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Waterloo Advanced Technology
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What's NeXT
Users can buy new SEM stubs and new stub storage boxes online from the www.tedpella.com [look for standard Zeiss SEM stubs - P/N 16111 or 16111-9 (pin mount 12.7 mm x 3.2 mm)]. Alternatively, WATLab does sell a box of 12 stubs (at $30 each kit) on site. Please contact Nina, Lei or Joseph.
29 Jan 2019 - Calendar - As we appear to have a backlog on the Ultra, we ask the users to please be respectful of the calendar. Removing the reservation less than 24 hours will not help other users to use the released time slots. Please do not reserve the machine unless the sample is actually ready. Users who have repeatedly disregard the booking rule will be suspended indefinitely. Thank you for your cooperation.
15 Jan 2019 - New beginning - By late summer 2019, WATLab would have provided materials analysis independently for almost two decades ago at Waterloo. We have been fortunate to have opportunities to set up one of the best toolsets for advanced materials research in the world. Despite the various things going on in 2018, WATLab will continue to serve our loyal users for as long as we could. At the science/technology level, we are always curious about the work of our users and how the present toolset can be used to advance the goal of our users, i.e. from better data to better publications. Please contact Nina, Lei and Joseph for more info.
Starting in Feb 2019, we will begin streamlining operation of the quanta FEG in our continued effort to reduce cost. We ask our quanta users to plan a bit ahead in booking time on the machine.
We take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year and great data mining to come.
17 Dec 2018
- Happy New Year
- As we survive a difficult 2018, we look forward to a better
year to come. We thank our users for their continued kind support of
WATLab and we wish our users a happy and safe holiday and best of luck and
success in the Year of the Pig.
How to become a certified SEM user? Please follow the FAQ link above or here for more details. Please contact Nina to arrange for SEM training and certification.
Why we don't need a lot of sample for SEM analysis? To our users with powder samples, we wish to remind them that one does not really need tons of samples to do SEM. Powders should be uniformly spread over a 1 mm x 1 mm area (in a layer a few microns thick) and attached securely onto the carbon tape. We definitely do not need powders spreading over an area larger than 1 mm x 1 mm and/or in a layer thicker than 10 microns. Here, we should remember: LESS is MORE, b/c: (a) A finely focussed electron beam (<10 nm dia.) hitting any sample (especially the "gassy" ones) at high energy will cause local heating/interaction that leads to rapid gas desorption, which will cause the filament (sitting at the EHT voltage) to arc (the filament will not survive above 5x10-9 mB). Field-emission filament will not be able to handle a lot of arcings like that, which will shorten its lifetime significantly. So, the less samples that one uses, the more stable is the machine. (b) Powder samples that are too thick (or not securely attached to the carbon tape) will also lead to partial charging. This is b/c the electron beam typically penetrates a few microns, creating secondary electrons that are finding their way to the carbon tape. If the sample is too thick, these secondary electrons stay inside the bulk and the sample will charge up, leading to bad images. (c) More samples in the chamber will lead to a poorer vacuum, and it will take a longer time to pump the system down to the acceptable operating vacuum condition. Less gas in the chamber and less gas desorption from the sample (as induced by the high-energy electron impact) will also improve image quality.
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TOOLSET & SERVICE
We offer pay-per-use service for both academic and industrial users at competitive rates, with our expert operators providing sample characterization measurement (and analysis). For a selected number of tools (e.g. SEM), we also provide training to allow the users to access the tools through a self-serve booking system. To submit samples for analysis, please fill in Form A (and Form B for University of Waterloo users) above, and contact the respective technical specialists. For all other enquiries and guided lab tours, please contact manager . |
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KNOWLEDGE BASE Inside look at LEO chamber | CORE RESEARCH aT WATLAB Research news to come... |
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15 Feb 2019
Established
with funding support from Canada Foundation for Innovation and the
Province of Ontario in 1999, WATLab is the first multidisciplinary
materials research centre in Canada's Technology Triangle. WATLab
offers a complete toolset for advanced materials research and
emerging technology development. Most of our instrument systems are
state-of-the-art and some are unique in Canada, and they include:
OUTREACH