Category: Philips XL 40 ESEM

The instrument will be temporarily offline from August 1to August 18 to facilitate the installation of the SEMTech 8000 upgrade. During the upgrade period, the ESEM system will be inaccessible, and no reservations or usage will be possible. We kindly request that you plan your projects accordingly and make alternative arrangements for your imaging and analysis requirements during this period.

To ensure a smooth transition and help you familiarize yourself with the upgraded system, we will be offering training sessions for all ESEM users. These training sessions are mandatory for anyone intending to use the SEMTech 8000. The sessions will be conducted starting from August 19, once the upgrade is complete.

To schedule your training session, please sign up for training. You will be directed to our self-scheduling calendar, where you can choose a time slot that suits you best. Appointments are available starting August 19. Due to limited availability, we recommend scheduling your session at your earliest convenience.

Read the full announcement.

The BSE detector has been repaired. A big thanks to Dr. Ed for resoldering it!

The ESEM can still be used. However, the backscatter detector needs to be repaired. There is a wire that needs to be resoldered. The repairs should be completed by the end of the week.

The maintenance on the EBSD is completed. The ESEM is available for use effective immediately.

The ESEM and EDS system are fully functional. However, the EBSD detector is down until further notice. 

I’ve tried solving the problem with Oxford remotely. Unfortunately, we will need to bring a technician on site and will likely need to replace the HKL box. I am looking into the details and will let you know when I have more information.

The ESEM has been experiencing some computer issues on the microscope control computer. Part of the issue may be due to the heat. I have a fan in there to help in the short term. If you experience any problems during operation please call me.

The ESEM detector installation is complete and the ESEM is available for use. The new software is very similar to the previous version of AZTEC. However if you would like training on the new capabilities let me know. 

Regarding old data, we are in the process of recovering the data that was on the old AZTEC computer. I’m hopeful that the data will be available next week. As always remember to take a copy of data with you at the end of your session and make back ups as necessary.