Microscopy techniques laboratory

This laboratory is used for analyses of material properties using the scanning electron microscopy, environmental scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy techniques. The laboratory is equipped with a scanning electron microscope VEGA 3 XMU with the LaB6 cathode from the  Tescan Brno company and the atomic force microscope SPM 5500 from the Agilent company.

The scanning electron microscope has secondary and backscattered electron detectors used for recognition of structure and composition of the sample, x-ray detector from the Bruker company used for element analysis and the device for measuring currents induced in the sample by the incident electron beam (the EBIC technique). The controlled environment of the chamber means the analysis of the sample can be conducted both in a vacuum (approximately 10^-2 Pa) and in a gaseous environment up to 2000 Pa (nitrogen or water vapor) at constant sample temperature (maintained by a Peltier cell).

The atomic force microscope can perform ultrastructure surface diagnostics in contact, acoustic AC, or magnetic AC mode. Other available techniques are lateral force microscopy (LFM), dynamic lateral force microscopy (DLFM), Kelvin microscopy (KFM), force modulation microscopy (FMM), and Phase Detection Microscopy (PDM). The samples can be observed in a controlled environment at a stable temperature.

All materials for electrical engineering can be analyzed in this laboratory, especially materials for electrochemical energy sources. Section-metering of very thin layers also takes place in this laboratory.