Flexible Imaging Made Easy
The TM4000 keeps usability and time-to-date at its heart, but this is not at the expense of the flexibility you need to truly understand your sample. Choose between SE (surface contrast) and BSE (compositional contrast) on both conductive and insulating samples without prior sample preparation.
Both SE and BSE detectors can be viewed simultaneously (separately or mixed) as well as in low vacuum mode. The ability to select appropriate probe current and acceleration voltage helps to ensure the best results.
Image: Left: Chemical contrast (BSE) Middle: Topography (SE) Right: Mixed SE/BSE image
Fast Navigation
Thanks to the completely integrated optical navigation camera, users can find their way around their specimen quickly. Users can easily overlay and correlate their SEM and optical images so that they know precisely where they are and what they have done at all times.
Image: The left side shows an SE image of the inside of a watch, bottom right shows the optical image with overlaid SEM images from areas that have been imaged
High-Performance EDS for Advanced Elemental Analysis
The integrated x-ray microanalysis (EDS) system from leading suppliers like Oxford Instruments or Bruker ensures fast and accurate elemental analysis with advanced features not found on other benchtop SEMs. Live peak deconvolution ensures that spectral line overlaps are removed to provide true elemental distribution and avoid accidental misinterpretation.
Image: Line overlap with W and Si peaks in the spectra on the right By using peak deconvolution it is possible to see which grains actually contain W
Automate your Particle, Fiber, or Chemical Analysis
Improve your statistics and eliminate time-consuming work by adding our powerful modules to automate your particle, fiber, or matrix analysis (a capability normally associated only with full-size SEMs). Fully automated acquisition and analysis in the TM4000 enables size, morphology, and chemical composition to be quickly characterized, even across thousands or millions of features. This capability can be critical in characterizing materials including:
- Electrospun fibers
- Metal powders for additive manufacturing
- Technical cleanliness (to VDA19 / ISO16232 standards)
- Steel cleanliness (to ISO4967 standard)
- Asbestos analysis (to VDI 3492 / ISO14966 standards)
- Mineral phase identification, liberation, and characterization
Image 1 (left): Left: Automatic particle detection Right: Particle size distribution
Image 2 (bottom left): Mineral particle identification and characterization using Bruker AMICS
Left:BSE image Middle:Identified particles Right:Mineral classification
Image 3 (bottom right): Automated fiber thickness measurement
Examine Wide Areas Automatically
Modules for fully-automated wide-area acquisition and stitching (including imaging and chemical analysis) mean you can get all the high-resolution data you need, even over large length scales.
Image: Geological thin section stitched using 3x3 images to cover a 6x5 mm area
Quantitative Surface Metrology
Understand your material surfaces in detail with integrated, tilt-free 3D surface modeling and metrology. Measure surface parameters such as depth, angle, or roughness, including 3D surface textures described in ISO 25178.
Image: 3D Surface roughness of a worn metal surface
Cathodoluminescence Detector
The integrated cathodoluminescence detector can detect light emitted from a range of semiconductor, geological and pharmaceutical materials in response to electron beam irradiation. This can be a powerful tool in locating active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) in pharma samples or to undertake geological studies including crystal zonation and growth history.
Image 1: Sample: Coarse-grained Syenite with zonation in the alkali feldspar
Left: CL image Middle: BSE image Right: Mixed CL and BSE
Small variations in Ca and Na content create CL contrast, hardly visible in the BSE image
Image 2: SE, BSE and CL images of a pharmaceutical powder
Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM)
Electron transparent samples such as biological sections or nanoparticles can be imaged with high contrast and surprising ease compared to conventional SEM and TEM. For example, the TM4000 can be used for sample screening prior to full TEM examination, high-throughput imaging of pigments in polymers, or for graphene flake size analysis.
Image: Left: Mouse Kidney Right: Mouse Liver
In-Situ Testing
There are numerous options and accessories to enable in-situ experiments in the TM4000. In situ stages for tilting, rotation, sample manipulation, electrical probing, tensile or compression testing, fatigue testing, nanoindentation, heating, cooling, etc.
Image: Example of tensile testing in the SEM, in this case of a leather sample
