Electron Optics Facility Procedures and Policies

Adopted May 9, 1995, revised July 2, 2007

Campus Community Users

Introduction | Personnel and Authorized Usage | Training | Use Rates | Sign-Up Procedure

INTRODUCTION

The Applied Chemical and Morphological Analysis Laboratory (ACMAL) is a university facility that houses an extensive array of Electron Micro-Analytical and X-ray instruments. The Electron Optics Facility (EOF) is a sub-set of the ACMAL facility dedicated to the support of electron beam instruments and ancillary equipment. ACMAL and EOF are managed by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Labs are located on the 6th floor of the Minerals and Materials Engineering Building. This document establishes procedures for the following:

• Obtaining the necessary training to ensure safe operation;
• Obtaining permission to use the facilities;
• Signing up for the equipment and keeping of records of instrument use.

ACMAL support staff are here to help you develop the highest level of skills. We accomplish this by providing course work, practical examinations, and one-on-one assistance throughout your activities in the facility. Our goal is to maximize your efficiency. As you advance your skills you can expect to obtain better quality research results in a safer manner and in less time.

PERSONNEL AND AUTHORIZED USAGE

The Electron Optics Facility is managed by the EOF Engineer. On January 3, 1995, Mr. Owen P. Mills assumed the responsibilities for this position. Mr. Mills manages the facility using these guidelines.  Only authorized users will be permitted to use the instruments. Users can be authorized upon successful completion of training classes, and will be classified as restricted or unrestricted as described in the training section below.

Each instrument will also have a set of brief operating instructions for reference during use. The booklet will describe basic operations and procedures, as well as the standard conditions in which the instrument should be left after each use. Failure to execute the shut-down procedures as specified may needlessly confuse the next user.

All non-standard experiments involving the electron microscopes must be approved in advance. If there is a problem with any instrument, record the problem in the logbook AND report it to the EOF Engineer immediately. There is no penalty for reporting accidental damage to equipment. Deliberate misuse of equipment will not be tolerated. Unauthorized use of the equipment or failure to correctly use the logbook will result in disciplinary action.

TRAINING

You may use the instruments if you a) take the course and successfully pass the practical exam, conducted by ACMAL staff, or b) are individually trained by staff. Training opportunities will be offered several times each year—consult your advisor or the EOF Engineer for the next scheduled course. ACMAL staff, who are responsible for the equipment, reserve the right to re-evaluate your privileges based on your competence with the equipment. You may be asked to work only when staff are available to assist you. Situations may arise where a student may need facility access before the next course is offered. In these instances the ACMAL staff may a) operate the equipment for untrained users or b) offer one-on-one training.   In these cases staff time will be charged to a research account at the current wages. The availability of last minute, one-on-one engineer training is not guaranteed.

Authorized users will be classified as either restricted or unrestricted depending on their experience and level of skill. The restricted classification is normally reserved for newly trained users, although unrestricted users may be reclassified to restricted with lapses in use of six months or more. Restricted users will have access only from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. As restricted users gain (or regain) experience, they will be reclassified to unrestricted status at the EOF Engineer's discretion and may be granted after-hours access to the facility.

In addition to formal training for certification, free online eTraining materials are available. These do not constitute certification, but provide an opportunity to enhance your skills and/or answer common questions you may have. eTraining multimedia content enables you to practice using the equipment in a virtual environment.

Each EOF instrument page lists courses and eTraining available for that microscope.

USE RATES

Use charges for each ACMAL instrument are calculated annually as follows. For the previous years recorded data, the cost to operate the instrument is divided by the amount of use the instrument received.  The MTU Research Accounting Office endorses this procedure.

More information on calculating use rates is at:

Accounting Services - General Accounting - Special Fees and Use Charges - USE RATE FORM

SIGN-UP PROCEDURE

1. Unauthorized Users - Contact the EOF Engineer by phone or email to obtain the training schedule.
2. Authorized Users - An online sign-up procedure has been implemented in which authorized users may sign up to reserve instruments up two weeks in advance.

Generally, the following rules will govern the sign-up procedure:

1. You may sign up for:
• up to 2 hour blocks for SEM use, maximum of 8 hrs/wk.
• up to 8 hour blocks for WDS use on the 6400 SEM, maximum of 16 hrs/wk.
• up to 8 hour blocks for JEOL 4000-FX use, maximum of 16 hrs/wk.
• up to 8 hour blocks for Hitachi FB-2000A use, maximum of 16 hrs/wk.
2. Allow 1 day between sign-ups to permit others an opportunity to gain access.
3. After satisfying the above procedures, you may sign-up for additional time (beyond the maximum) if a) you have already used your weekly maximum on that instrument, and b) un-signed time is available.
4. 12 hours notice is requested if you must miss a scheduled appointment.  Another user may begin using your block after you are 15 minutes late.
5. Priority for use is as follows:
   1. Classes and Course Laboratories
   2. MTU Research Community
   3. Off-campus Consulting Projects
6. In the case of conflicting needs for multiple users, scheduling will be arranged in consultation with the EOF Engineer and the Department Chairs, if necessary. Decisions will normally be made based on the above stated priorities.

The following EOF instruments must be reserved by the sign-up procedure:

1. Hitachi S-4700 (M&M 636)
2. JEOL 6400 SEM (M&M 635)
3. JEOL 4000FX TEM (M&M 633)
4. Hitachi FB-2000A (M&M 632)

The sign-up procedures described above may be relaxed depending on the level of use a particular research group requires and the ability of users to work together on their needs.