Sample preparation
Samples to be analysed by electron microprobe should be stable under high vacuum and under exposure to the electron beam. Furthermore, they should have a planar and highly polished surface.
We prefer either petrographic thin sections of 28x48mm size or 1-inch mounts (25mm in diameter). These samples fit well into our sample holders. If you have samples of different size, please contact us so that we can check the availability of a suitable sample holder.
Cleaning and carbon coating
All sample surfaces need to be properly cleaned prior to analysis. To avoid charging effects on the sample surface, non-conductive samples have to be coated with a thin layer of carbon. For this purpose our lab is equipped with a 'Cressington 208carbon' coating device. It is recommended to do the carbon coating in our lab, because then we can be sure that the thickness of the coating matches the carbon coat thickness on our reference materials. This is of major importance for quantitative analysis of light elements.
To give us some time for cleaning, drying and carbon coating, please bring in your samples at least two days in advance.