Bulk Solids¶
You have a bar, pellet, ceramic, metal coupon, or a part too large for a microscope stage. This page is organised by the question, not by the machine. The measurements below are available at the MPaCT Lab in Flagstaff, Arizona.
What can be measured, and with what¶
| Your question | Method | Instrument |
|---|---|---|
| What phase is it? | X-ray diffraction | Rigaku SmartLab |
| What are the Seebeck coefficient and resistivity? | Seebeck and resistivity | LINSEIS LSR-3 |
| What does the surface look like? | SEM or digital microscopy | JEOL JSM-IT710HR / Keyence VHX-7000 |
| How rough is a small, flat patch? | AFM | AFM Workshop B-2 |
| How rough is a millimetre-scale patch? | Optical profilometry | Keyence VK-X3000 |
| What is the internal structure? | TEM, after prep | JEOL JEM-F200 |
| Will it survive temperature and humidity? | Environmental stress testing | CSZ MicroClimate |
| How large is this assembly, in millimetres? | Wide-area CMM | Keyence WM-6000 |
A powder or a porous pellet that needs surface area is a powders question. A deposited film is a thin film question.
Decide in this order¶
- Does the sample fit a holder, or is it a large part? XRD, Seebeck, AFM, and TEM prep take coupons and bars. The WM-6000 measures parts that will not fit a benchtop stage.
- Must the sample be returned intact? XRD and Seebeck usually leave a bulk piece. TEM prep does not.
- Is the question electrical, structural, or dimensional? Electrical is Seebeck or a later device measurement. Structure is XRD, SEM, or TEM. Dimensions of a large assembly are the CMM.
What to send¶
- Geometry and material. For Seebeck, a bar or disc that matches the LSR-3 sizes.
- Whether the piece must be returned unaltered
- The longest dimension if the request is a CMM measurement
- The decision the measurement will inform
MPaCT Lab - Building 98E, South Engineering Lab, 561 E Pine Knoll Dr, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Phone: 928-523-2343 · Email: mpct.nano@nau.edu