Home » Our Techniques » Imaging » Cryo-FIB/SEM
Cryogenic focused ion beam and scanning electron microscopy (cryo-FIB/SEM) is a technique used to minimize ion and electron beam damage. Soft materials such as polymers and biological specimens, battery materials, and many other materials systems may deform, melt, or amorphize under room-temperature FIB milling and SEM imaging conditions. Through cryo-FIB/SEM, the sample is cooled to cryogenic (-130°C) temperatures to minimize these artifacts. The cooling is done by running liquid nitrogen through the CryoMat cold stage installed in our ThermoFisher FEI Helios G3 system. This enables accurate FIB cross-sectioning and SEM measurements of beam sensitive materials with minimal deformation. This also allows for cryogenic FIB lamella preparation for cryo-TEM analysis.
Polymers
Li battery materials
Photoresist
Biological specimens
Beam/heat sensitive metals
FIB cross-sectioning and SEM imaging of beam sensitive materials
FIB TEM sample preparation of beam sensitive materials
FIB cross-sectioning and SEM imaging of frozen specimens
Minimize FIB artifacts (deformation, melting, bubbling, intermetallic formation)
Enable the usage of higher ion and electron beam voltages and currents compared to room temperature FIB
Minimal deformation during SEM imaging and measurements of soft materials
Maximum sample size is 20 x 20 mm wide, 7 mm tall
Cooling the stage/sample and stabilizing at cryo-temperatures is time-intensive
Maximum CryoMat stage rotation is +/- 20°
Electron-beam and ion-beam assisted gas deposition is not possible at cryogenic-temperatures
Contact us today for your Cryo-FIB needs. Please complete the form below to have an EAG expert contact you.