab instruction and bring them to a lab session.  The Brief Start-up Procedure MUST be used during each lab session. 

Lab reports (guidelines for writing reports) are due at the beginning of the next lab session. Any delay will result in deduction of points; 20% per day. The student is expected to turn in a typed, college-level lab report with the following sections: 

1. Introduction

2. Experimental Methods

3. Results and Discussion (including answers to all questions listed in the the lab instruction)

4. Conclusions

5. References (if used in the preparation of the report).

 All students who intend to use the SEM in research after the completion of this course, must take and pass the practical exam. 

Grading:

* Questions and problems