The S-TEM will be offline today while the service technician is working on the chiller. The repairs should be completed this afternoon and the instrument available Monday morning. Dr. Anjana will contact you if we need to reschedule your appointment
Please note that the ACMAL reservation limit for the Origin+ Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) has been extended from 4 hours to 6 hours during normal business hours. The updated policy can be found on the reservations page of our website.
Trained users may reserve instruments during normal business hours (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.) Monday through Friday. Reservations outside of normal business hours require special permission.
During working hours, do not exceed a four hour reseservation on instruments except the Origin+ Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). AFM reservations should not exceed 6 hours. Longer reservations are available with permission.
If you have any questions please let me know.

Join us for the first seminar of the Spring Semester at 1 p.m. Friday (Jan. 22) via Zoom (passcode 645507).
Pinaki Mukherjee (MSW) will present ” Recent Advances in ACMAL STEM Facility.” This talk presents an overview of state-of-the-art capabilities of the aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (ac-STEM) at ACMAL, Michigan Tech.
Mukherjee joined Michigan Tech in January of 2018. He obtained his PhD in Materials Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He worked as a post-doctorate researcher at Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey. He was an affiliate of the National Center for Electron Microscopy, at Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory.
The XPS is operational and is available for use. Please note that the sputter gun, that is used for sputtering and depth profile analysis, is currently not functioning properly and is temporarily unavailable. Email me (at trleftwi@mtu.edu) if you are interested in XPS (or Auger) analysis.
Dr. Timothy Leftwich
Research Assistant Professor
ACMAL Surface Scientist
Material Science and Engineering
trleftwi@mtu.edu
The E-SEM maintenance is complete and it is producing beautiful images. The calendar is now open if you would like to reserve time.
ACMAL will have limited hours over the upcoming holiday break.
The university will be closed on Dec 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, and 31, and Jan 1. The building will be locked on those days. Unrestricted users will have unlimited access to the building and labs. Restricted users have access during the other days. We ask that newly trained users make appointments during the period so someone is near in case there are troubles.If any issues arise, don’t hesitate to call.
The ACMAL staff will be available by appointment during the upcoming holiday break. Please contact us to schedule a session or if you would like more information.
Liz: 906-370-6538
Ed: 906-369-2041
Aleister: 520-576-3557
Josh: 404-808-2803
Pinaki: pinakimu@mtu.edu
Tim: trleftwi@mtu.edu
Have a happy holiday!
The sputter coater is back online. I’ve temporarily replaced the Pt/Pd target with Iridium. The Ir target will function just as well as the Pt/Pd, it may even be better for high resolution imaging.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
The ACMAL Logbook system will be down on the afternoon of Sunday 12/13. After hours users, who will be using the instruments during this time, please email me. I will need to know your time and the index you will be using.
The sputter coater needs a new target. I’m working with our supplier and should have a replacement soon. Until then we can coat your samples with carbon. Please contact Aleister Kerr or myself if you need any samples coated.
The FIB repairs are complete. The new tip has been installed and it is ready for use.