The Advanced Instrumentation Laboratory (Geology & Geophysics, UAF) is a multiinstrument resource for the state of Alaska. It specializes in surface and elemental
analysis as well as electron microscopy. In addition to the instrumentation listed below it
houses support sample preparation facilities.
1. A Cameca SX-50 electron microprobe (EMPA) is equipped with four multi-crystal
wavelength-dispersive spectrometers (WDS) and one energy-dispersive spectrometer
(EDS). The microprobe is fully automated using the PC-based software package
Probe for Windows (Advanced Microbeam Co.), which allows rapid quantitative
chemical analysis of elements from Boron to Uranium. Electron-beam scanning
capability allows surface imaging in secondary and back-scattered electrons as well
as x-ray compositional mapping.
2. A ISI-SR-50 Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) equipped with iXRF systems
integration and a e2v SDD detector. It is capable of semi-quantitative elemental
analysis and rapid x-ray mapping (> 300,000 counts/second).
3. A PanAlytical Axios four kilowatt wavelength dispersive x-ray fluorescence (XRF)
spectrometer. For quantitative analysis of bulk samples (approximately 10 grams) to
the ppm level.
4. A PanAlytical MRD x-ray diffractometer (XRD) with many options. It can be used for
conventional and high resolution/quantitative powder X-ray diffraction, surface and
thin film diffraction, and texture analysis.
5. A JEOL 1200 Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) for detailed examination of
thin biological and materials science samples.
6. A Pacific Nanotechnology Nano-R atomic force microscope (AFM) for analysis of
surfaces at the angstrom scale.
7. An Agilent 7500ce Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) for part
per trillion detection limits for elemental analysis of liquids. Introduction systems
include an Agilent 1100 liquid chromatography system (LC) for speciation studies
and a New Wave UP213 laser ablation (LA) system for the analysis of solids.
8. A Thermo Scientific Nicolet 6700 Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer with
attached continuum microscope. It is used to measure the attenuated total reflectance
of sample surfaces and is mainly used to collect high-resolution infrared spectra of
volatile species in volcanic glasses, snow/ice impurities and aerosols.