Electron Probe Microanalyzer (EPMA)

• Subject Area: Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry
• Term: Funded in 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 575780457

At the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy at the University of Cologne, the electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) is one of the routine analytical methods that are regularly used by several research groups, also beyond the institute. The current EPMA dates from 1997 and is no longer up-to-date in terms of hardware and software. Although the instrument still works and is regularly used by various research groups, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain operation, as, e.g., spare parts are becoming more and more difficult to obtain. Due to maintenance and repairs, the instrument "down-time" often amounts to several weeks per year. In addition, the stability of the electron beam is no longer guaranteed and data loss can occur during longer measurement sessions. The operating system is still based on UNIX and is only operational on an outdated PC. Such outdated equipment will increasingly have a negative effect on established analytical protocols and thus on the competitiveness of the institute in research and education. A modern EPMA is essential for numerous planned research projects at the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy and the Department of Geosciences. For these reasons, the replacement procurement of an EPMA of the latest generation is applied for here. EPMA is of essential importance for geoscientific research at Cologne, especially in the disciplines of geochemistry, petrology, mineralogy, geology, crystallography and palaeontology, because it enables the spatially high-resolution optical and chemical investigation of minerals, rocks and fossils. The instrument is to be used by various research groups of the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy and also by neighboring institutes (e.g., Geography). EPMA can be used to characterize natural and synthetic minerals and glasses and allows to determine their major element composition at high spatial resolution. In addition to direct scientific applications, the accurate major element composition of the phases is also of fundamental importance as a reference for in-situ trace element and isotope measurements, e.g., with Laser Ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) and Laser Ablation Multicollector ICPMS/MS. Since the institute has recently changed its research direction towards such in-situ analytical methods, the new EPMA instrument will be increasingly used as a complementary method in these areas in addition to the classic fields of research, e.g., in petrology.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Elektronenstrahlmikrosonde (EPMA)
• Instrumentation Group: 4040 Röntgenmikrosonden
• Applicant Institution: Universität zu Köln
• Leader: Professor Dr. Carsten Münker