FAQ's

The W.M. Keck Electron Microscopy Facility is a multi-user laboratory. Anyone on campus who needs to use the facility for research or teaching is welcome to do so.

Before to use the facility, a user may want to discuss with Chaoying Ni or Frank Kriss at the facility concerning the information (s)he wants to get from the microscopy. The user then needs to download an application and authorization form from this web site (below), fill the form, and get an approval from his or her advisor. The user may further have to sign up for training on the EM operation. For SEM users, this includes a maximum of two SEM training sessions (2 hrs per session). TEM training normally takes 2 or 3 TEM sessions (4 hrs per session). All regular users are strongly recommended to take relevant courses such as MSEG 602 - the Structure of Materials, MSEG 823 - Transmission Electron Microscopy, and MSEG 624 - Practical Electron Microscopy.

Download the Application and Authorization Form

Frenquently Asked Questions:
What is Keck EMF?	The W.M. Keck Electron Microscopy Facility is a USER facility for the structural and chemical characterization of materials at scales ranging from micron to angstrom.The laboratory largely serves the research groups in the College of Engineering and from other units on campus at the University of Delaware. It also facilitates teaching purposes.

Where is EMF?	The EMF is located in the basement of Spencer Laboratory at the Academy Street. It is in suite 022 Spencer. There are 7 small rooms (022A to 022G) inside the main suite. If you walk into the 022 but don't see anybody to talk to in the front section, you may knock the doors of 022A to 022G to see if anyone working inside can help you. Normally, the "In Use" sign is lit if a TEM room is being used.

I need to use the facility, what am I supposed to do?	Download a copy of the application and authorization form from this site. Fill in the user information and check the instruments you may use. Obtain an account from your advisor or your departmental financial advisor to which you will be billed for the usage. Fill in the complete account information. Get an approval from your advisor. Click "Scheduling" button on this page to register as a user. A web scheduling account can usually be arranged and activated as soon as lab director receives a web prompted message. After that, you may book the instrument of your choice based on your own schedule. For training, after you book your time, you need to send an email to both Chaoying Ni (cni@udel.edu) and Frank Kriss (fkriss@udel.edu) to request for a confirmation of the availability of their time. You will then be advised either to keep the schedule or to schedule a different time. At the same time, you will receive a copy of the operation manual of the instrument. Read the manual before you come to training. Bring your copy with you to make notes on. Bring the completed Application and Authorization Form at your first training.

How do I know which Instrument to use?	If you are not sure which instrument you should use, we can help you choose one if you can tell us what you want to know about your sample.

How much will it cost?	The cost depends on your experience and on what you are trying to get from your particular samples. Current rates are posted on this web. We have not started to charge any use of ancillary equipment or general consumables. Fees collected are all used to offset lab operation costs.

Do I have to bring my own consumables?	Yes, if they are user specific. Depending on project needs, the consumables user may need to bring include TEM grids with C support or Lacey C grids, special TEM grids, special standards, diamond knives, and SPM tips. You will be told what to buy and where to buy during your training. If the new users are not so sure about what grids and other supplies they should purchase especially during the initial stage of a research project, the lab will provide consumables for the exploratory work. Lab also provides general consumables including chemicals, gases, LN2, TEM films, a few types of slot or mesh grids, gloves, paper towels, and any of those related to the instrument maintenance.

It may take me too long to learn. Why can't you just do it for me?	Yearly, more than 120 users access this facility for research and research training, and about 50 additional graduates and undergraduates use the facility for course assignments. While we do try to help start projects during training sessions, there are not enough of us to perform characterization service work. Much of the EM for research is too complex to be accomplished on a service basis anyway. It costs more than a few hours of EM lab time and a handful of images and/or spectra. To train students using microscopy on their own for their research also serves one of the very objectives of a lab in an educational institution.

Can I get training from another user?	Possibly. There are a few graduate students and post-docs who have long and continuing activities at this facility and have considerable experience with the instruments. When they have new users in their groups, the more experienced users can get permission from EMF staff to work with the new users to get them started on their projects and familiarize them with the instruments. The senior user must be in the instrument room at all times during any such introduction. New users must all be reviewed by EMF staff prior to using the instruments on their own.

Other questions	For more questions, please email Chaoying Ni .