Ames Laboratory Sensitive Instrument Facility
Project Description
This project will construct a Sensitive Instrument Facility (SIF) that will provide six instrument bays, sample preparation space, control rooms, and staff support space. The instrument bays will provide vibration isolation, acoustic separation and control, electromagnetic interference (EMI) control, strict control of air flow and strict ambient temperature and humidity control. This type of space is necessary for instruments such as transmission electron microscopes and scanning electron microscopes to perform to their capability. Specialized mechanical/electrical systems will be required to maintain close temperature/humidity control and provide electrical service without introducing EMI. The gross area of the new facility will be approximately 11,000 square feet. The specifications of the new facility will require that the instrument bays provide an operating environment that meets or exceeds the installation requirements for the most sensitive electron microscopes currently available.