SOP Polyvar Met Light Microscope Page 1 of 8 SOP: Polyvar Met Light Microscope 1. Scope 1.1 This document describes the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the Polyvar Met Light Microscope. 2. Table of Contents 1. Scope... 1 2. Table of Contents... 1 3. Reference Documents... 1 3.1 Referenced within this Document... 1 4. Safety... 1 5. Setup Procedures... 1 5.1 Remove blue nylon cover from microscope... 1 6. Hardware Procedures... 2 6.1 Adjusting Stage... 2 6.2 Light Source... 2 6.3 Focusing... 3 6.4 Filtering... 4 7. Software Procedures... 6 7.1 Viewing an Image... 6 7.2 Measuring an Image... 7 7.3 Saving an Image... 7 8. Revision History... 8 3. Reference Documents 3.1 Referenced within this Document 3.1.1 None 4. Safety 4.1 Follow all Nanofab safety procedures. 4.2 Be aware, the black fins on top of the microscope get very hot 5. Setup Procedures 5.1 Remove blue nylon cover from microscope 5.2 Remove black plastic eyepiece cap
SOP Polyvar Met Light Microscope Page 2 of 8 6. Hardware Procedures 6.1 Adjusting Stage Up and Down Forward to Backward Right to Left Figure 1: Stage Controls 6.1.1 The right hand knobs beneath the stage control motion in the x y plane 6.1.1.1 The top knob controls motion in the y direction (clockwise moves the stage towards you) 6.1.1.2 The bottom knob controls motion in the x direction (clockwise moves the stage to the right) 6.1.2 The left hand knobs beside the stage control motion in the z direction (clockwise moves the stage down) 6.1.2.1 The smaller of these knobs contains tick marks, each of which correspond to one micron 6.2 Light Source Swap Knob Xenon Arc Lamp Control Quartz Lamp Control Indicator Light Figure 2: Light Controls
6.2.1 Quartz Lamp SOP Polyvar Met Light Microscope Page 3 of 8 6.2.1.1 Turn on the Quartz Lamp Control knob (Fig. 2) 6.2.1.2 The Indicator Light (Fig. 2) should now be green 6.2.1.3 Light should now be reaching your sample 6.2.1.3.1 If not, check the filters are open (6.4), and the Swap Knob (Fig. 2) 6.2.1.4 Touch NO other nearby knobs or buttons on the light source WARNING Wait for the Xenon Arc Lamp to warm up after turning on the Quartz Lamp before turning it on. If you hear multiple snapping sounds turn OFF the Arc Lamp immediately. 6.2.2 Xenon Arc Lamp 6.2.2.1 First turn on the Quartz Lamp (see 6.2.1) 6.2.2.2 Give the Arc Lamp a few minutes to warm up 6.2.2.3 Press the Xenon Arc Lamp Control button (Fig. 2), nothing else 6.2.2.3.1 You should hear ONE snap only after turning on this lamp 6.2.3 To switch lamp sources, adjust the Swap Knob (Fig. 2) on the right hand side of the microscope closest to the back 6.3 Focusing Multiplier Wheel Objective Lenses Increase Objective Decrease Objective 6.3.1 Always start at the lowest magnification 6.3.2 Objective lenses Figure 3: Magnification Figure 4: Objective Lenses 6.3.2.1 There are six Objective Lenses (Fig. 4): 2.5X, 5X, 20X, 50X, 100X, 150X 6.3.2.2 To switch lenses use the red Objective Buttons on the left side of the microscope (Fig. 4)
6.3.2.3 The upper button increases the magnification 6.3.2.4 The lower button decreases the magnification. SOP Polyvar Met Light Microscope Page 4 of 8 WARNING When changing the magnification, be sure the objective lens does not crash into your sample. This will destroy the lens and harm your sample. 6.3.3 The Multiplier Wheel (Fig.4) can multiply the magnification of the objective lenses by either :.8X, 1X, 1.25X, and 2X 6.3.4 The stacked Focus Knobs are located on the right side of the microscope 6.3.4.1 The larger knob is the Coarse Focus, which will focus quickly 6.3.4.2 The smaller knob is the Fine Focus, which will focus in more detail 6.4 Filtering 6.3.4.2.1 Each tick of the Fine Focus is one micron. L Low Medium Red None Green Iris Simple Filter Wave Filter High Figure 5: Wave Filter Wheel Figure 6: Filters 6.4.1 The Wave Filter (Fig. 6) has six different filtering options (Fig. 5), selected by turning the filtering disk on the right side of the microscope 6.4.1.1 The circle containing an X indicates no filter 6.4.1.1.1 If you can t see a light on your sample after turning on the quartz lamp, first check and make sure the X filter is visible (Fig. 5) 6.4.1.2 The red circle filters out red light 6.4.1.3 The white circles are neutral density filters 6.4.1.3.1 The large white circle filters out the least light from the lamp 6.4.1.3.2 The medium white circle filters out a midlevel amount of light from the lamp 6.4.1.3.3 The small white circle filters out the most light from the lamp 6.4.1.4 The green circle filters out green light
SOP Polyvar Met Light Microscope Page 5 of 8 6.4.2 The first knob above the objective lenses is an Iris (Fig. 6), which will let more or less light in from your sample 6.4.3 The second knob is a Simple Filter (Fig. 6), controlling the amount of light that reaches your sample 6.4.4 The Nomarski filters can further filter the color fields, giving additional topographic information 6.4.4.1 For ordinary imaging, the Prism Block should be pulled out so that the red dot is visible Lock Knob Twist Knob Figure 7: Prism Block (Engaged) Figure 8: Prism Block (Disengaged) Figure 9: Prism Block ERROR! 6.4.4.1.1 To adjust the prism, slightly unscrew the Lock Knob (Fig. 7), then gently pull the Prism Block (Figs. 7-9) WARNING Do not pull the prism block past the red dot, you should not be able to see any of the hole cut into the metal Figure 10: Removing the Bright Field Filter Figure 11: Installing the Dark Field Filter 6.4.4.2 The Bright Field Filter (Fig. 10), which should be in the microscope, may be used for samples of ordinary brightness 6.4.4.2.1 To engage the Bright Field Filter manually pull the block to the right until it gently locks into place
SOP Polyvar Met Light Microscope Page 6 of 8 6.4.4.2.2 Adjust the filter with the Twist Knob (Fig. 7) on the front of the prism block 6.4.4.3 The Dark Field Filter (Fig. 11) is for samples of unusually high brightness 6.4.4.3.1 The Dark Field Filter is kept in the top drawer of the desk behind you 6.4.4.3.2 Remove the Bright Field Filter by gently pulling 6.4.4.3.3 Replace with the Dark Field Filter so that it locks gently on the right 6.4.4.4 Reinstall the Bright Field Filter when finished 7. Software Procedures Caliper Icon Ruler Icon Camera Icon Preview Camcorder Icon Snap Auto Expose Area Image Boxes Spatial Calibration Box Figure 12: Imaging software 7.1 Viewing an Image 7.1.1 The computer should be on 7.1.2 On the desktop, select the icon for the Q Capture Pro Software (Fig.13)
SOP Polyvar Met Light Microscope Page 7 of 8 7.1.3 Once the software is open, select the Camcorder Icon, a new toolbar should appear (Fig. 12) 7.1.4 Select the Preview button (Fig. 12) 7.1.5 An Image Box should appear (Fig. 12) 7.1.6 Click Auto Expose Area (Fig. 12) to automatically adjust the brightness 7.1.6.1 If the image box is still dark review your light source and filters (6.2, 6.3) 7.2 Measuring an Image 7.2.1 Before anything else, click the Snap (Fig. 12) button in the floating toolbar 7.2.1.1 There should now be two Image Boxes (Fig. 12) 7.2.2 Scale Bars 7.2.2.1 Click the Caliper Icon (Fig.12) on the upper toolbar 7.2.2.2 An Spatial Calibration Box should now appear (Fig. 12) 7.2.2.3 In the same box, select the dropdown menu 7.2.2.3.1 In the dropdown menu select your current objective lens and multiplier combination 7.2.2.4 The box will then change to give you scale bar options 7.2.3 Line Measurements 7.2.3.1 Click the Ruler Icon (Fig. 12) on the upper toolbar 7.2.3.2 Select Marker in the box that appears 7.2.3.3 Free draw a line on your sample 7.2.3.3.1 There is special procedure to save images with measurements (see 7.3.3) 7.3 Saving an Image 7.3.1 Be sure you have selected the Snap image box (7.2.1) 7.3.2 Save file to a folder under Labusers 7.3.3 Saving images with measurements 7.3.3.1 After drawing your measurements, select the Camera Icon on the upper toolbar (Fig. 12) 7.3.3.2 Save from the Image Box that appears 7.3.4 To retrieve your image, simply select the shortcut to Labusers Icon (Fig. 14) on the desktop 7.3.5 The computer is not connected to the internet so remember to bring something to remove the files you want 7.3.5.1 The computer will write to USBs, CDs, and ZIP disks Figure 13: Software Icon Figure 14: Labusers Icon
8. Revision History SOP Polyvar Met Light Microscope Page 8 of 8 Rev Date Originator Description of Changes 1 June 10, 2010 Kathryn Ecsedy First Draft