Gentle Mill ™ is a special ion mill which eliminates
surface damage caused by the high-energy ion beam milling. Samples
prepared and carefully polished with Technoorg Gentle Mill lets you measure the real
crystal structure instead of artifacts on TEM or SEM samples, with the
new and unique endpolisher.
Low-energy ion mill for endpolishing
Gentle Mill ™ is a fully computer-controlled ion mill
polisher for
high-quality / low energy final polishing of TEM and XTEM samples and surface
cleaning of SEM samples of best quality.
General
Gentle Mill ™, Technoorg Linda’s automated ion beam workstation
was designed for final ion mill polishing, easy ion mill cleaning and improving of TEM and
SEM samples previously treated in standard, high-energy ion mill polishing
systems, or FIB columns. Gentle Mill™ is recommended to users who want
to prepare SEM, TEM, XTEM or FIB samples of the best quality without
amorphized surface layers, intermixing between the different layers in
thin films and with minimum damage to the treated samples only within a
few minutes. It is also applicable for quick thinning of dimpled or thin
planar (<25 µm), mechanically polished samples. [Dumbells in Si
[110] thinned by ion milling using Gentle Mill™, low-magnification
HRTEM image] [Dumbells in Si [110] thinned by ion milling using Gentle
Mill™, high-magnification HRTEM image]
 
Features
- Outstanding low-energy ion source
- Computer control
- Precise adjustment of milling parameters
- Artifact-free sample preparation technology
State-of-the-art low-energy ion source
Gentle Mill™ operates with an outstanding patented (US Patent
6,236,3054) hot-cathode low-energy ion gun. The extremely low energy of
the ion beam guarantees minimization of surface damage and ion beam
induced amorphization. The exceptional construction of the ion source
produces high ion beam current densities. High lifetime cathodes, when
necessary can be replaced in as little as five minutes. All ion gun
parameters, including accelerating voltage and cathode current are
controlled automatically by a digital feedback loop, but can always be
changed manually during the sample preparation procedure. The initial
values of the ion source parameters are set either automatically or
manually and are continuously displayed on the computer screen. If the
sample preparation requires some rapid changes, the parameters of the
ion source can be easily adjusted during the milling process.
Automated operation
The Gentle Mill™ is equipped with full computer control utilizing
an easy-to-use graphical user interface. All milling parameters,
including the ion energy, beam current, sample motion, tilt angle and
milling time can be stored or pre-programmed in arbitrary number of
steps. This feature allows to produce high-quality samples with minimal
user intervention. Gentle Mill™ is supplied with a software extension
for online support, which enables instant error detection and problem
elimination through the Internet.
Vacuum system
The vacuum level in Gentle Mill™’s working chamber is maintained
by a fully computer-controlled, oil-free vacuum system, utilizing
Pfeiffer membrane and turbomolecular pump technology. The Gentle Mill™
employs a vacuum load-lock system, which enables rapid and precise
sample exchange without breaking the vacuum. The air-lock chamber
guarantees preservation of vacuum maintaining a clean milling
environment and allows rapid configuration of the milling system after
sample exchange. This setup is especially suitable for high-throughput
applications.
Artifact-free sample surface
Gentle Mill™’s exclusive capability of producing damagefree
samples at low-energy ion bombardment provides unique opportunity to
study the real nanostructures in synthesized and natural materials in
all fields of technical sciences and materials research. [[011] of GaAs
samples thinned by ion milling at 3000 eV] [[011] of GaAs samples
thinned by ion milling using Gentle Mill™ at 200 eV]
 
Application
The Gentle Mill™ can be applied widely in the fields of materials
research, nanotechnology, semiconductor and optical industry. It is
perfectly suited for preparation or final treatment of the following
materials and structures: multilayer systems, semiconductors, high TC
superconductors, composite materials, metals, ceramics, diamond films,
glasses, rocks and minerals.
Accessories
- Ion Mill - Models IV3, IV4
- MicroSaw
- MicroPol
- MicroHeat
Specifications
Low-energy ion source (one fixed type)
- variable, continuously adjustable ion energy (100–2000 eV)
- variable, continuously adjustable ion current (7–90 µA)
Vacuum system
- original Pfeiffer computer-controlled vacuum system with oil-free
membrane and turbomolecular pumps, equipped with compact full-range
vacuum gauge (combined Pirani and Penning heads)
- vacuum load-lock system
Specimen adjustment
- electronically adjustable milling angle from 0° to 45° (in 0.1°
increments)
- computer-controlled specimen rotation and oscillation from 0° to
120° (in 10° increments)
- remarkable thickness range of accepted TEM samples (30–200 µm)
Computer control
- built-in personal computer
- easy-to-use graphical interface
- highly automated operating regime for minimal user intervention
- milling and polishing cycles can be pre-programmed or manually set
- all important parameters can be easily changed by mouse clicking
- CCD camera image for real-time visual control (up to 400×
magnification)
Size / weight
- width: 700 mm, height: 600 mm, depth: 670 mm
- weight: ca. 50 kg
Power requirements
- 100-120 V / 3.0 A / 60 Hz or 220-240V / 1.5 A / 50 Hz
- single phase
Other
WARRANTY is valid for 4 years including 1 year on-site and 3 years
factory service. A DEMO CD is included with all important steps of
sample preparation and ion gun cleaning. Special tools for easy sample
holder handling and ion gun removal are also provided. Double and single
sided sample holders are available as well.
Gentle
Mill IV5 in PDF format
Gentle
Mill IV6 in PDF format
|
(Bild)
