It is often valuable to examine the impact of physical and mechanical stress on the microstructure of a sample. In experimental material design, modeling and optimization of a material often dependson how grain structure might be impacted by routine stress, overstress, or cyclic wear. In-SEM mechanical testing allows for a precisely prepared sample to be examined using the high magnification imaging and analytical capability of the SEM during the stress analysis.

 

Using a specialized powered stage in the SEM chamber, a sample can be heated, cooled, and either pulled to apply a tensile force, or compressed in the SEM. The part under scrutiny can be subjected to these stresses with live imaging and analysis in the SEM, allowing for real time movies at extremely high magnification to be captured. Similarly, using additional detectors or sensors in the SEM, changes to the sample’s crystallographic structure, chemical distribution, or electrical properties can be similarly imaged, correlated, and indexed. With the application of FIB-SEM analysis, the sample can be examined using EBSD, or precision micro-sections can be pulled from areas of interest during the testing for high resolution TEM/EDS/EELS analysis. The flexibility of this powerful instrumentation combination allows for in-vivo examination of a wide variety of materials, from examining creep and plastic deformation in steels, phase conversion in high strength Ti alloys, or correlating faults and fractures as they develop with features in the microstructure of the material.

Feel free to contact EMSL’s team of scientists to see how we can assist you in determining the best approach for your projects.

 

FIB         

 

Dual beam FIB-FESEM instruments are a tool gaining increasing adoption in manufacturing, process development, and failure analysis due to their versatility and precision. The use of a focused ion beam (FIB) creates a very finely focused beam of ions from a reservoir source that can be rastered, focused, and controlled with electrostatic deflectors and lenses. While different ion sources are available for specialty applications, Gallium is a common ion used in these instruments. While the ions can be scanned over a sample surface to image the material with secondary electron generation, similar to an SEM, the larger mass of the ions impacts the surface with a much larger amount of energy than electrons from an SEM source. This provides a means by which the sample can be altered, shaped, prepared, and then analyzed for a host of purposes. Samples can be cut, cross-sections can be created, and through the use of injected gas precursors, materials can be deposited on the sample to create controlled structures or create patterned conductive paths to edit or alter micro-circuitry.

                The addition of a high resolution SEM column along with the FIB creates a uniquely powerful analytical platform. Samples can be mounted, sectioned, probed, and imaged all in a very rapid, precise analytical time frame. The advantage of high magnification of the FE-SEM, good material contrast, and low voltage imaging performance allow for very fine structures in composite materials to be examined. The use of an electron beam also allows for additional analytical techniques, including EDS, EBSD, and BSE imaging. This imaging precision also allows for easy preparation of extremely thin, precise TEM section samples in a variety of materials. All of these techniques can be combined to provide three dimensional analysis, using serial tomography sectioning with the high resolution ion beam, in order to provide voxel resolution under 10 nm over a large volume.

                EMSL’s advantage in providing FIB-SEM service allows our range of scientists to leverage these powerful analysis methodologies using our broad range of experience across a multitude of industries. Analysis of semi-conductor devices for failures can be done in the same day as 3D-tomography of catalyst particles in a fuel cell membrane, and performing crack propagation analysis of high tensile steels with EBSD can be done the next day. Our dedication to serving as a resource to our clients in a variety of fields allows us to deliver the best analytical services to clients on demand.