Home » Electronic Microscopy

Electronic microscopy

Electron microscopy makes it possible to observe all types of materials from the nano scale to the macro scale. The information obtained provides information on morphology and surface chemistry as well as internal organisation and chemical composition.

 

Leader

Vidal Loïc
Contacts : loic.vidal@uha.fr ou ludovic.josien@uha.fr

Description

Areas of activity :
The equipment of the platform (scanning electron microscopes and transmission electron microscopes) makes it possible to carry out morphological, chemical and crystallographic characterisations of all types of materials (polymers, porous solids, carbons, biological objects, etc.).

Main equipment (strengths of the Institute) :
The platform is equipped with 5 microscopes, a ion slicer and an ultramicrotome for the preparation of samples :

  • 1 atomic-resolution transmission electron microscope (JEOL, ARM-200F) equipped with a chemical analysis system
  • 1 transmission electron microscope (Philips, CM200)
  • 1 scanning electron microscope (Philips, XL30) equipped with a Kammrath liquid cryostage and 4 Imina nanoprobing MiBots
  • 1 high resolution scanning electron microscope (Jeol, JSM-7900F) equiped with a chemical analysis system (Bruker, Quantax)
  • 1 ion slicer (Jeol EM-09100IS)
  • 1 environmental-type scanning electron microscope (FEI, Quanta 400) equipped with a chemical analysis system
  • 1 cryogenic ultramicrotome (Leica, EM UC7)

Technical description

1901
1960
1985
2557
2566
Philips Scanning Electron Microscope, XL30 model
Location rue A. Werner
Canon field effect – W/ZrO2 point
Operating mode high vacuum
Resolution About 2 nanometers
Sample preparation constraint samples must be conductive (metallization required for insulation samples)
Means of control relating to the environment air conditioner and cold water loop
Imina miBots TM 4 micro robots indepently driving of their own probe (a contacting tip or an optical fiber). The positioning accuracy of a contact tip of a micromanipulator on an object is less than a micrometer. The robots are designed to be able to measure very low currents.
Kammrath Cryostage liquid nitrogen cryostage which allows samples to be cooled down to -195°C. The stage is also equiped with a heater that can reach 300°C.
It is possible to use the cryostage and the 4 microrobots together. This coupling allows current measurements to be made at low temperatures
Self-service accessibility yes for IS2M PhD students and students with a large number of samples and after training by the technical manager

Contact : Ludovic Josien

FEI Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope, Quanta 400 model
Location rue J. Starcky
Canon thermo-ionic, filament W
Operating mode high vacuum
low vacuum (up to 1 torr of water in the chamber, observation of insulating samples)
environmental (up to 20 torr of water in the chamber, observation of hydrated samples)
resolutions high vacuum : About 5 to 10 nanometres
low vacuum : About 10 to 20 nanometres
environmental : > at 20 nanometres
Sample preparation constraint high vacuum observations : samples must be conductive (metallization required for insulation samples)
observations in low vacuum and environmental : no prior preparation even for insulation samples
Accessories for use in low vacuum and environmental Peltier plate : range of accessible temperatures : -5 to 40°C
warming plate : range of accessible temperatures : 20 to 1000°C
traction plate for polymer films : range of stretches : 0 to 200 %
EDX all detectable and quantifiable elements from boron
Means of control relating to the environment air-conditioner
Self-service accessibility no

Contact : Loic Vidal

Transmission electron microscope Philips, CM200
Location rue J. Starcky
Canon thermo-ionic, LaB6 filament
Operating mode high vacuum
Resolution 0.3 nanometre
Sample preparation constraint the samples must have a thickness of less than 100 nm (obtained by grinding or ultramicrotomy)
EDX all detectable and quantifiable elements from boron
Electronic diffraction possibility of determining inter-reticular distances in the case of crystallized solids
Means of control relating to the environment air conditioner and cold water loop
Self-service accessibility no

Contact : Loic Vidal

Transmission electronic microscope JEOL, ARM200
Location rue J. Starcky
Canon cold FEG
Operating mode high vacuum
Configuration TEM, STEM : at 80 or 200kV
Presence of an objective lens corrector
Resolution 80pm (TEM in network border mode)
Sample preparation constraint the samples must have a thickness of less than 100 nm (obtained by grinding or ultramicrotomy)
EDX semi-quantitative analyses : all detectable and quantifiable elements from boron. Chemical mapping
Electronic diffraction possibility of determining inter-reticular distances in the case of crystallized solids
Tomography 3D reconstruction of objects observed
Means of control relating to the environment air conditioner and cold water loop
Self-service accessibility no

Contact : Loic Vidal

JEOL High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscope, JSM-7900F model
Location rue A. Werner
Gun Schottky field emission gun
Operating mode High vaccum with chamber SE and BSE detectors + In-lens electrons detectors + transmission electrons detectors (BF, DF, HAADF)

 Low vaccum with chamber SE and BSE detectors for the observation of insulating samples (maximal chamber pressure : 300 Pa of N2  )
Resolutions High vacuum : 0.5 nanometers
Low vacuum : 1.4 to 4 nanometers depending on the pressure value
Sample preparation constraint – General case : maximum sample size admitted 5 cm in diameter and 4 cm in height
– Transmission mode : maximum sample size admitted 3 mm in diameter and 100 nm in height
Accessories – Plasma cleaner available in the exchange chamber
EDX Two 30mm² silicon drift detector
All elements detectable from boron and quantifiable from fluorine
Means of control relating to the environmen air conditioner and cold water loop
Self-service accessibility no

Contact : Ludovic Josien