EMAL is an interdisciplinary, multi-user facility that provides a broad spectrum of analytical equipment for student and faculty research at the University of Michigan, as well as other universities and industrial research groups. The University of Michigan has continued its significant investment in EMAL (over $3M in the last five years) in order to develop and maintain a world-class nanostructural, chemical and surface analytical laboratory. The EMAL is a general user facility, providing not only the instrumentation, but also a dedicated professional staff, who maintains the laboratory, instructs users in the operation of the equipment, and aids in the interpretation of data. In addition, EMAL serves as the nucleation core for many of the above-mentioned initiatives.
EMAL Facilities
The University of Michigan EMAL is divided into two physically distinct laboratories, which are unified administratively, as described later in this section.
Central Campus Branch - The Central Campus Branch is located in the Department of Geological Sciences' C.C. Little Science Building and comprises of approximately 3000 square feet of custom-designed space. It provides services to the entire University. Primary users include the College of Pharmacy, the School of Dentistry, the Museum of Zoology and Paleontology, the Departments of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geological Sciences and Materials Sciences & Engineering. The principal equipment includes: (1) a Cameca CAMEBAX electron microprobe analyzer (EMPA) with four spectrometers and a Kevex XEDS system; (2) a Cameca SX 100 EMPA with six spectrometers and a Rontec Xflash 2000 XEDS system; (3) a Hitachi S3200-N SEM with a Noran XEDS system; and (4) a Philips CM12 STEM with a Kevex Quantum XEDS system.
The North Campus Branch - The North Campus Branch of EMAL is located in the Space Research Building on the U of M North Campus and provides services to the entire University. It is located in a custom-designed basement wing that provides approximately 4500 square feet of low-vibration, low-field, environment controlled laboratory space. Its primary users are MSE, NERS, ChemE, EECS, Mechanical Engineering, Environmental and Civil Engineering, Chemistry and Physics. The principal equipment includes: (1) a JEOL 2010F FasTEM AEM with an EDAX/Gatan XEDS, Gatan TV cameras and Imaging Filter; (2) a JEOL 3010 HRTEM with an AMT camera system; (3) a Philips/FEI XL30 FEGSEM with EDAX XEDS system; (4) a FEI Nova 200 Nanolab Dualbeam FIB with EDAX XEDS system; (5) a Kratos Axis Ultra XPS system; (6) a FEI Quanta 3D Dualbeam FIB and environmental SEM; (7) a Digital Instruments (DI) NanoScope IIIa scanning probe microscope (SPM); and (8) a DI NanoScope E SPM with an attached dedicated Hysitron Triboscope indenter system. Both facilities also have equipment for specimen preparation, saws, polishing tables, microtomes and ion mills.