How the Mail-in Program Works:
In the mail-in program at Mid-IR the user prepares the sample and mails it to the Mid-IR beamline. Data collection is run by beamline staff.
Two pathways
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Mail-in general users program
For the general user program mail-in, the user designs the experiment, mails samples and analyzes the data. It is the user's responsibility to ensure the samples are appropriate for the desired measurements, the measurement parameters are determined before beam time and the user is available for communication during the beam time.
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Mail-in as a fee based service
For the fee based service, the user has the choice of level of involvement and the fee for the service will reflect that. If you are interested, please contact us or inquire with our Industry Services team to find out more information!
Communicating During Beamtime
Beamline staff will work with your samples and collect data at the determined regions of interest with previously decided parameters. The user should be available as much as possible to answer questions and help staff manage the experimental run.
There are many options for communication. Please make a plan with beamline staff before your beam time for communication method.
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Microsoft Teams (preferred)
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phone/text
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email
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other, specify.
Preparing samples
As much of the sample preparation as possible should be done at the user's home institution. Consideration should be made to insure the sample is stored securely and isn't damaged during shipment. The beamline staff are available to do sample mounting and other basic sample preparation. Preparation requirements should be agreed upon well before beam time and detailed instructions provided.
Information for general preparation of sample suitable for infrared measurements can be found in the sample section of the user guide.
For mail-in experiments it is important there is a fiduciary mark or an identifying feature on the sample that can be used for sample alignment, size determination, and locating the predetermined regions of interest.
Experiment planning
Since you, the user, will not be the one controlling the instrument, it is important to make a detailed experimental plan before your beam time. This should detailed information about each sample, a priority ranking if you have more than one sample / region on interest. Parameters including, objective, scan size, number of scans and spectral resolution will all need to be determined prior to beam time.
Please connect with beamline staff before your beam time to discuss your plan and confirm its feasibility.