Live colour cathodoluminescence imaging in the SEM

ChromaCL2

Quick CL Links: MonoCL4, MiniCL, DigiScan

Live colour cathodoluminescence imaging has found important uses in mineral analysis laboratories world-wide. From oil and gas exploration to geochronology to mineral growth studies ChromaCL has shed new light on problems old and new.

Colour CL images reveal changes in mineral composition including phase and trace element distribution allowing easy visualization of chemical overprinting and overgrowths, growth zonation, internal healed fractures and much more. What’s more, with ChromaCL2 all this is revealed with a single scan of the electron beam.

Quartz arenite, quartz grains from granite and metamorphic source, with low temperature quartz cement (bluish). There is a later (hotter) overprint (reddish) along grain boundaries in the overgrowth.     Image courtesy Dr J. Schieber, Univ. Indiana.

With increased sensitivity, dynamic range and a number of new features ChromaCL2, Gatan’s next generation live colour cathodoluminescence imaging system, promises to push the boundaries of mineral science research even further.

Get the full picture

ChromaCL2 has a range of novel options to enhance the analytical capabilities available to today’s microscopists:

ChromaCL2UV – Many minerals such as quartz, zircon and diamond exhibit CL emission outside of the visible spectrum. Expand your analysis capabilities with sensitivity to UV wavelengths as well as the visible spectrum. Ultra violet wavelengths displayed in false colour.

Field stitching – Extend the horizons of your CL analysis with the ability to survey large areas of a specimen automatically. ChromaCL2’s DigitalMicrograph software takes control of the SEM stage and electron beam to acquire an array of images which can then be stitched together digitally to form a super-image. Data limit of ~10,000 x 10,000 pixels in 32-bit application and virtually unlimited in 64-bit application.

iBSED – integrated back scattered electron detector for simultaneous detection of secondary and back scattered electrons, and cathodoluminescence. A miniature diode is integrated into the CL collection optics providing high quality compositional information whilst maintaining excellent CL collection efficiency.

Image carbonate-based minerals – Widen the materials that can be investigated in the SEM using colour CL. Many carbonate-based minerals appear ‘streaky’ in scanned CL images due to phosphorescence. Reveal hidden texture obscured by the streaking in the carbonate and other inclusions by use of optical filter kit.