Evactron® SoftClean Desktop Plasma Cleaning Sample Chamber

The Evactron^® SoftClean Chamber/Evactron combination pre-cleans specimens and specimen mounts with suspicious or known high levels of contamination before their introduction into your microscope chamber.Evactron plasma cleaning removes the protective carbon capping layer to reveal delicate surface features of interest.Use routine plasma cleaning to eliminate hydrocarbon contamination and improve atom probe specimen yield.

Image Credit: Evactron E50 (XEI Scientific)

Materials and Methods

Sample: semiconductor epilayers with region of interest, 20nm beneath the sample surface

Specimen Prep: standard cylindrical FIB/SEM but withSharpie® ink forming protective carbon cap

Atom Probe Microscope: CAMECA LEAP® 4000X Si

Results

Evactron plasma cleaning removes the protective carbon capping layer to reveal delicate surface features of interest. Routine plasma cleaning eliminates hydrocarbon contamination and improvesatom probespecimen yield.

Key Features

The key features of the Evactron^® SoftClean Desktop Plasma cleaning sample chamber are:

Benchtop plasma cleaning

Can also be used as a specimen storage system, keeping samples in a clean environment

Gentle, yet effective at removing H/C contamination using reactive gas radicals by chemical etch, rather than potentially damaging sputter etching

Just use air for oxygen radicals, or use other gases for alternative plasma processes

4 KF 40 and 1 KF 16 vacuum mounting-anges with a manual shut-off valve for the vacuum port

Adaptor-anges for all major manufacturers of TEM sample holders available

1 venting port and a plated aluminum lid with 5.5" diameter glass viewing port

Wide Pressure Range