Center for Microanalysis of Materials

About Us

The Center for Microanalysis of Materials (CMM) is a user-oriented and user-friendly facility that provides the modern analytical capabilities essential to today's materials science. CMM emphasizes the microstructural and microchemical composition of materials; chemistry and electronics of surfaces; crystal structures; phase transitions and defect structures of materials; the relationship between structure and properties of solids.

The CMM is a collaborative research center open to researchers from universities, government laboratories, and industry, nation-wide as well as internationally. It is a unique resource representing an exceptional opportunity to answer your materials characterization questions. By using the center, materials researchers from academia and from industry can access 30 major instruments in the areas of electron microscopy, scanning probes, surface microanalysis, X-ray diffraction, and back-scattering spectroscopies. The breadth of instrumentation available through the center enables researchers to find the best combination of analytical techniques for their specific needs.

The Center is staffed with experts in each technique who teach researchers to operate the instruments in order to conduct their own measurements. Licensed users have 24-hour access to the instruments. The CMM staff also provide guidance, consultation, and collaboration in the microanalysis of materials.

Three threads that combine to give the Center its unique strength for the FSMRL program are the breadth of the instrumentation, the experience of its staff, and its accessibility.