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Technical services for industry

Imaging

 

 

 

 

The service has 2 electron microscopes; a Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM) and a Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). 

SEM

Quanta 200 ESEM FEG de FEI is a versatile and advanced SEM. We can inspect materials at different scales, from cm-mm to nanometric scale. 

SEM gives the maximum information in the inspection of materials, rutine and advanced inspections, being a non-destructive technique. 

TEM

TEM equipment JEOL JEM1210 (120KV) with a resolution of 3,2 Å obtain images of medium resolution and the characterization of nanometric samples. It has a standard sample holder with one spin axis and a analytical sample holder with double inclination (X= ±60º and Y=±30º) , which allows the exploration of big volumes of the reciprocal net through the diffraction of electrons.

To obtain the right information from this equipment, customers have the possibility of assisting to the analysis of the sample. Then they can interact with the technicians and decide with images should be taken and which areas should be analyzed.

Determination of the morphology and size of particles with electron microscopy

SEM is especially useful for the morphological characterization of all kind of materials, coatings and particles.

We can obtain images and make microanalysis with all kind of samples (organics or inorganics, solid, powder....) with or without previous preparation. Samples can have a surface of cm, being able to get to nanometric scale, with a theoretical maximum resolution of 1.2 nm, depending on the nature of the sample.

SEM can be used with High vacuum, low vacuum or environment mode.  with the low vacuum and environment modes non-conductive samples can be analyzed, like insulating and biological samples, without coating them with a conductive layer. 

we can also obtain images with contrast proportional to the atomic number with high lateral resolution (2.5 nm), giving important visual information of the composition changes in the sample.

TEM can obtain medium resolution images with high contrast. TEM gives information related to the size, morphology, homogeneity and microstructure of the sample. It is a technique suitable for the characterization of nanostructured materials such as nanoparticles, nanorods.....hybrid materials, Carbone materials; such as Carbone nanotubes, graphene, mesostructured materials, materials with core-shell structure, polymeric materials, etc. The technique doesn't require high amounts of sample. 

 Cristalographic analysis with electron diffraction 

TEM has a sample holder with a wide angular range that permits explore big volumes of the reciprocal net with electrons diffraction. with the micropictures we can reconstruct the reciprocal net of the crystal, obtaining the cell parameters and the spatial group, and it is also possible to indentify the crystaline phases

Anaysis of the thickness of the sample with electron microscopy

The positioning of the SEM equipment allows the displacement in the X, Y, Z axis and allows the inclination of the samples up to 90º, increasing the range  of observation for all kind of samples and allowing the measurement of the structure and thickness of them.

Analysis of the composition of a sample with electron microscopy

SEM, with the EDX technique, offer us the possibility of analyze and determine the chemical elements present in the sample, qualitative and quantitative, correlating it visually with the microstructure.

The technique permits the chemical analysis, in situ, with a high lateral resolution (point analysis, lines and elements mapping), as it is required for the characterization of nanostructured complex materials, with multiple components.

The chemistry elements (light elements from Be) can be determined in points, segments, lines, areas. it offers the possibility of making composition maps and lineal analysis. 

Lithography with electron beam

SEM equipment include a system to do lithography with electron beam, with submicrometric resolution (100 nm aprox.). It can be used to print thin film templates and fabricate electronic devices.