Precision Etching and Coating System (PECS™) II uses two wide argon ion beams to polish the surface of the sample to remove the lost layer, resulting in high quality samples for imaging, EDS, EBSD, CL, EBIC or other analysis on SEM, light mirror or scanning electron probe. The two ion guns are also aimed at the target material for sputtering. It can be used to deposit conductive metal film on the sample to prevent the charge effect of the sample in electron microscope.
The instrument is designed to process polished samples without breaking the vacuum and exposing the fresh surface of the sample to the atmosphere. The loading and unloading of samples is done in a vacuum exchange chamber by means of a specially designed loading tool.
Two small Penning ion guns with a wider voltage range provide a quick and soft finish. Ion beams as low as 100eV provide a softer polishing effect for polishing samples. The low energy focusing electrode keeps the diameter of the ion beam consistent over almost the entire acceleration voltage range. Each ion gun can be accurately and independently aligned. The Angle of the ion gun can be adjusted at any time during the operation of the instrument. The air flow of the ion gun can be adjusted manually or automatically on the touch screen to optimize the working current of the ion gun.
The PECS II sample stand is refrigerated by liquid nitrogen. Can effectively protect the sample, avoid the ion beam thermal damage, eliminate the possible illusion.
The integrated 10-inch color touch-screen computer provides complete control of all operating parameters of the PECS II system. This interface can not only set all parameters but also monitor the polishing process. All operation parameters can also be saved as recipes, which can be used to obtain high-precision repeated experiments.
The turbomolecular pump is paired with a two-stage diaphragm pump to ensure an ultra-clean environment. Gatan's sample handling tools enable rapid sample exchange (lt; 1min), so as to ensure that the processing chamber is always in a high vacuum during sample changing.
