The Hitachi Ethos NX5000 is a high-performance microscopy system that combines Focused Ion Beam (FIB) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) technologies into a single platform. This system is used for nanoscale material analysis and processing with very high precision. By integrating these two technologies, this instrument can cut, modify and simultaneously observe the internal structure of samples in great detail. The Ethos NX5000 also provides high-resolution imaging, fast processing speed and the capability to prepare samples for Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). In addition, it includes advanced features such as triple-beam technology using Argon Ion and anti-curtaining which help produce smoother sample surfaces and reduce damage during processing. Therefore, it is widely used in fields such as semiconductors, nanotechnology, materials science and biomedical research.

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Nano size analyzers are used to measure the sizes of particles (Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and zeta potential in liquid conditions. The particle size measured in a Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) instrument is the diameter of the sphere that diffuses at the same speed as the particle being measured. The Zetasizer system determines the size by first measuring the Brownian motion of the particles in a sample using DLS and then interpreting a size from this using established theories.

Zeta potential is measured using a combination of the measurement techniques: Electrophoresis and Laser Doppler Velocimetry, sometimes called Laser Doppler Electrophoresis. This method measures how fast a particle moves in aliquid when an electrical field is applied – i.e. its velocity.

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• 10 nm - 5000 μm (Wet Mode)
• 100 nm - 5000 μm (Dry Mode)
• 9 - 1000 μm (Particle Imaging)

Laser diffraction particle size analyzers are used to measure the sizes of particles in both powder and liquid conditions. Particle size is calculated by measuring the angle of light scattered by the particles as they pass through a laser beam. Laser diffraction analyzers are used in many applications, including manufacturing, quality control and product development. Because this technique can continuously measure particle sizes across a wide range, from 10 nm to 5 mm, laser diffraction particle size analyzers are often used in industrial settings.

This laser diffraction PSA also equipped with the imaging unit which allows real-time observation, particle image acquisition, and assessment of the particles in the wet circulation system. It is small and integrated in the main unit without increasing instrument footprint.

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Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is a thermoanalytical technique in which the difference in the amount of heat required to increase the temperature of a sample and reference is measured as a function of temperature. The basic principle underlying this technique is that when the sample undergoes a physical transformation such as phase transitions, more or less heat will need to flow to it than the reference to maintain both at the same temperature. Whether less or more heat must flow to the sample depends on whether the process is exothermic or endothermic. For example, as a solid sample melts to a liquid, it will require more heat flowing to the sample to increase its temperature at the same rate as the reference. This is due to the absorption of heat by the sample as it undergoes the endothermic phase transition from solid to liquid. Likewise, as the sample undergoes exothermic processes (such as crystallization) less heat is required to raise the sample temperature. By observing the difference in heat flow between the sample and reference, differential scanning calorimeters are able to measure the amount of heat absorbed or released during such transitions. DSC may also be used to observe more subtle physical changes, such as glass transitions.

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Simultaneous Thermal Analysis (STA) generally refers to the simultaneous application of Thermogravimetry (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) to one and the same sample in a single instrument. The advantages are obvious: The test conditions are perfectly identical for the TGA and DSC signals (same atmosphere, gas flow rate, vapor pressure on the sample, heating rate, thermal contact to the sample crucible and sensor, radiation effect, etc.). Furthermore, sample throughput is improved as more information can be gathered from each test run.
Thermogravimetric analysis or thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) is a method of thermal analysis in which the mass of a sample is measured over time as the temperature changes. This measurement provides information about physical phenomena, such as phase transitions, absorption, adsorption and desorption; as well as chemical phenomena including chemisorption, thermal decomposition, and solid-gas reactions (e.g., oxidation or reduction). A complementary DSC heat flow sensor simultaneously detects thermal events such as melting and crystallization in addition to providing accurate and precise transition temperatures.

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Sputter coating is the standard method for preparing non-conducting or poorly conducting specimens prior to observation in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Sputter coating scanning electron microscopy is a sputter deposition process to cover a specimen with a thin layer of conducting material, typically a metal, such as a gold/Iridium/platinum (Au/Ir/Pt) alloy. This process is enhanced in sputter coaters to be used Scanning Electron Microscopy where the objective is to provide an electrically conductive thin film representative of the specimen for viewing. Such films inhibit "charging", reduce thermal damage, and enhance secondary electron emission. A conductive coating is needed to prevent charging of a specimen with an electron beam in conventional SEM mode (high vacuum, high voltage). While metal coatings are also useful for increasing signal to noise ratio (heavy metals are good secondary electron emitters), they are of inferior quality when X-ray spectroscopy is employed. For this reason, when using X-ray spectroscopy, a carbon coating is preferred.

Sputtered metal coatings offer the following benefits for SEM samples:
• Reduced microscope beam damage.
• Increased thermal conduction.
• Reduced sample charging (increased conduction).
• Improved secondary electron emission.
• Reduced beam penetration with improved edge resolution.
• Protects beam sensitive specimens.

Increase in electrical conductivity of a sample is probably the single most common requirement for SEM. Low voltage SEM operation can still benefit in many cases from a thin coating.

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Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) is a major analytical method in the physical, chemical and biological sciences which allows imaging of the internal structure of samples such as biological, medical, material etc, up to magnifications of 600,000x. It produces morphological information and transmitted images of ultra-thinned sample up to sub-Ångström resolution. Other than morphological information, elemental and crystallography information can also be determined from TEM. In general, a TEM can:

• Capture image morphology of samples, e.g. view sections of material, fine powders suspended on a thin film, small whole organisms such as viruses or bacteria, and frozen solutions.
• Tilt a sample and collect a series of images to construct a 3-dimensional image.
• Analyser the composition and some bonding differences (through contrast and by using spectroscopy techniques: microanalysis and electron energy loss).
• Physically manipulate samples while viewing them, such as indent or compress them to measure mechanical properties (only when holders specialised for these techniques are available).
• Generate characteristic X-rays from samples for microanalysis.
• Acquire electron diffraction patterns (using the physics of Bragg Diffraction).
• Perform electron energy loss spectroscopy of the beam passing through a sample to determine sample composition or the bonding states of atoms in the sample.

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Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) provides topographical and elemental information at magnifications of 10x to 300,000x, with virtually unlimited depth of field. Compared with convention scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field emission SEM (FESEM) produces clearer, less electrostatically distorted images with spatial resolution down to 1 1/2 nanometers which is three to six times better.

Other features of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) include:

• The ability to examine smaller-area contamination spots at electron accelerating voltages compatible with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS).
• Reduced penetration of low-kinetic-energy electrons probes closer to the immediate material surface.
• High-quality, low-voltage images with negligible electrical charging of samples (accelerating voltages ranging from 0.5 to 30 kilovolts).
• Essentially no need for placing conducting coatings on insulating materials.

For ultra-high-magnification imaging, we use in-lens FESEM. In-lens field emission scanning electron microscopy (In-Lens FESEM) provides topographical information at magnifications of 250x to 1,000,000x, with virtually unlimited depth of field. In-lens FESEM produces clearer, less electrostatically distorted images than SEM, with spatial resolution down to 0.6 nanometers – three times better than regular FESEM and 10 times better than conventional SEM.

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Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) provides topographical and elemental information at magnifications of 10x to 300,000x, with virtually unlimited depth of field. Compared with convention scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field emission SEM (FESEM) produces clearer, less electrostatically distorted images with spatial resolution down to 1 1/2 nanometers which is three to six times better.

Other features of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) include:

• The ability to examine smaller-area contamination spots at electron accelerating voltages compatible with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS).
• Reduced penetration of low-kinetic-energy electrons probes closer to the immediate material surface.
• High-quality, low-voltage images with negligible electrical charging of samples (accelerating voltages ranging from 0.5 to 30 kilovolts).
• Essentially no need for placing conducting coatings on insulating materials.

For ultra-high-magnification imaging, we use in-lens FESEM. In-lens field emission scanning electron microscopy (In-Lens FESEM) provides topographical information at magnifications of 250x to 1,000,000x, with virtually unlimited depth of field. In-lens FESEM produces clearer, less electrostatically distorted images than SEM, with spatial resolution down to 0.6 nanometers – three times better than regular FESEM and 10 times better than conventional SEM.

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Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) provides topographical and elemental information at magnifications of 10x to 300,000x, with virtually unlimited depth of field. Compared with convention scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field emission SEM (FESEM) produces clearer, less electrostatically distorted images with spatial resolution down to 1 1/2 nanometers which is three to six times better.

Other features of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) include:

• The ability to examine smaller-area contamination spots at electron accelerating voltages compatible with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS).
• Reduced penetration of low-kinetic-energy electrons probes closer to the immediate material surface.
• High-quality, low-voltage images with negligible electrical charging of samples (accelerating voltages ranging from 0.5 to 30 kilovolts).
• Essentially no need for placing conducting coatings on insulating materials.

For ultra-high-magnification imaging, we use in-lens FESEM. In-lens field emission scanning electron microscopy (In-Lens FESEM) provides topographical information at magnifications of 250x to 1,000,000x, with virtually unlimited depth of field. In-lens FESEM produces clearer, less electrostatically distorted images than SEM, with spatial resolution down to 0.6 nanometers – three times better than regular FESEM and 10 times better than conventional SEM.

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