Scanning Electron Microscopy Blog

ASPEX "Name That Sample" Contest

2009-11-25T16:42:53Z

A bit of fun from the folks at ASPEX. They make small scale SEMs and have recently been running a "Send us your sample" promotion where potential customers send in samples and get a free image taken using one of the ASPEX microscopes.

From ASPEX:

"Starting this week, ASPEX is running a "Name That Sample" contest. We have posted a couple SEM scans of an object and we're looking for people to guess what object was scanned. The first person to leave a comment with the correct answer will win a 1GB ASPEX USB stick. This week's contest will end Friday at 11:59PM EST, so get your guesses in by then! The winner will be notified by email.

There will be more mystery samples to come and prizes to be won if you miss this week's deadline."

Sounds like a bit of fun to me on the day before Thanksgiving...

Something Fun!

2009-11-13T14:51:41Z

The ASU-Ask A Biologist program is putting on an "Ugly Bug" contest. Go to their website and vote for the ugliest bug.

All of the images appear to be colorized SEM images.

Great way to get the kiddos into science that won't take longer than 5 minutes!

FEI sells off SEM line

2009-11-12T20:42:37Z

According to EETimes.com, FEI Co., manufacturer of electron microscopes, has sold it's desktop SEM line to Phenom-World, a subsidiary of NTS Group B.V. (NTS) of Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

The desktop SEM has recently become a new tool available to users of SEM who don't need a high-end research level instrument. If all that is required is relatively low magnification imaging and you don't have time for a learning curve a desktop SEM is the way to go.

The article also made mention of the recent financial health of FEI Co, which is good news.

ASPEX dry pumping option

2009-10-27T20:46:51Z

ASPEX, who specialize in small footprint SEMs that are geared for automated particle analysis, now offer an dry rough pumping option. This is useful if you want a cleaner and quieter alternative to the usual oil rotary pumps normally installed with an SEM. You might want this if you need an SEM in a clean facility or in a confined space where the noise/fumes/heat associated with an oil rotary pump become an issue.

JEOL ClairScope

2009-10-27T14:04:54Z

As a followup on what was presented at M&M this summer, JEOL is formally introducing their correlative SEM/LM tool the ClairScope(TM).

The press release is here.

The product sheet is also available here

I haven't seen or heard of a similar SEM arrangement and it looks interesting. I'm not a biologist so this is maybe a silly question, but knowing how the SEM side of the instrument is going to work, how do you keep cells alive while introducing stains to increase the BSE contrast? Also, what is the cost of the sample dishes (and are they reusable) since they provide only a 0.25 mm2 SEM observable area. I'd be happy to hear from anyone who knows more about these instruments since I don't have a lot of details at this point.

Atomic resolution

2009-09-22T17:02:55Z

Not sure if this really qualifies as SEM news, but Brookhaven National Lab, along with Hitachii have developed a Scanning microscope (technically a scanning transmission electron microscope, or STEM) capable of atomic resolution.

GSR by FEI

2009-09-08T14:02:47Z

While the terms "gunshot residue" and "fully automated" should, in my opinion, never be uttered in the same sentence, FEI has a product available to do just that.

Learn a bit more about it here or here.

Zeiss "Shuttle and Find"

2009-09-02T17:04:32Z

Carl Zeiss SMT has announced it has come up with a way to aid those doing correlative microscopy. It's called "Shuttle and Find" and you can watch a demo video at their website. Basically, if you (and/or your colleagues) are too lazy/incompetent to take notes about your sample orientation and areas of interest, they have a software package and sample holder they would be happy to sell you.

I'm afraid to ask how much this setup costs, but I bet you could by a mountain of note pads for the same amount.

Microscopy Today July 2009

2009-08-18T18:33:02Z

Two articles in the recently renovated Microscopy Today are worth your time to read.

First is application of SEM/EDS to archaeology on Page 28. It presents two case studies where ancient paints are analyzed using SEM and EDS. The second case study has an interesting observation on using the ratio of Pb M(beta) to Pb M(gamma) x-ray lines to possibly discriminate lead oxides from lead carbonates (which is kind of a big deal).

Second is an overview of how beam deceleration is used to improve low accelerating voltage imaging in non-FE SEMs.

SEM related info from M&M 2009 c/o Microscopy and Analysis Blog

2009-08-04T20:03:54Z

A couple of interesting SEM related items posted to the M&M blog at Microscopy and Analysis.

One about the JEOL ClairScope SEM/Light microscope hybrid here. The system uses and electron transparent thin film membrane to allow for the direct imaging of wet materials from below and an optical microscope to allow light imaging to be done on the same areas simultaneously from above.

Another about the Novelx mini-SEM here. I'm not sold on the "desktop" SEM yet, they've been around for a couple of years and can do imaging through a simple interface that almost anyone can walk up to and get started on. They are lacking in microanalytical capabilities and your sample has to be pretty small. Granted your sample should be as small as possible for traditional SEMs but large sample chambers allow for much more flexibility. Sub-10nm resolution from a FE system isn't much to brag about IMO, but I also don't have any idea what the price is for one of these.

The rest of the Microscopy and Analysis coverage from M&M 2009.

Remote operation

2009-07-24T16:31:34Z

A bit slow on the uptake on this one, but JEOL is deomnstrating their remote operation capabilities for their analytical FESEM. Not big news, but remote operation is a great thing for places where people aren't close to the research infrastructure they want/need to use (like most places in the northern midwest and west).

I've played a bit with using VNC software to remotely operate the UMD SEM. It's awesome if I'm on campus. Off campus, (at my house) I just don't have the bandwidth to make it work effectively. But I can see it being useful if one campus has a tool and a researcher at another campus wants to use it but doesn't want to incur the expense of traveling several hours across the state for a session remote operation would be an ideal solution.

It also has benefits if you have a very sensitive instrument (such as an analytical FESEM) which can be sensitive to operator induced vibrations or thermal variation in the room. Setup a workstation in the room next door and completely isolate the instrument.

New FESEM from Carl Zeiss SMT

2009-07-03T12:58:10Z

New this week in scanning electron microscopy...

Carl Zeiss SMT introduces upgraded FESEM. One interesting accessory is the sample cleaning ability, I haven't seen this option directly available from a SEM manufacturer before, but I haven't been shopping for a FESEM lately either...

Paleoentology use of SEM

2009-07-02T20:00:39Z

Recent article featuring new interpretations of old teeth using SEM imaging.

Optimizing Electron Backscatter Diffraction of Carbonate Biominerals—Resin Type and Carbon Coating

2009-06-10T13:48:56Z

Alberto Pérez-Huertaa1 c1 and Maggie Cusacka1
a1 Department of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ Glasgow, UK

Abstract

Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) is becoming a widely used technique to determine crystallographic orientation in biogenic carbonates. Despite this use, there is little information available on preparation for the analysis of biogenic carbonates. EBSD data are compared for biogenic aragonite and calcite in the common blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, using different types of resin and thicknesses of carbon coating. Results indicate that carbonate biomineral samples provide better EBSD results if they are embedded in resin, particularly epoxy resin. A uniform layer of carbon of 2.5 nm thickness provides sufficient conductivity for EBSD analyses of such insulators to avoid charging without masking the diffracted signal. Diffraction intensity decreases with carbon coating thickness of 5 nm or more. This study demonstrates the importance of optimizing sample preparation for EBSD analyses of insulators such as carbonate biominerals.

]]> Good general description of sample prep for EBSD of carbonates produced by critters. See the entire article here

New Images on UMD SEM Lab web page

2009-06-10T13:43:20Z

Check out the latest updates to the Image Gallery at the lab website