The Evactron® SoftClean Chamber/Evactron combination pre-cleans specimens and specimen mounts with suspicious or known high levels of contamination before their introduction into your microscope chamber. Evactron plasma cleaning removes the protective carbon capping layer to reveal delicate surface features of interest. Use routine plasma cleaning to eliminate hydrocarbon contamination and improve atom probe specimen yield.
Image Credit: Evactron E50 (XEI Scientific)
Materials and Methods
Sample: semiconductor epilayers with region of interest, 20nm beneath the sample surface
Specimen Prep: standard cylindrical FIB/SEM but with Sharpie® ink forming protective carbon cap
Atom Probe Microscope: CAMECA LEAP® 4000X Si
Results
Evactron plasma cleaning removes the protective carbon capping layer to reveal delicate surface features of interest. Routine plasma cleaning eliminates hydrocarbon contamination and improves atom probe specimen yield.
Key Features
The key features of the Evactron® SoftClean Desktop Plasma cleaning sample chamber are:
- Benchtop plasma cleaning
- Can also be used as a specimen storage system, keeping samples in a clean environment
- Gentle, yet effective at removing H/C contamination using reactive gas radicals by chemical etch, rather than potentially damaging sputter etching
- Just use air for oxygen radicals, or use other gases for alternative plasma processes
- 4 KF 40 and 1 KF 16 vacuum mounting-anges with a manual shut-off valve for the vacuum port
- Adaptor-anges for all major manufacturers of TEM sample holders available
- 1 venting port and a plated aluminum lid with 5.5" diameter glass viewing port
- Wide Pressure Range