Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: XEI Scientific reports on how Nanolab uses Evactron® SoftClean™ Chamber for specimen cleaning

Home > Press > XEI Scientific reports on how Nanolab uses Evactron® SoftClean™ Chamber for specimen cleaning

XEI Scientific's new Evactron ® SoftClean™ specimen cleaner for use with the Evactron ® decontamination system.

Abstract:
XEI Scientific Inc, maker of the popular EVACTRON® De-Contaminator™ Plasma Cleaning System for electron microscopes and other vacuum chambers, announces their new Evactron® SoftClean™ specimen cleaning chamber is being used at Nanolab Technologies.

XEI Scientific reports on how Nanolab uses Evactron® SoftClean™ Chamber for specimen cleaning

Redwood City, CA | Posted on May 23rd, 2012

Nanolab Technologies are based in California offering cutting edge technology and expertise for Failure Analysis, Advanced Microscopy and FIB circuit edit services. Comprised of an experienced team of analysts using state of the art equipment, Nanolab delivers guaranteed accuracy and results. They offer both the expertise and technology that is necessary to provide the solutions to the ever-increasing challenges that their clients experience with today's shrinking geometries.

The microscopy group under Vincent Hou provides TEM/STEM imaging and EDS/EELS services. They are continually looking at new ways of improving the quality of services provided to their clients. Nanolab has recently added Evactron® technology from XEI Scientific through the Evactron SoftClean specimen cleaning chamber. This downstream chemical etching system provides a very "gentle" cleaning process.

As noted by Jein Shyue, VP of Technology Development, "we are now able to control contamination without either etching/damaging our samples, in particular, those with polymer fillers."

The Evactron SoftClean System combination is not a "plasma cleaner" in the usual sense. Samples are cleaned by a downstream RF plasma process that breaks down hydrocarbons into CO2, CO & H2O. This gentle process can prevent specimen damage that is typically caused by heat and ion bombardment associated with sputtering of energetic ion species. The delicate downstream process chemically ashes hydrocarbons and pumps them free of the chamber.

XEI has now sold more than 1,300 Evactron systems worldwide solving contamination problems in many different environments using instrumentation such as electron microscopes, FIBs and other vacuum sample chamber set-ups.

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About XEI Scientific Inc.
XEI Scientific Inc. invented the Evactron De-Contaminator in 1999 as the first plasma cleaner to use a downstream cleaning process to remove carbon from electron microscopes. A proprietary plasma source uses air to produce oxygen radicals for oxidation of carbon compounds for removal by the pumps. Carbon-free-vacuum produces the highest quality images and analytical results from SEMs and other vacuum analytical instruments. XEI innovations include a unique RF plasma generator, a patented RF electrode, and easy start programmed plasma cleaning. All XEI products come with a 5 year warranty and are compliant with CE, NRTL, and Semi-S2 safety standards. XEI offers a variety of Evactron® decontamination systems to meet user needs and has over 1300 installations around the world.

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http://www.evactron.com/

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