New extensions on ZEISS Crossbeam 350/550 and ZEISS Atlas 5 improve speed and data quality
New technology LaserFIB on ZEISS Crossbeam accelerates FIB-SEM sample preparation.
Faster FIB-SEM sample preparation
Researchers who perform multi-scale, correlative studies using X-ray microscopy data to drive FIB-SEM site selections today can further enhance their workflows with the newly introduced, patented LaserFIB on ZEISS Crossbeam 350/550. This feature enables the access of deeply buried structures in addition to rapid, gallium free structure fabrication over large length scales.
Users can perform laser work in a dedicated chamber to avoid contamination of the main instrument. A next generation femtosecond laser added to the airlock provides massive material ablation in a short time while virtually eliminating laser-induced heat effects. The new tool is up to 50 times faster for large volume removal than equivalent workflows using a plasma ion source. The LaserFIB can be used to produce structures such as cantilevers, pillars for nanomechanical testing or samples for the ZEISS Xradia Ultra X-ray microscope. Further applications are the creation of large cross sections for EBSD (electron backscattered diffraction) studies or whole TEM grids with guaranteed gallium free results.
Steel pillar – rapidly extracted and polished using femtosecond laser to reveal basic microstructural details, ahead of a final Ga-FIB polish
– Array of 4×4 circular pillars in a titanium alloy sample. Laser machining of the whole array took 2.5 min. The pillars have a diameter of 30 µm at the top, are 100 µm tall and are surrounded by 150 µm clearance.
Laser cut 1 mm wide cross section in WC hardmetal sample with a depth of 140 µm ready for further analysis e.g. by EBSD. Laser polishing of the cross section took about 30 s.
Enhanced correlative workflows, tomography data quality and interactive data environment
In conjunction with the release of LaserFIB for Crossbeam, ZEISS Atlas 5 has been improved for imaging, 3D Tomography and has been extended with a toolkit for analysis and reporting.
One new improvement in the software automates the region of interest finding from X-ray microscopy data to FIB-SEM data. This enables enhanced correlative workflows due to faster and more accurate relocation of regions of interest.
Once a region has been located, the new feature of the Atlas 5 module 3D Tomography, “Thin & Fast Tomography”, utilizes ZEISS’ patented True-Z technology to measure each slice thickness and reconstruct a tomogram which accounts for each slice’s thickness variability, even on challenging samples. This provides greater accuracy for the final reconstructed volume making 3D and 4D modeling more accurate and increasing precision of segmentation when investigating 3D volumes.
Enhancements to a toolbox in ZEISS Atlas 5 now enable users to analyze, present and share results more effectively than ever. Correlated data of a multi-modal dataset is visible at one glance with simultaneous visualization of all imaging or analytic modalities. Storyboarding, the production of curated slideshows and the possibilities of digital education are facilitated by ZEISS’ new Enhanced Browser-Based Viewer Export Module.
Screenshot of multi-modal correlative dataset of granite in Atlas 5’s browser-based viewer featuring different light and electron microscopic scans of the same sample area. The user is guided by a curated slideshow with additional information when viewing this dataset, or can freely explore it at full resolution.
Learn more at 2019 MRS Fall Meeting in Boston, USA
These new technologies will be featured at the MRS Fall Meeting in Boston, USA, December 3 – 5 at the ZEISS booth as well as in a symposium talk “Advances in FIB Nanotomography – Towards 1 nm^3 Voxels.”