Spicer Consulting helps to bring Andalusian electron microscopy images into focus
Magnetic fields are everywhere, radiating from such diverse sources as power networks, electrical equipment and even the earth’s core. For the most part, they do not interfere with everyday activities, but state-of-the art technologies operating at extreme levels of precision can be susceptible to even the most minute disturbances. For example, the image resolution of scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) can be negatively affected by magnetic field interference, preventing the equipment from being used to its full potential. Fortunately, magnetic field cancelling systems can attenuate such disturbances, and the University of Granada in Spain has recently installed an SC24 Magnetic Field Cancelling System to enhance the performance of its SEM set-up.
Electron microscopes are used across a wide range of scientific disciplines, imaging everything from the inner workings of human cells to the complex crystalline structures of engineering materials, making access to state-of-the-art microscopy equipment essential for both academic and private researchers. Rocío Márquez Crespo, a technician at the University of Granada's Scientific Instrumentation Centre, explained: “I’m responsible for the Scanning Electron Microscopy Unit – located in the Faculty of Pharmacy – which provides services to research groups both here at the university and to other academic centres across Spain, as well as for many public institutions and private companies. As you can imagine, the applications we support are incredibly diverse, but the common thread running between them is the requirement for extremely high resolution images, and we accomplish this by providing access to both field emission and dual beam SEMs.”
SEMs are well-known for their ability to measure features at the atomic level, but their precision and repeatability are heavily dependent on their surroundings, with factors such as vibration, temperature and humidity all affecting image quality. They are especially susceptible to external magnetic fields, since the images are generated using a beam of charged particles, which can be easily deflected by magnetic field disturbances. Rocío continued: “During the installation of our dual beam microscope, we noticed that images at the highest magnification settings were becoming distorted, and we suspected that it was due to magnetic field interference. An environmental survey carried out by the microscope manufacturer confirmed this to be true, and we were encouraged to purchase a magnetic field cancelling system to negate these effects. We’ve been recommended Spicer Consulting products many times in the past by colleagues and local researchers who’ve had positive experiences with them, so the SC24 Magnetic Field Cancelling System was the obvious choice.”
The SC24 system comprises a magnetic field control unit, up to two magnetic field sensors,
and three orthogonal axis multicore cables installed in the room where field cancellation is required. It stabilises the ambient field by dynamically creating nearly equal and opposite field changes, improving microscope performance. “Once the system was installed by Eloïse SAS – a local supplier – the high magnification image distortion disappeared at the flick of a switch. It was that simple,” Rocío concluded.
Contact us for more SC24 information.
About Spicer Consulting Limited
Spicer Consulting magnetic field cancelling systems protect electron beam instruments, including SEMs, transmission electron microscopes, electron beam lithography tools and SEM-based metrology and inspection tools. They are located in some of the world's leading laboratories, universities, semiconductor manufacturing plants and test facilities of electron and ion beam equipment manufacturers. The company’s magnetic field, vibration and acoustic analysis systems have also been adopted as the standard for conducting site surveys by leading equipment manufacturers. Spicer Consulting is located in Stewartby, Bedfordshire, within the United Kingdom’s golden triangle of elite universities in London, Cambridge and Oxford.
About Eloïse SAS
Eloïse SAS is a leading French scientific equipment company with 20 years of expertise in distributing and servicing electron microscopes and accessories. It offers the full Ted Pella/Pelco portfolio to French speaking countries, along with: vibrational & magnetic active compensation solutions (Spicer Consulting with K&S advanced); metallization and carbon evaporation equipment for sample preparation (Cressington); CCD-CMOS cameras for both on side and on axis TEM (Emsis); and nm resolution µ-electronic diffraction units for TEM, featuring 4D STEM with precession (NanoMEGAS). For more information, demos and training, visit Eloïse SAS at its Tremblay CDG AppLab, or explore the website at www.eloise-sarl.fr.