Shared Facilities

A near field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) is located at UC Davis. This instrument is available for use by regular users.

The Integrated Microscopy Facility provides a variety of electron and optical microscopes for imaging small features and for microanalysis of the elemental composition of materials. The facility is operated by three expert managers who have many years of combined experience in advanced microscopy.
Instruments in this facility include:
Leica 440 SEM: 4.5 nm resolution at 30KV. […]

FUNCTION:
The facility provides instrumentation for the optical and spectroscopic characterization of materials with special emphasis on the non-linear optical response.
EQUIPMENT:
1. Quantronix 416 Nd: YLF laser CW modelocked, 1.053 m m, < 100 ps, 100 Hz
2. Optical CSK Superdoubler for frequency doubled output
3. Optical Parametric Oscillator (OPO) LBO crystal based, tunable from 0.65 to 2.2 m […]

FUNCTION:
This facility is equipped for the metallographic preparation of specimens by producing strain-free surfaces usually examined by optical microscopy. Other applications of mechanically polished specimens involve producing strain-fee (surface) tensile specimens, optically flat electrodes, and flat substrates for subsequent thin-film depositions.
Both transmitted light and reflected light metallographs are available for photomicrography and microstructural characterizations. The […]

The Materials Facility is a multi-function and multi-purpose Research Support Facility providing a wide spectrum of services and apparatus for materials testing, preparation, and characterization.
It is the philosophy of the facility to have close interaction between staff and users. Hands-on involvement of students is stressed at the expense of wear and tear on the equipment […]

The goal of the MOCSI Facility (known informally as the Surface Facility) is to provide tools that can generate images of surface or near-surface characteristics, such as topography or electronic structure, at length scales from microns down to nanometers in environments ranging from ultra-high vacuum to fluids. The primary tools are specialized scanning probe microscopes […]

A Leica optical microscope is available.

This facility is equipped with state-of-the-art optical microscopes and micromanipulation capabilities.

Our Microfluidics Facility has been completed. Recent work included renovation of the room, purchase of a Leica motorized fluorescent microscope with Metamorph control and analysis station, and acquisition of pumping equipment. A station for measurements of surface tensions at liquid-liquid interfaces has been designed and built. The microfluidics facility now includes equipment dedicated to characterization and operation of microfluidic channels and networks. This includes equipment for measuring fluid viscosities, liquid/liquid and liquid/surface interfacial energies, as well as set-ups for pressure-driven fluid pumping. Quantitative fluorescence optical measurements of millisecond kinetics on microfluidic chips are possible with a high-numerical aperture compound microscope. A fluorescent stereomicroscope for slower sub-second kinetics, and for evaluation of protein assays is also available.

The Materials Preparation Laboratory provides facilities for sample fabrication, processing, patterning and characterization. In response to demands in nanofabrication and synthesis, we have more tightly coupled sample fabrication and characterization by incorporating the previously separate Spectroscopic Facility into the Prep Lab. Key capabilities include: a cleanroom area that houses a Digital Instruments Nanoscope IIIa AFM/STM with capabilities for contact and tapping AFM imaging modes, STM, electro-chemistry, and an environmental sample chamber for in-situ AFM imaging up to +250 °C.