COURSE OUTLINE & SYLLABUS

The course is geared towards preparing the student to successfully handle the imaging and compositional analysis requirements of nearly any material (e.g. metals, polymers, minerals, trace evidence, pharmaceuticals, etc). Strategies are presented for analyzing insulating, beam sensitive or vacuum sensitive samples.

Topics discussed include: electron optics, electron-beam specimen interactions, image formation, sample preparation and qualitative and quantitative EDS X-ray microanalysis.

Approximately one-half of the course is devoted to practical aspects such as: obtaining high depth of field, high resolution and high contrast images, setting the correct conditions for light and heavy element EDS analysis, recognizing and preventing EDS artifacts, sample preparation using versatile substrates, maintaining a calibrated system, image processing and analysis arid integrating SEM/EDS data with other analytical techniques (e.g. light microscopy, FTIR, etc.).

Students are welcome to bring samples and problems for their course project. Enrollment is limited to ensure a high ratio of electron microscopes to students.

There is no prerequisite for this course.