How do UV Ozone Sample Cleaners work?

How do UV Ozone Sample Cleaners work? The UV ozone sample cleaners utilize two different techniques to remove hydrocarbon contamination from the surface by (1) direct decomposition of hydrocarbons under influence of UV and (2) by oxygen radicals. Read more »

Why use UV Ozone Sample Cleaners?

Why use UV Ozone Sample Cleaners? UV ozone sample cleaners are ideal to remove hydrocarbon contamination on SEM samples. Compared to aggressive plasma cleaners, our sample cleaners have a more gentle approach. There is no sample damage caused by an ion bombardment and the best cleaning strategy, either direct UV irradiation or treatment with activated oxygen, is easily adjusted based on your sample material. In only a few minutes, your sample is free of hydrocarbon contamination. Read more »

Applications of UV Ozone Sample Cleaners

Applications of UV Ozone Sample Cleaners Indium tin oxide (ITO) is a conductive material with optical transparency. It can easily be deposited as a thin film and is therefore widely applied in the aerospace industry and as conductive coating for liquid crystal displays (LCDs). The following image demonstrates the effect of cleaning an ITO thin film on a glass substrate after treatment with the ZoneSEM II.

ZONE II for SEM

In general, all samples are covered by hydrocarbons, either by sample preparation or handling.

During SEM imaging at high magnifications, fine structures can gradually become unclear and the area shows a black when magnification is reduced. This effect is observed when hydrocarbons on the sample surface aggregate and polymerize due to electron beam irradiation. Cleaning of the samples prior to SEM imaging drastically reduces hydrocarbon contamination. ST Instruments offers desktop UV ozone sample cleaners manufactured by Hitachi High-Tech which drastically reduce hydrocarbon contamination. The ZoneSEM II can accommodate samples up to 100 mm in diameter and there is no need to remove the sample from the stub, which makes the system compatible with all SEM manufacturers. For TEM grids, the ZoneTEM II has 5 ports to accommodate different types of TEM holders.

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Key Features and Benefits

♦ Safe, non-destructive UV cleaning technology

♦ Typical sample cleaning time, 5-15 minutes

♦ Programmable cleaning recipes

Applications

♦ Metals – Al, Cu, Au, Sn, Ag, Ni, Mo

♦ Semiconductors – Si, a-NPD (OLED hole transport layer), GaAs

♦ LiMnO₄ – Cathodic materials for Li batteries

About Hitachi

Hitachi High-Tech Corporation, provides a wide variety of scientific instruments. Their innovative R&D approach enables them to provide world-class solutions in the fields of materials sciences, life sciences, energy storage and semiconductor.