NECAT Beamline

The Northeastern Collaborative Access Team (NE-CAT) facility at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory is managed by Cornell University and consists of seven member institutions:

  • Columbia University
  • Cornell University
  • Harvard University
  • Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Rockefeller University
  • Yale University.

    • Primary funding for this project comes from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Additional financial support for NE-CAT comes from the member institutions.

    Status of NE-CAT Construction Project

    June 2006

    24-ID Phase 1 Beam Line Commissioning and User Operations :

    The Phase 1 beam line was brought back into operation for the user program on June 28, after more than a month long scheduled accelerator maintenance period starting late April through all of May. The user program start up on this beam line in June was delayed somewhat due to the need to recalibrate the beam line after a month of inactivity and construction activities for Phase 2 in the 24-ID-B enclosure. The 24-ID-B enclosure is common to the beam line optics for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 operations. Requiring personnel access to 24-ID-B for Phase 2 installations means that the Phase 1 beam can not be used.

    24-ID Phase 2 Fixed-Energy Beam Line :

    The month of May, during the APS scheduled accelerator maintenance period, was devoted to physical installation of the Phase 2 monochromator and the horizontal focusing mirror in enclosure 24-ID-B and the vertical focusing mirror in 24-ID-E (see Status Report May 2006). Upon testing of the motor motions of the monochromator, we were plagued by numerous failures of the nano-motors driving the Bragg axis and a failure of a pico-motor. After a number of replacement nano-motors failed, Oxford-Danfysik (the manufacturer of the monochromator) agreed that the design was faulty and would re-engineer and provide an entirely new roll cage. The new roll cage will use different motor drives as well as provide easier access to the motors, particularly the pico-motor, for future maintenance and replacements. The new roll cage is scheduled to be delivered and installed during the September APS scheduled maintenance shutdown.

    While waiting for the new roll cage, we have taken measures to remain, as much as possible, on schedule for the installation and commissioning of Phase 2. The position of the Si (220) crystal was adjusted and fixed appropriately so that 12.66 KeV x-rays could be diffracted at the correct exit angle into the 24-ID-E enclosure. A considerable amount of time and effort was devoted to designing and gaining APS safety approval for the shielding of the very acute, nominally 29 degree, beam-pipe penetration through the 24-ID-B/E shielded wall. We now have APS approval to proceed to transport monochromatic beam into the 24-ID-E radiation enclosure and measure the radiation integrity of the enclosure. Once this is done, by early July, we will be able to begin commissioning of the beam line optics and assemble the rest of the end station.

    ACCEL has informed us that they still anticipate delivery of the MD2 micro-diffractometer in September. NE-CAT’s design of the table needed to support and align the MD2 has begun as well as preparations for providing higher compressed air pressure than currently available from the APS house supply needed for the MD2 goniometer air bearings. The MD2 will be delivered optimized for a beam spot on sample of 20 microns. We will shortly order additional beam conditioning accessories for generation of a wider range of beam spot sizes as well as spares for those components that could be damaged during normal user operations. Initially the MD2 will be placed on the Phase 2 beam line, permitting commissioning of the MD2 and the Phase 2 beam line together and not negatively impacting the heavily booked Phase 1 user operations program.

     

     
     

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