SEMS & Microscopes

The operational principle of an atomic force microscope is described by considering a surface of interest being scanned with a sharp tip residing at the free end of a microfabricated cantilever beam. The apex of the tip either gently contacts the surface when imaging is performed in contact mode, or intermittently contacts the surface during tapping mode imaging. The ultrasmall repulsive or attractive forces existing between the tip and the sample cause the cantilever to move up and down in the direction vertical to the surface.

The Bruker QUANTAX 200 Energy Dispersive X- ray Spectrometer (EDS) with XFlash®6 silicon drift detector is a modular EDS system for qualitative and quantitative microanalysis. The system’s standard-less quantification software enables manual, automatic or interactive spectra evaluation and provides reliable results for specimens with polished or irregular surfaces, thin layers and particles. The XFlash® detector is a Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) which needs no liquid nitrogen cooling, provides high throughput rates and light element detection capabilities.

The CNF has two small sputter systems for coating samples prior to SEM imaging or electron beam lithography. One machine is setup for Gold while the other system is setup for Gold / Palladium. The manual machines allow for quick coating of conductive films to assist in electron beam work

The Keyence VHX-7100 is a fully automated digital microscope with a 20-6,000× magnification range, a flexible lighting control, stitching, focus stacking and 3D profile extraction.

The CNF has many optical microscopes. Digital cameras attached to the microscopes are available for taking images of your work.

The Nikon Eclipse L200N microscope and Nikon Elements D image capture software are the best optical microscopy system at CNF.

Features include:

• Motorized objective change- permits quick observation changeovers (optional hand switch is available for direct selection of objectives)
• A range of observation modes - including brightfield, darkfield, (Nomarski) DIC and polarized light

The microscope is located in 201 Duffield. The microscope has light pathways for transmitted or reflected brightfield, and fluorescence (filters for TRITC, DAPI and FITC). The stage can accommodate devices, printed materials, and microfluidics. It is available for use with fluorescent devices, particles or cells (No cells of biosafety level-2 allowed).

The Olympus BX60/U-CFU microscope employs a slit method scanning disk that blocks defocused reflected light from samples and allows only focused light to go through. It generates clear and high resolving images with 0.18-micron compatibility. A mercury lamp house is the standard light source, which provides a bright, clear image. The U-CFU has excellent Z-axis (vertical) detection. A layer in a multi-layer wafer can be observed distinguishably through this capability.

The Olympus IX-71 Inverted Scope is located in 224 Duffield for inspecting live cells (animal origin or non-biohazardous samples only) in culture dishes or slides. It can be set up next to the CorSolutions Fluidic Probe station to inspect working microfluidic devices.

The CNF has many optical microscopes including the Olympus MX50 for inspection of devices. Digital cameras attached to the microscopes are available for taking images of your work.

The MX50 semiconductor inspection microscope was developed specifically to meet the demands of wafer inspection. It is a user-friendly microscope that allows operators to work in an ergonomically correct position and benefit from smoother operation throughout extended inspection periods.

Features include:

The Nikon Digital Sight DS-5M-L1 consists of a 5 Mpixel camera and a controller which is connected to a PC running Nikon imaging software. These cameras are connected to the following microscopes:

• Olympus BX60 on process bench
• Wild M400 zoom microscope on process bench
• Olympus MX50 near mask makers
• Nikon L200 Eclipse Microscope  on process bench

Used for doing pre-alignment of ebeam exposures on the 9500. The stage has encoders that are used to determine the locations of P and Q marks used for aligned exposures. The accompanying software can then be used to calculate the X and Y offsets for use in the schedule file.

The CNF has two small sputter systems for coating samples prior to SEM imaging or electron beam lithography. One machine is setup for Gold while the other system is setup for Gold / Palladium. The manual machines allow for quick coating of conductive films to assist in electron beam work.

This SEM has resolution of 1.0 nm at 15 kV, and 1.7 nm at 1 kV at high vacuum mode (HV); 2 nm at 30kV at variable pressure mode (VP). 100 V to 30 kV represents the wide range of the accelerating voltage used on the machine with capability of imaging insulating samples at the lower end of the spectrum. Electromagnetic beam and aperature alignment enables rapid changing between the six beam defining apertures. The GEMINI column employs a Schottky field emittor electron source using a single condenser with a crossover-free beam path.

Scanning electron microscopy is critical for the analysis of nanoscale materials and structures. CNF operates two field emission scanning electron microscopes (SEMs): a Zeiss Supra 55 microscope capable of variable pressure (VP) operation and a Zeiss Ultra 55 microscope optimized for high resolution imaging. Like most modern SEMs, both systems are capable of operating at beam energies from 100 V to 30 kV. However, the unique electron optical design employed in the Zeiss systems enables unsurpassed performance at beam energies from 100 V to 8 kV.