Original Date: 11/03/1996
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL’s) High Temperature Materials Laboratory (HTML) promotes remote-site use of its state-of-the-art microscopy equipment. This virtual laboratory provides a simple and inexpensive way to access electron microscopy via the Internet or through ISDN lines.

Through HTML’s remote microscopy capabilities, users can analyze and characterize microstructures for changing applications, improving manufacturability, and determining mechanisms that result in structural changes during testing. Examples of HTML’s microscopy equipment include:

1. Transmission Electron Microscopy performs microstructure, phase identification, and nanometer scale composition.

2. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Scanning Auger Microprobe perform surface morphology, nanometer scale surface composition, and micrometer scale subsurface composition.

3. Scanning Probe Microscopy performs surface morphology and surface profilometry.

The HTML personnel developed the necessary software and hardware for running the virtual laboratory by using the instrumentation controls from a personal computer. Because of this design, developers were able to perform the majority of the work on a scripting level which allows for easy expansion and debugging. Standard software was used for image recording and processing, along with standard interfaces on the microscope for the instrumentation control. The system works via remote through the commercial software called Timbukto Pro. Interested users can download the Timbukto Pro software by accessing the following address: ftp.farallon.com/pub/software/free_versions/TB2MEval2.0.sea.hqx

The virtual laboratory, presently on-line, allows $6 million worth of microscopy equipment to be available by remote access, including the Hitachi HF-2000 and the Hitachi S-4500. A website is available at the following address: http://tpm.amc.anl.gov/MMC/.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.