Shared Facilities | Neithalath Lab

High Resolution X-ray Diffractometer (PANALYTICAL X’PERT PRO)

The diffractometer can operate at up to 900°C using CuKα radiations. The instrument can characterize crystal orientation, degree of crystallinity, stresses in the crystal structure, spatial mapping (100 x 100 mm motion) of sample surfaces, high speed wide angle x-ray diffraction and fast mode reciprocal space mapping etc. It contains three sample stages: (i) Standard 4” wafer mount, (ii) Solid sample holder (also used for powders), (iii) Anton Paar DHS 900 domed hot stage for data collection from room temperature up to 900 °C. It is also equipped with PANalytical X’Pert HighScore Plus Software for phase identification.

SEM – XL30 Environmental FEG (FEI)

The XL30 ESEM-FEG offers high resolution secondary electron imaging at pressures as high as 10 Torr and sample temperatures as high as 1,000°C. Hence, wet, oily, dirty, outgassing, and non-conductive samples can be examined in their natural state without significant sample modification or preparation. The XL30 ESEM-FEG employs the stable, high brightness Schottky Field Emission Source for outstanding observation performance of potentially problematic samples for conventional high vacuum SEMs.

Electron Microprobe (JEOL JXA-8530F Hyperprobe)

The JXA-8530F consists of a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) surrounded by five Wavelength Dispersive Spectrometers (WDS). The combination of WDS and EDS makes it a very powerful analytical tool. The five WDS’s provide a wide wavelength range covering elements from Be (Z=4) to U (Z=92). This instrument can do accurate quantitative analysis including map analysis, phase analysis and line analysis. Quantitative analysis requires a suitable combination of grinding and polishing (using Allied High Tech – MultiPrep™ Polishing System) to achieve a desired level of flatness.

Ion Beam Analysis of Materials (IBeAM)

The IBeAM facility consists of a 1.7 MeV tandem accelerator with a beamline and analysis chamber. The facility has the following instrumentations: (i) Ion beam analysis (IBA) using MeV ion beams for compositional and structural determination of materials; (ii) Rutherford backscattering (RBS) for surface analysis using recoil energies of accelerated ions (e.g., He or H) to determine the species and depth profiles of atoms in a given sample and (iii) X-ray analysis (Proton Induced X-ray Emission – PIXE) which has the advantage of a much improved signal/noise ratio when compared to electron induced X-rays.

FT-Raman (BRUKER IFS 66V/S)

The instrument can work under vacuum environment (< 5 mbar) (in the main bench) and it is capable of microscope transmission and reflection. It covers a full spectral range from ~10 – 12000 cm-1. Fluorescence can be avoided for macro samples in FT-Raman (from ~100 to 3500 Rcm-1) by using a YAG laser (1064 nm). The instrument includes: (i) bench detectors (Bolometer (far IR), DTGS (mid-far IR), Wide-band MCT (mid – near IR)); (ii) microscope detectors (Wide-band MCT (mid – near IR), Wide-band InSb (near-IR)); (iii) beam splitters (KBr (near IR, Mid IR), CaF2 (near IR, mid IR), 6 μm Mylar (far IR)); (iv) sources (Globar (near IR, mid IR, far IR), W lamp (visible, near IR)) and (v) different sample accessories such as Harrick ATR-GATR (for Analysis of monolayer on metals and monolayer on silicon by FT-IR ATR spectroscopy, Measurements of adsorbed species on semiconductors or on metals) and Seagull Variable angle reflectance.