Imaging Suite

The TESCAN VEGA3 SEM has both a secondary electron detector and a backscattered electron detector, enabling surface topography imaging at low and high magnifications and/or with atomic number contrast. With a variable pressure mode (VP-SEM), non-conductive samples can be imaged without coating.

In addition, its Oxford Instrument X-MAXN EDS detector enables chemical analysis in the form of point analysis, line analysis or elemental mapping, and sensitive detection of light elements. Applications include metals, ceramics, semiconductors, nanomaterials, composites, polymers and biological materials.

The xT Nova Nanolab 600 FIB is a dual beam unit that combines an electron beam and a Gillum ion beam. It is capable of low and high resolution scanning electron microscopy, scanning ion microscopy, as well as ion beam and electron beam lithography.

It is a versatile tool enabling both sample preparation and imaging in-situ in one unit; the former includes depositing an ultra-thin layer of material onto a sample surface, etching/milling materials and/or patterning, and site specific cross-sectioning of thin film, bulk samples and/or interfaces.

The JEOL 2100 TEM is a powerful facility that operates at 200 KV, providing point resolution of 0.25 nm and lattice resolution of 0.14 nm in theory, generating atomic resolution images of nano-materials, thin films, phases, grains, defects and lattice of ultra-thin samples.

It can operate in bright field (BF) and dark field (DF) modes and in both TEM and STEM modes. Fitted with an Oxford Instrument X-MAXN EDS detector, it allows chemical analysis of features as small as a few nanometers. The selected area diffraction (SAED) enables unit cell parameters, orientation and orientation relationships to be identified.

The Bruker Innova AFM is a high resolution scanning probe microscopy facility for true 2D and 3D surface profile, with sub nanometer resolution. It can provide information on surface roughness, magnetic properties, conductivity, and electrostatic properties. Applications include nanomaterials, thin films, bulk materials, composites, polymers, and biological samples.

The X-Tek CT is a non-destructive X-ray inspection technique capable of producing 2D and 3D maps/structures of materials without damaging the samples. The re-constructed data/structure can be viewed from any 3D angle, sliced in any direction, accurately measured and even animated.

With a resolution of 3 micron in theory, it can accommodate samples from a couple of mm to about 90 mm in diameter. Applications include product quality checking, damage or defect analysis, porosity analysis, composite and laminate materials.