Scanning Electron Microscope

The University of Washington Bothell installed a Hitachi SU5000 Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with an energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) microanalysis system (SEM/EDX) in 2017.

This instrument enhances the UW Bothell research infrastructure and encourages more diverse, high-impact research program development and research in a range of multidisciplinary fields including electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, chemistry, material science, and bioengineering, and microbiology.

The average human eye can see objects approximately 0.1 mm in size, yet a SEM/EDX can observe objects smaller than 1 micrometer using a focused beam of high-energy electrons to generate a variety of signals at the surface of solid specimens. These signals reveal information about the sample including surface morphology (texture), chemical element composition, and crystalline structure as a result of electron-sample interactions.

This instrument was purchased with a National Science Foundation Major Research Instrument (NSF MRI) grant and specifically chosen to meet immediate and foreseeable future research needs. The microscope is capable of covering a broad range of imaging demands and EDX analysis, which maximizes the number of researchers, and types of research, who can use the microscope. The SEM/EDX is an increasingly common research tool used in industry research and transforms education at UW Bothell by embedding research and research training within traditional lecture-based courses.

Researchers discover new research directions and use the instrument to explore efficient light trapping of organic solar cells, biocompatibility of electrochemical sensors, nanomorphology of various organic/inorganic materials. Research groups currently use the instrument in a diverse array of research and teaching portfolios.

View equipment in the SEM/EDX room

Scanning Electron Microscope location at UW Bothell: Discovery Hall, room 367A