General information about laboratories

A. Things to do before enter the lab

• The laboratory is a clean space, dirty shoes and/or clothes are not allowed; please clean your clothing before entering the lab!

B. Food and drink

• Eating in the lab is strictly forbidden. Nevertheless you can store your food in your bag.
• You can store your drink in the sink and drinking is allowed only there.

C. Log-book

The log-book is an integral and important part of the measuring procedure. The SEM is a complex instrument with a lot of setting options and a lot of possible output information, therefore if something is not recorded, it will be forgotten forever. A serious researcher can't afford such an amateur blunder.

On the other hand, the log-book is a kind of communication between the SEM lab team and the users, it helps to keep the instrument healthy.

D. Vulnerability of the instrument

The SEM and attached tools are forming a complex system, which has some vulnerabilities. Any kind of dirt which could get inside the instrument is very undesirable.

Examples:

• fingerprints
  • overloads the vacuum system by evaporating
  • pollutes the electron source and column
  • disturbs or even prevents the imaging and accurate analyses
• dust, fluff, etc
  • pollutes the electron source and column
  • disturbs or even prevents the imaging and accurate analyses

E. Rubber gloves

In a SEM lab, we are wearing rubber gloves to protect the instrument from dirt, instead of protecting ourselves. Therefore, the proper use of rubber gloves is very important, in order to preserve the good condition of the instrument.

1. Take out the first glove from the box without touching and contaminating the palm and finger parts and pick up
2. Take the second one with your gloved hand and pick up without contaminating
3. Touching allowed with gloved hands:
   • sample preparation tools (see module 1/F)
   • sample holders (see module 3)
   • working distance stand
4. Touching not allowed with gloved hands:
   • door handle
   • keyboard and mouse
   • clothes, hair, face, etc.
   • ...

F. Using of tools

There are several tools in the lab which are used during the final sample preparation process:

• scissors
• tweezers
• carbon tape
• scalpel
• ...

G. Things to do before leave the lab

• Turn off every piece of the instrument (see module 3)
• Put back everything to its place
• Clean the table and surroundings

© Ábel Szabó