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[December 2003]
New STEM for Thin Film Evaluation
The new HD-2300 scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) from Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Wokingham, Berks, England) is claimed to offer improved resolution and significantly enhanced analytical capabilities for materials and semiconductor applications. Designed for analytical applications, the new microscope can be used for extended period energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and for electron energy loss spectrometry. This provides the capability for real-time element mapping with 2nm spatial resolution.
The new instrument features a Schottky-type field emission source and has STEM resolution of 0.204nm at an accelerating voltage of 200kV. The HD-2300 is said to offer extremely versatile imaging capabilities with both Z-contrast and phase contrast imaging as standard and an optional nano area live diffraction imaging unit that allows simultaneous observation of diffraction and Z-contrast images.
Hitachi adds that the HD-2300 is extremely easy to use, with a specimen exchange time of around 1 minute and a host of automatic features for ease of instrument set-up. These include instrument alignment functions such as bright area centering, current centre alignment and correction of stigmator image movement as well as automatic brightness, contrast, focus and stigmator.
The instrument is also described as a powerful analytical tool. It can be equipped with an EDX detector with a large solid angle of X-ray collection which gives a gain in sensitivity of 2.5 times compared to conventional TEMs.
Since X-ray mapping is an important part of material characterisation, an optional EDX drift compensation unit is available; this corrects for the effect of specimen drift resulting from extended exposure to the electron beam. This ensures that each X-ray map is correctly aligned with respect to the original image, even over an 8-hour exposure period.
Further analysis capabilities can be added with the optional 'element view' system which uses an electron energy loss spectrometer. This system allows mapping of light elements as well as heavier elements such as transition metals.
The HD-2300 also features a new measurement function, which provides a variety of on-screen measurement tools. This allows multiple measurements to be made on a single image.
www.hitachi-hitec-uk.com
ENDS