TESCAN AMBER X FIB-SEM solution

The TESCAN AMBER X is a FIB-SEM solution that combines high-throughput plasma-assisted ion milling with ultrahigh-resolution (UHR) field-free SEM optics — a combination suited to materials characterisation over a wide sample range. The product targets applications include milling and characterisation of large cross-sections (up to 1 mm in width), multiscale, multimodal FIB-SEM tomography, and contamination-free preparation of micro- and nano-structures for subsequent testing or characterisation.

Whereas the more common gallium FIB-SEM systems, such as TESCAN AMBER or SOLARIS, are suitable for applications that require high ion beam milling precision, their versatility for multiscale characterisation and sample preparation of novel materials can be compromised by their limited milling speed and liquid metal ion contamination artefacts. TESCAN AMBER X is thus useful for materials laboratories that require multiscale characterisation over a wide range of traditional and novel materials.

Xenon plasma FIB differs from gallium liquid metal ion FIB technology with its ability to focus more ions into the beam, thereby achieving higher ion beam currents than what is possible with liquid metal ion species. The benefit of higher ion beam currents, up to 1 uA for TESCAN AMBER X’s high-resolution plasma FIB configuration, is their higher milling rates — said to be one order of magnitude and more — while also delivering fine milling and polishing capabilities with 15 nm optical resolution. Due to the inert nature of xenon, plasma FIB eliminates any risk of sample contamination by ion implantation.

The product’s field-free BrightBeam electron column extends ultrahigh resolution for concurrent SEM, EDS or EBSD characterisation to a wide range of materials, like metallic, magnetic, non-conductive or beam-sensitive, that might otherwise be affected by non-field-free electron optics, while still achieving ultrahigh resolution (1.5 nm @ 1 kV).