C1002 Liquid Nitrogen cold stage

Cooling stages, anticontaminators, airlock

There are many benefits of specimen cooling in the SEM:

Beam sensitive materials, such as polymers and geological samples, are stabilised, even under the high beam currents used for microanalysis.

Low temperature phases and the performance of semiconductor and superconductor materials can be studied.

Semiconductor materials can also be analysed using techniques such as cathodoluminescence and EBIC.

Gatan is a technology leader in cryogenic systems for SEM, including anti-contaminators and airlock options.

SEM Cold stages - applications

Enhanced imaging and spectroscopy, esp. for cathodoluminescence (CL). Cryogenic temperatures allow radiative recombination to dominate over non-radiative processes, leading to large increases in light output, spectral lines becoming sharper and electro-optical transitions being revealed.

For beam-sensitive materials, e.g. polymers, semiconductors, minerals ; also to prevent migration during x-ray microanalysis

Temperature dependent studies esp. of electrical/electronic materials e.g. insulators, semiconductors and superconductors

NB for biological and hydrated, liquid or other vacuum-sensitive materials, or to observe internal microstructure by freeze fracture, a cryotransfer system is required.

C1000 Series Liquid Nitrogen cold stages

Cooled Nitrogen gas is passed through a heat exchanger module which contains a heater and temperature sensor. This gives accurate, stable control of the module temperature between -185°C and various top temperatures depending on the model.

The basic systems include the following:

Cold stage module -185°C to +25°C ( C1001 ), -185°C to +200°C (C1002) and -185°C to +400°C (C1003) for 10mm diameter samples

N₂ gas cooled with interface to SEM

Gas regulator, heater

Temperature sensor

Digital temperature controller

Accessories include C1005, C1006 or C1007 anticontaminators. C1010 Airlock is recommended to allow rapid sample transfer, while keeping the stage module cold.