FEI/Philips XL30 FEG ESEM, with Electron Backscatter Diffraction analysis and Energy-Dispersive X-ray capability

ESEM IMAGES from Philips Electron Optics
 
 

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This microscope, being installed now, is a high performance, extremely flexible and well-equipped microscope for general purpose microscopy, low-vacuum and environmental scanning microscopy (ESEM), and electron back-scatter diffraction pattern analysis.

Resolution at 30KV is 3.5 nm.  Operation at low voltage (>500V) is possible.   Operation is possible at any pressure from high vacuum to 1 mBar without the limited field of view of the older ESEM instruments.  The minimum magnification is about 20x, resulting in a field of view of around 2mm x 2mm.  With the final aperture in position (limiting the field of view to a few hundred microns) operation at pressures up to 20 mBar is possible.  Secondary and backscatter electron imaging are available at all operating pressures.

The microscope is excellent at viewing all types of uncoated insulating samples, the flexibility given by the variable pressure and the low-voltage capability allowing a wide choice of parameters for optimization of each sample.

The Energy Dispersive X-ray Analyser, from EDAX, has a particularly good geometry (take-off angle is 35^o) and a modern software system with extensive mapping and image manipulation.

The Electron Backscatter Diffraction system is from TSL, and allows very precise measurements of crystal orientation, texture, etc. to be made.

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MIT-CMSE Electron Microscopy/tonygr@MIT.EDU
Document last reviewed November 14th. 2002.