Shut Down Procedures

When you are finished for the day, do the following things:

  1. Make certain that you know whether someone is scheduled to use the 3200 after you finish.  You will need to check the calendar and/or to check with the director.

  2. Leave the microscope at a magnification of 30k-50k.

  3. Retract the CCD camera and lower the large viewing screen.

  4. Turn off the TV camera if you have used it.

  5. Remove the specimen holder and replace it with a holder containing a grid intended to be left in the microscope during an ACD bake-out cycle:  flip the switch below the goniometer to “AIR” and remove the holder.  Then insert the holder with a grid in place, flip the switch to “PUMP,” wait until the green light is lit and insert the holder the rest of the way into the microscope.

  6. Make certain that the column vacuum starts to recover before leaving the microscope room.

  7. Close the valve on the nitrogen tank (to the right of the double doors as you leave the microscope room).

  8. If you are the last user of the day, change the accelerating voltage to “Stand By” (260 kV) from “Normal" (300 kV).

  9. If you are the last user of the day, start the ACD bake-out cycle:  insert the heating coil into the anti-contaminator (ACD) and push the “On” button below “ACD Heat” on the “Bake Out/ACD Heat” window.  If there is a holder in the column, a dialog box will appear asking whether you really want to start the bake out.  If the grid in the holder can withstand the heating cycle, answer “yes” and proceed.  You will next see a dialog box asking you to remove all manual apertures.  There are no manual apertures on the 3200FS, so simply continue.