Microscopy

To request access to the advanced microscopes (SEM/TEM/AFM)

In order to make a booking on an appropriate instrument in a timely manner, it is useful to communicate the details of your material to the technical staff. When making your first inquiry, it is helpful to know :

• A description of what you intend to gain from electron microscopy
• The smallest feature size of interest
• Sample preparation required
• The analytical technique(s) required for your sample
• An estimate of microscope time (do you need a single session, a few sessions in a short time frame, or ongoing access)
• Your academic supervisor (for postgraduates)
• The person/account to contact for usage payment
• If possible, a journal article of similar analysis can be helpful to reduce trial and error of sample preparation

Usage costs

In order to cover ongoing maintenance costs, there is a requirement to recover a fee for usage. University of Canterbury internal usage fee are requested to be paid annually by XXX to 45200-452SEMICRO. Prepaid microscope time is available on request. Usage for the research group or department is available on request. The usage rates have been reviewed Jan 2023 and next review will be in Jan 2025. Current rates are:

Training for independent use

Prior to any live-instrument training, users are required to complete background reading on the appropriate section and complete practical sessions in MyScope.