Lab Bulletin

Agar Scientific, a leading supplier of microscopy accessories and consumables, announces the convenient Lift-Out Shuttle from Kleindiek Nanotechnik for electron microscopists.

Agar Scientific is a market leader in the supply of high quality accessories to assist with sample handling for the electron microscopy market. Working with leading German manufacturer of precision manipulation products, Kleindiek Nanotechnik, Agar are pleased to offer the Lift-Out Shuttle, LOS, for the UK and Irish markets.

In-situ lift-out techniques have become more reliable methods for preparation of samples requiring TEM and atom probe inspection. However, despite their new-found popularity, they remain considerably more expensive than ex-situ lift-out techniques and require lots of valuable time in the Focused Ion Beam (FIB). Time and cost factors call for a faster, simpler procedure while further improving the reliability of the technique.

By combining a precision sub-stage with a micro gripper system and their novel SemGlu, Kleindiek have developed a new, fast, easy and efficient tool: The Lift-Out Shuttle. This device is small enough to fit through the load lock of most common electron microscopes. Mounting the sample and the TEM-grid that has been treated with a small amount of SemGlu to a single microscope stub puts all the pieces necessary for lift-out in place. The stub is then attached to the four-axis (XYZR) sub-stage. Additionally, the Microgripper is fixed to same mounting plate on which the sub-stage is positioned. In this configuration, the gripper remains stationary above the sub-stage and therefore is always centred in the field-of-view of the microscope. The stub containing the sample and TEM-grid is positioned under the gripper using the sub-stage.

With a minimal amount of practice, a TEM-sample can be fixed to a TEM-grid in five minutes or less by gripping the previously cut TEM-sample, lifting out of the substrate, moving the stage to the TEM-grid (which has been pre-treated with SEMGLU by simply applying some glue to the grid using a needle), and mounting the sample to the grid by making contact between the two and focussing the e-beam on the contact point.

For further details of Kleindiek Nanotechnik's products and specifications along with Agar's complete range of accessories and consumables for microscopy, please ask for a copy of the latest catalogue and price list. To receive your free copy, please visit http://www.agarscientific.com/ and register today.

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