TOOLS & TECHNIQUES UPDATE

JUNE 2006 | VOLUME 9 | NUMBER 6 55

Checking out a tipBudgetSensors® have introduced a new

calibration standard for determining

the condition of atomic force

microscope (AFM) tips. BS-Tipcheck is

an AFM sample comprising an

extremely wear-resistant coating

deposited on a Si chip. The granular,

sharply peaked topography of the thin

film is ideal for reverse imaging of the

tip of an AFM probe. In this way, the

BS-Tipcheck sample offers a fast

method to compare and categorize the

shape and sharpness of different AFM

probe tips. It can also be used with

commercial software for tip

characterization.

Contact: www.budgetsensors.com

Magnetometer reacheshigher fieldsLake Shore’s Model 7404 Vibrating

Sample Magnetometer (VSM) system

can now reach typical maximum field

strengths of 2.17 T at room

temperature and 1.18 T with variable

temperature options installed. This is

achieved through a higher field,

variable-gap 4” electromagnet and a

2.5 kW bipolar power supply. The

Model 7404 is now a more cost-

effective option for these field

strengths than systems with larger

electromagnets.

Contact: www.lakeshore.com

Versatile calorimetersSENSYS is a family of differential

scanning calorimetry (DSC) instruments

for thermal analysis from SETARAM

Instrumentation. Samples can be

studied in an open, closed, or gas-tight

crucible; under vacuum, atmospheric, or

high-pressure conditions; and in

oxidizing, reducing, wet, or corrosive

gas flows. Since the sample is

surrounded by rings of thermocouples,

almost all the heat emitted from or

absorbed by the sample is measured.

SENSYS DSCs offer a wide temperature

range from -120°C to 830°C. The

instruments can be configured for

horizontal or vertical DSC, connected to

a symmetrical microbalance, or coupled

to an evolved gas analyzer such as a

mass spectrometer, gas chromatograph,

or surface area measurement device.

High performance in thermal

gravimetric analysis means the system

has a low detection limit of 1 µg.

Contact: www.setaram.com

Tabletop instrument movesbeyond optical microscopyThe TM-1000 Tabletop Microscope from Hitachi High-

Technologies bridges the gap between optical and

electron microscopy.

It offers ten times better magnification and resolution

than conventional optical microscopes, with a hundred

times improvement in depth of field. The TM-1000

detector also shows contrast arising from differences

in average atomic number, so different phases in

materials can be distinguished.

No preparation is required for hydrated, oily, or

nonconducting samples, and specimens up to 70 mm

in diameter and 20 mm thick can be analyzed.

The microscope has a magnification range of

20-10 000x and up to 40 000x using digital zoom

capabilities. The instrument comes with autofocus,

autobrightness, and autocontrast functions. The

TM-1000 is designed to be easy to use and has a built-

in measurement function that allows dimensional

information to be acquired quickly.

This performance makes it a real alternative to optical,

stereo, and confocal laser scanning microscopes for

applications in many sectors, from materials science to

the life and food sciences.

Contact: www.hitachi-hitec-uk.com

Build a complete analysis toolThe NEON workstation from Carl Zeiss SMT is

designed to allow researchers to build up from an

initial electron microscope platform and add in new

analysis and fabrication tools over time as required. In

this way, a full materials analysis and nanotechnology

system can be assembled in stages.

NEON is based on a high-resolution electron

microscope with the company’s Gemini® field-

emission electron-beam column. This comes with a

fully motorized, six-axis stage and operating software.

Focused ion beam capability can be added later

through the addition of an ion-beam column and a gas

injection system. Other detection and analysis tools,

such as energy-dispersive X-ray, or wavelength-

dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, can also be

incorporated. Finally, a detection system for the

energy-selective analysis of back-scattered electrons

can be added.

By adding these capabilities in stages, users can build

systems equivalent to Carl Zeiss SMT’s CrossBeam®

workstations via a number of smaller investments. The

combination of electron microscopy with a focused

ion beam gives a versatile tool for three-dimensional

material analysis and semiconductor metrology.

Contact: www.smt.zeiss.com

SPMs for the small and largeVeeco Instruments has launched new versions of its

MultiMode® and Dimension® scanning probe

microscopes (SPMs). MultiMode V (shown) is designed

for the high-precision characterization of small

samples such as polymers and electrochemical

materials. It can perform a range of SPM techniques to

measure surface properties such as topography,

friction, adhesion, and electric or magnetic fields.

Dimension V is used to characterize large samples up

to 8” in diameter, like semiconductor wafers or data-

storage films. As well as fundamental materials

research, the microscope can be used in industrial

product development and quality control.

Both instruments feature Veeco’s new high-speed

Nanoscope™ V controller. This allows faster events to

be observed at the molecular scale and more

information to be captured in each image through

data acquisition at 50 MHz and high pixel density

images. In addition, the controller can take up to eight

images simultaneously.

The SPMs come with the company’s Easy-AFM user

interface. This simplifies initial setup and adjustment

of parameters and is intended to make the systems

intuitive for new or infrequent SPM users.

Contact: www.veeco.com