Institute of Geological Sciences

Laboratory facilities

Electron Microprobe Laboratory

Electron Probe Microanalyzer

The JXA-iSP100 electron probe microanalyzer (Jeol instrument) at the Institute of Geological Sciences (University of Bern) is a state-of-the-art instrument for major and minor element analysis of a wide variety of materials for various applications in earth and planetary sciences and materials science. The instrument is equipped with five wavelength dispersive X-ray spectrometers (WDS), with high resolution and sensitivity. The WDS is integrated with an energy dispersive detector (EDS), which allows fast simultaneous analysis of multiple elements, significantly improving the analysis and mapping time.

electron probe microanalyzer

The instrument is also equipped with a novel soft X-ray emission spectrometer (SXES). The SXES is an ultra-high resolution spectrometer with 300N and 2000N diffraction gratings and a high-sensitivity X-ray CCD camera. This SXES spectrometer allows measurements of light elements such as carbon and nitrogen compounds as well as chemical state analysis.

For further information on the instrument, please contact:

Application highlights:

  • Reynes, J., Lanari, P., & Hermann, J. (2020). A mapping approach for the investigation of Ti–OH relationships in metamorphic garnet. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 175(5), 46.
  • Lanari, P., & Piccoli, F. (2020, July). New horizons in quantitative compositional mapping–Analytical conditions and data reduction using XMapTools. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 891, No. 1, p. 012016). IOP Publishing.