Description:

A Cold Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscope (FEGSEM) of "below‑the‑lens" design capable of (manufacturer's claims) 1.5 nm resolution at 15 kV, 12 mm W.D.; and 2.5 nm resolution at 1 k, 2.5 mm W.D. Magnification ranges from 30X to 500,000X. Specimen tilt at 12 mm W.D. up to 45 degrees. Electron source is a cold FE gun producing high brightness (~ 2 x 10⁹ A / cm²/sr) with little energy spread (0.2 - 0.3 eV). The "below‑the‑lens" design and large sample chamber port permits samples as large as 100 mm diameter x 17 mm thick. Oil-free vacuum systems pump column and sample exchange. Available image modes include secondary and backscattered electron images. There are two secondary electron detectors; one above the objective lens, the other below. Digital images may be acquired in BMP, TIFF, or JPEG file formats at 640 x 480, 1280 x 960, or 1560 x 1920 pixels.

An Emitech cryo stage is available for use with samples prepared in the Emitech K-1250 Cryopreparation / Cryotransfer.

Equipment/Accessories:

• Hitachi S-4700 with a variety of non-cryo sample holders
• CryoSEM observation using Emitech Cryo Stage, Model K-1250 Cryopreparation System, and a variety of sample holders
• Backscatter imaging at TV rates and low voltage (threshold 2.5 kV on gold) with Autrata modified YAG (yttrium aluminum garnet, cerium doped) crystal
• Keithly Specimen Current Detector

Applications:

• High-resolution topographic contrast (Se) and atomic number contrast (BSe) imaging of biological and non-biological samples in both room temperature and cryo modes
• Applicable to imaging of immunogold labeled individual cells and bacteria

Capabilities: