High-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscope
The FEI Nova NanoSEM™ scanning electron microscope is equipped with a field emitter electron source. Feature sizes of 2 nm can be resolved. There is a low vacuum feature which allows imaging of non-conducting samples without the need to coat the samples with a conductive layer (biological samples need no special preparation). An X-ray elemental analysis system is attached to allow identification of elements within a sample as well as elemental mapping. E-beam lithography can write an area of 170×170 microns with 40-nm linewidths.
Confocal Optical Microscope / Micro-Raman / AFM / SNOM
The WiTec AlphaSNOM™ system performs multiple functions by simply switching some components. These functions include general and confocal optical microscopy with submicron diffraction-limited spatial resolution, scanning micro-Raman spectroscopy with spectral-imaging capability and multiple laser excitation sources, atomic force microscopy, scanning near-field optical microscopy with a spatial resolution less than 100 nm.
High-Resolution Spectroscopy
This lab has several dedicated lasers and spectrometers for spectroscopy. There is an argon ion laser with discrete visible wavelengths from 457 to 514 nm, a krypton laser with wavelengths 646 and 674 nm, and a tunable titanium sapphire laser from 750 to 850 nm. There is a triple monochromator useful for low wavenumber shifts with a liquid nitrogen cooled CCD detector. There is a 0.85-m double monochromator coupled with a CCD detector or with a PMT and a photon counter for high-resolution spectroscopy.