The Electron Microscopy Service (SME@CICECO) is a core and general use facility of CICECO. The main goals are to provide high-quality analysis, training and access to students, researchers and professors. Services to external users are also supplied.
The SME@CICECO manages, in an integrated way, sample preparation equipment and the following electron microscopes, located at DEMaC and CICFANO/DFis:
Scanning Electron Microscopes
- SEM Hitachi, Model SU8600 (CICFANO) (loose powders must always be analysed in TEM grids)
- SEM Hitachi, Model SU-70 (no magnetic loose powders allowed)
- SEM Hitachi, Model S4100 (under repair)
Transmission Electron Microscopes
- TEM Jeol, Model 2200 FS
- STEM Hitachi, Model HD2700 (no magnetic samples)
Other Equipment (no service due: exclusively operated by the user)
- AFM Bruker (Veeco), Model Nanoscope IIIA Multimode (Building 3)
- 3D Optical Profilometer, Sensofar, Model S Neox (Building 3)
About Electron Microscopy Facility
Equipment Reservation:
1) The equipment reservation associated with the SME@CICECO is carried out independently for each equipment.
2) For each SME@CICECO user, the level of expertise will be assigned per equipment. Possible levels are: User, Operator and Independent Operator.
3) Reservations must be requested by users every week at Microscopy Electronic System, between 00:00 on Mondays and 23:59 on Tuesdays, to occupy the schedules/sessions of the following week.
4) Sessions are assigned automatically, at 00:00 on Wednesday, considering the number of sessions available, the user’s history of reservation attempts and level of expertise. Always verify the SME calendar and Spam e-mail.
5) The user’s reservation attempt history (number of points for each equipment) is obtained as follows: if no session attributed one point (+1) is awarded to the user, and are increased sequentially a session is obtained, after which it goes to zero.
6) The users with the larger number of points will always have priority. The session is randomly attributed only if different users have the same number of points.
7) All sessions used must be validated by users after completion of the work. No new sessions can be booked until all the information is filled out.
Sample Preparation:
8) The user will be responsible for preparing the SEM and TEM samples and booking the corresponding equipment in the sample preparation room. Samples must be correctly packaged.
9) Ferromagnetic samples must be observed on TEM: Jeol 2200FS and SEM: Hitachi S4100. In the SEM’s SU 8600 and SU-70 (only in Field Free Mode), only bulk samples well fixed and verified and loose powder samples are not allowed.
10) In the SEM SU8600, bulk samples (non-powderly) must be well fixed and verified, and powder samples are only allowed using TEM carbon film grids.
If you are external from CICECO or have any questions, contact us at ciceco-sme@ua.pt.
Filipe Oliveira
Scientific Coordinator
Violeta Girão
Junior Researcher
Mainly centred her research around developing and characterizing nanostructured materials for effective and practical applications, working in carbon-based materials for water pollutants sensing and electroxidation for the last few years
Marta Ferro
Laboratory Technician
Performs the operation of scanning electron microscopes (SEM) and transmission electron microscopes (TEM) and respective spectrometers, supports the preparation of samples for microscopy, performs regular maintenance of the equipment, organization of the service and support the training activities developed by the Electron Microscopy Service
Phone
+351 924229264 (ext. 22910)
+351 234 370 354
Email
ciceco-sme@ua.pt
Room(s)
9.1.25 (DEMaC)
32.1.30 (CICFANO)
Instruments @ Materials and Ceramic Engineering Department
SEM Hitachi, Model S4100
- Field emission, high-resolution scanning electron microscope: resolution of 1,5 nm at 30kV and working distance of 5mm
- Magnification range of 30x to 300kx.
- Cold cathode field emission electron gun (FEG) with accelerating voltage (Vacc) from 0,5 to 30kV in steps of 100 V.
- Equipped with secondary and backscattered electron detectors.
- X-ray dispersion energy spectrometer (EDS) for microanalysis: Rontec UHV Dewar with a semiconductor Si (Li) Detector.
- Specimen stage with a motion in X and Y from 0 to 25 mm, working distance (WD) from 5 to 30mm, tilt (T) from -5 to +45° and rotation (R) 360°.
- Maximum specimen size: 102mm in diameter and 20 mm in height.
SEM Hitachi, Model SU-70
- Field emission, high-resolution scanning electron microscope: resolution of 1,0 nm at 15kV and working distance (WD) of 4 mm.
- Magnification range of 30x to 800kx.
- Equipped with two secondary electron detectors (normal and in-lens) and one backscattered.
- X-ray dispersion energy spectrometer (EDS) Quantax 400 for microanalysis: Peltier cooled XFlash 4010 detector for light elements, resolution 133 eV, throughput up to 275 000 cps.
- EDS profiles and mapping, and quantitative analysis available.
- Specimen stage with a motion in X and Y from 0 to 110 mm, working distance (WD) from 1.5 to 40mm, tilt (T) from -5 to +70° and rotation (R) 360°.
- Maximum specimen size: 150 mm in diameter and 20 mm thickness.
TEM Jeol, Model 2200 FS
- Electro-optical system with Schottky emission electron gun
- Maximum acceleration voltage: 200kV
- Point resolution: 0.19 nm; Resolution of crystal lattice: 0.10 nm
- Imaging modes of energy filtered TEM and STEM
- Equipped with electron energy loss spectrometer (EELS)
- STEM scanning detector for low angle transmitted electrons (BF)
- High-angle annular dark-field detector (HAADF)
- Digital Camera, model SC1000B, Orius, with image capture real-time digital video recording
- Sample tilt of ± 25 ° at the eucentric point
- Cold Trap and cold finger
- Software analysis: simulation of electron diffractograms for single crystal and polycrystalline samples; simulation of images of atomic crystalline network.
- X-ray dispersion energy (EDS): Oxford’s Aztec energy Standard with Ultim MAX TEM software
- 80 square mm2 windowless sensor with solid angle of 0.2 to 0.6 srad
- Qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis
- EDS profiles and mapping centered on the acquired image
Transmission electron microscope energy-filtered TEM EF 200kV, JEOL brand, model 2200FS, high-resolution electron gun Schottky emission (SE), omega type energy filter column spectrometry with electron energy loss EELS, Integrated STEM mode of operation, equipped with energy dispersive microanalysis of Raios-X/EDS, slow-scan CCD camera, refrigeration unit closed water circuit, and with the following characteristics:
Electro-optical system with electron gun Schottky emission (SE) • maximum acceleration voltage: 200kV • Point resolution: 0.19 nm • resolution of network: 0.10 nm. Omega energy filter type column: • Picture modes of energy filtered TEM and STEM • Spectroscopy of electron energy loss EELS Vacuum System and automatic water cooling in a closed system. Detectors: • Detector electrons transmitted low angle (BF) STEM scanning device. • Detector ring of electrons transmitted high angle (HAADF). • Digital Camera, model SC1000B, Orius, with image capture real-time digital video recording. Tilt ± 25 ° sample at the eucentric point. Trapa cold (Cold Trap) and cold finger (Cold Finger). Software analysis / simulation of electron difractogramas single crystal and polycrystalline and software analysis / simulation of images of atomic network. Electronic control console operation • Analog Console • Scanning System and digital image capture Computer System for TEM, consists of: • Two computers with Windows operating system • Two monitors 17 inches Flat • DVD / CD-RW and network ports.
STEM Hitachi, Model HD2700
- Acceleration voltage: 200kV
- Cold cathode field emission, extraction voltage of 5kV
- Low (100x to 1 000x) and high magnification (1 500 x to 10 000 000 x) modes
- Resolution of crystal lattice: 0.144 nm under ideal conditions
- Illumination-lens system modes
- Ultra-high resolution image observation
- High resolution image observation and elemental analysis
- Usual image observation and elemental mapping
- EDS Short-time elemental mapping
- Low magnification mode for selecting the region of interest
- Projector-lens modes
- Dark-field Z contrast image observation
- Dark-field diffraction contrast image observation
- Bright-field phase contrast image observation
- Bright-field image observation
- Automatic functions: focus, stigma, optical axis alignment, brightness/contrast, field centering
- Standard sample tilt of ± 18 °
- Movement range of +/- 1mm in X, Y directions and +/- 0.4mm in Z direction
AFM Bruker (Veeco), Model Nanoscope IIIA Multimode
This Bruker Multimode AFM (formerly Veeco/Digital Instruments) works with a Nanoscope IIIA controller, Nanoscope version 5.2 software and a J scanner within the range (XxYxZ) of 125?m x 125?m x 5.0?m. Samples (up to 5 mm thick) are mounted onto a 15 mm diameter disc with access to around 2-3 mm area at the center of the sample. The microscope is located onto a vibration isolation platform and inside a metallic casing to minimize possible interferences during measurement. This AFM microscope is compatible with most standard/advanced scan modes such as Contact and Tapping modes, Mapping tapping mode (phase imaging), Magnetic force microscopy, Force-curve measurement and Lateral force microscopy, and Electrostatic force microscopy.
3D Optical Profilometer, Sensofar, Model S Neox
Brand: Sensofar
Model: S neox
Room: 3.4.22
Acquisition year: 2014
Measurement techniques: Dark and light field microscopy, Focus variation (FV), Confocal (Co), PSI (phase shifting interferometry), VSI (vertical scanning interferometry)
Optical Objectives: Confocal, FV, Optical Microscopy: 10x, 20x, 50x, 100x; VSI, PSI: 10x, 50x
Confocal mode vertical resolution: 25 nm (10x), 3 nm (50x), (< 1nm, with piezo stage)
VSI vertical resolution: 1 nm; PSI vertical resolution: 0.01 nm
Lateral resolution: 0.15 µm (100x) and 0.25 µm (x50) for interferometry
Maximum sample dimensions: 40 mm height x150mmx150mm
Data analysis: SensoMap software
Instruments @ Physics Department
SEM Hitachi, Model SU8600
- Cold field emission, high-resolution scanning electron microscope: resolution of 0,6 nm at 15kV and working distance (WD) of 4 mm.
- Magnification range of 20x to 2Mx.
- Equipped with three secondary electron detectors (normal and in-column), one backscattered detector (energy filtering or acceleration effect) and one transmission detector.
- X-ray dispersion energy spectrometer (EDS) XFlash7 for microanalysis: silicon drift XFlash 7100 detector, resolution 129 eV, throughput up to 275 000 cps.
- EDS profiles and mapping, and quantitative analysis available.
- Specimen stage with a motion in X and Y from 0 to 110 mm, working distance (WD) from 1.5 to 40mm, tilt (T) from -5 to +70° and rotation (R) 360°.
- Maximum specimen size: 150 mm in diameter and 36 mm thickness.