1. Contact laboratory staff to use the SPM lab: Dr. Federica Galli (galli@physics.leidenuniv.nl).
2. You will be granted permission to reserve the equipment and to use it when you have received training and you have shown to be able to carry on your experiments reliably and without damaging the equipment.
3. You MUST read the “Safety Regulations” here under before getting access to the the facility.

• Create an account if you don't have one here
• Reserve the equipment (if you don't have permission you will not be able to reserve. If you received training you can ask to get the permissions activated)
• If you do not show up after 45 minutes from the start of your booking time, someone else may be allowed to take over your time.

• Rule number ZERO is: if you don't know, ASK. Failing to ask something critical may result in expensive equipment damage but also waist your time.
• Scanning Probe Techniques are sensitive to acoustic and mechanical vibrations: do not shout loud, do not make excessive noise, do not jump and smash doors in the SPM Lab.
• Scanning Probe Microscopes (all the parts, heads, tip, sample mounts etc) are sensitive to dirt, organic and powder contamination. Try to use POWDER FREE GLOVES as much as possible when handling all these parts, including when mounting sample and tip. Or otherwise clean your hands well before using the equipment.
• Keep the lab tables tidy and clean!
• Fill in the common LOGBOOK (electronic sheet on the desktop) EVERY TIME you measure.
• You experience a problem with a setup? Contact laboratory staff asap.
• You see that some stock (tips, gloves, tissues etc) is running out? Order new a.s.a.p. or ask someone to do it for you.
• Done with a measurement? Remove sample and tip holder. Close the door of the sound box.
• Remove all your sample boxes and basic tools from the tables of the SPM Lab when you are done with your measurements.
• SPM lab staff will NOT make regular backups of your data - we only backup the operating systems.
• Users are obliged to acknowledge the SPM Lab in the publications with the following sentence: “AFM measurements were performed in the AFM Facility of the Leiden Institute of Physics (LION)”.
• Only users of the Faculty of Science are allowed to perform measurements outside office hours.

Everyone working in the SPM Lab should have received the safety regulations of the Leiden University and have read them thoroughly.
The faculty course about chemical safety should be followed as well as the fire extinguishing drill (follow these at the first opportunity).

You should be able to locate:

• The fire extinguishers in each room
• The emergency off-switches in each room
• Emergency showers on each side of the floor
• Point exhausts
• Fire alarm

Some biological samples (like human tissues) require special procedures. The LION SPM Lab is NOT a MLx laboratory! It is not allowed to bring biological hazards in the AFM lab.

There are procedures that can enable you to carry out experiments on biological samples/human tissues in the SPM Lab in a proper and non-dangerous way. You are obliged to contact laboratory staff (galli@physics.leidenuniv.nl) before carrying out experiments on biological samples. We can instruct you on how to perform your experiments safely.

It is NOT ALLOWED to use chemicals in the SPM Lab apart from the provided ethanol, acetone, isopropyl alchool and demi-water.

Extensive sample preparations should NOT take place in the SPM Lab. We have both clean room and chemical labs close by. Please contact laboratory staff for their use.

Frequently used chemicals are:

• Acetone
• Ethanol

You can look up the MSDS at http://www.chemexper.com. Many links to MSDS site can be found at http://www.ilpi.com/msds/.

Do not drink demi water. It depletes you of minerals and can be lethal.

IT IS NOT ALLOWED TO WORK WITH STRONG ACIDS IN THE SPM LAB.

AN EXCEPTION is done for Electrochemistry SPM experiments. People who plan to perform these experiments should contact laboratory staff (galli@physics.leidenuniv.nl) before starting!

When working with acids, always wear gloves and safety glasses. If you work with HF be extremely careful. HF is not a very strong acid but it is exceptionally destructive. A small area of the body covered with HF is lethal. The only way to neutralize HF is with Ca, it is obligatory to have Ca pills or creme close when you use HF. Be careful when disposing strong acids, strong exothermal reactions can occur upon mixing with other chemicals. It is NOT ALLOWED to dispose acids in the SPM Lab! These they should be returned to your laboratory.

IT IS NOT ALLOWED TO WORK WITH STRONG BASES IN THE SPM LAB.

AN EXCEPTION is done for Electrochemistry SPM experiments. People who plan to perform these experiments should contact laboratory staff (galli@physics.leidenuniv.nl) before starting!

Safety glasses are mandatory! Always! Wear gloves as well. Be careful when disposing strong bases, strong exothermal reactions can occur upon mixing with other chemicals. It is NOT ALLOWED to dispose bases in the SPM Lab! These they should be returned to your laboratory.

There is no type of gloves that protects the user from all known chemical hazards. The two currently available types are Nitrile (blue) and Latex (milky-white). Use the following link to decide which type of gloves you should use to protect your hands from most common chemicals found in clean rooms: http://www.safeskin.com/ChemResist/search.asp?o=1 An exaustive list of all possible chemicals and hazards is here: http://www.pp.okstate.edu/ehs/HAZMAT/gloves5.htm

Both types will protect your sample from your fingerprints; however, it is very important to use
NON-POWDERED gloves (these words should be clearly stated on the box).

Powders have a large surface/volume ratio, this increases the reactivity/toxicity. Heavy metals are toxic, some in small concentrations. Some metals (for example Ce) burn spontaneously in air. Take these considerations into account if using such metals.

Gases under pressure can be very dangerous, work on gas cylinders and lines should only be done by technicians. O₂ at high partial pressures poses fire/explosion danger. Do not pump O₂ with normal rotary pumps. SF₆, Cl, and other etching gases are very toxic. Inert gases are dangerous because they displace air, so breathing Ar is dangerous (First aid: hold victim upside down). Do not breath He to get a funny voice! It can cause lung damage.

Many systems work with very high voltages, and in some cases HV power supplies can deliver significant current (several amps).

Never open the electrical equipment in use in the AFM Lab. This is done exclusively by the lab manager.

Also be careful with water leaks in electrical systems and with jewelery (a necklace can dangle through the ventilation slits of an electric box and is therefore not allowed).

If you are planning to use electrical equipment with the microscopes that is not available already in the lab, this should be either CE certified or built in our Electronic Department.