Laboratory of Advanced Microscopy (K281)

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A few words about

The Laboratory of Special Microscopy was established in 2024 as a workplace covering the shared SEM FIB Laboratory and the Laboratory of Microstructural Analysis.

The SEM-FIB Laboratory was established with the support of the OP JAK Ph.D. Infra project to support teaching and excellent research activities in doctoral materials-oriented study programs across participating CTU faculties. The founding members of the shared laboratory are the Faculties of Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Transportation Sciences. The laboratory conducts research, teaching and training of people from cooperating departments that are members of the Laboratory. Members participate in the operation of the Laboratory. Other interested parties in the Laboratory's services from among CTU employees and students can apply for access to the Laboratory through the Laboratory Administrator in the so-called "open access" mode. The laboratory is intended for microanalysis and detailed characterization of a wide range of materials at the microscopic level. The main instrument of the Laboratory is a high-resolution scanning electron microscope combined with a Xe-plasma focused ion beam, so-called UHR FE-SEM and Xe Plasma FIB from TESCAN, https://www.tescan.com/product/fib-sem-for-materials-science-tescan-amber-x/. The instrument combines an electron and ion beam with precisely aligned foci, which allows simultaneous imaging of the sample surface during its processing using an ion beam and significantly increases the accuracy and efficiency of analyses. The instrument is also equipped with EDS and EBSD detectors, which are used for chemical analysis of samples, identification of elemental composition, detection of local differences in the material, information about the crystallographic structure, grain orientation and phase composition of materials. The system supports FIB-SEM Tomography, including 3D imaging using the “slice & view” method, and also contains a nano-manipulator. Correlative analyses, including in-situ nanoindentation, can be performed on the created microstructures.

The Microstructural Analysis Laboratory is equipped with specialized instruments for advanced mechanical analysis of materials, including a Bruker-Hysitron nanoindenter for detailed micro-/nano-mechanical characterization and equipment for sample preparation. The system allows measuring elastic, viscoelastic, plastic and fracture properties of materials in nm³-µm³ volumes, providing mapping of these properties from the sample surface, performing scratch tests and other analyses. Selected analyses can also be performed inside the SEM chamber using the Hysitron Picoindenter. The laboratory is also equipped with a simple atomic force microscope, the AFM, for precise scanning of the sample surface morphology.