Microscopy:
Scanning electron microscope/ EDS:
Scanning electron microscope (SEM) belongs to electron microscopes and is linked with an EDS (energy dispersive spectroscope) for elemental analysis. Scanning electron microscopes are used because of their depth of focus and high resolution.
But it does not provide colour information. The brightness of the picture elements is majorly influenced by the atomic number; the heavier the element the brighter the sample appears. Elements from boron to uranium can be determined.
Most plastics are non-conductive and become therefore electrostatically charged, which results in disturbance of the pictures. This can be prevented with a coating of a thin electroconductive layer made of carbon or gold, which is applied with a sputter coater.
A possibility to examine non-conductive sample without preparatory treatment is the use of the “low-vacuum” technology. Furthermore, for an examination by SEM, the sample should be free of water, solvents and other substances that outgas in a vacuum.
Our sample chamber is equipped with a motorised sample table, which can hold samples up to a height of approx. 50 cm. Larger samples can be trimmed to the required size in our workshop with various separating machines.
Many problematic issues like for example a false layer thickness or a defective soldering joint are better recognisable with grinding than with top view. That is the reason why we dispose of grinding and polishing machines for producing grindings.
Typical applications are:
- Identification of residues on components
- Documentation and measurement of products
- Determination of layer structure and layer thickness, for example of contacts
- Fracture and failure analysis
Analogue and digital microscopes:
Light microscopes are indispensable tools for the documentation of samples and for the metallography. Depending on the application specially equipped microscopes are at disposal:
A Leica-stereomicroscope with a magnification range from 10x to 80x is available for sample preparation. Because of the large operating distance the microscope especially is convenient for the handling or rather extraction of sample material for further analyses. The microscope is equipped with a polarisation filter in order to minimise reflections on metallic surfaces.
For the recording of pictures, we dispose of both a digital camera and an adapter for reflex cameras.
The Leitz Ortholux-stereomicroscope is equipped with 10x-ocular and various lenses (5x, 10x, 20x, 50x, 100x) and this results in a magnification range of 50x to 1000x. Additionally, it can be linked with a polarising filter, an aperture and even a colour filter. The light source is a halogen light (front light). Pictures can be captured by an adapter via digital camera and reflex camera.
The Keyence-digital microscope is equipped with lenses 20-200x and 100-1000x. The coordinate table can be moved manually in X- and Y-direction, the lens itself can be moved in the Z-direction and as well around the sample at the angle between -70° and +70°. This allows for the sample to be examined from every direction without having to move the sample itself.
The lens can be moved in Z-direction by a step motor. Thanks to this, pictures can be taken from different depth planes and then be assembled by software to a depth of focus or rather 3D-profile-pictures.
The software offers numerous additional features as for example dimensioning or labelling.
dhs-Cleanalyzer®:
The dhs- Cleanalyzer® is a fully automatic system with zoom lenses and consists of a software and individual hardware. This system was specially developed for standard-conforming residual dirt analysis to evaluate filters, in order to determine the level of contamination of components.