FEI Quanta FEG 250 Mounting instructions

The Quanta FEG
250 / 450 / 650
User Operation Manual
5th Edition
20 August, 2010
Copyright © 2010
FEI Company
All rights reserved

Trademark Acknowledgments
FrameMaker™ is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
Microsoft® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Windows XP™ is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Production Acknowledgments
This manual was produced using FrameMaker™ document publishing software
Technical Authors
Martin Dufek

C-i
Chapter 1 Preface
User Manuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
The User Safety Manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
The User Operation Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
How to Use this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Chapter 2 System Overview
How Quanta FEG SEM Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Vacuum System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Image Viewing and Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Positioning of the stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
System Layout of Quanta FEG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Software Interface Elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Hardware Interface Elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Quanta FEG Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Chapter 3 System Operation
Quanta FEG Vacuum System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Vacuum Statuses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Pump button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Vent button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Vacuum Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
High Vacuum (HiVac) Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Low Vacuum (LoVac) and ESEM Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Quanta FEG System States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Power Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Chapter 4 Software Control
Other Software and Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Software Interface Elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Icons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Tool-Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Pull-down Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Command Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
List Boxes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Property Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Edit Boxes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Radio Buttons / Check Boxes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Adjusters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
2D Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Dialogues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Progress bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
xT microscope Server Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
xT microscope Control Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
The Title Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8
The Menu Bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8
TABLE OF CONTENTS

C-ii
The Toolbar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20
Image Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-21
Pages and Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-22
Preferences… Dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
FEI User Management Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-38
Control possibilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-38
FEI Account Administrators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-38
Account Logging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-40
Entering Commands in Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-41
Using the Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-41
Using the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-42
Chapter 5 Operating Procedures
Specimen Preparation and Handling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Needed items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Natural specimen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Coated Specimen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Mounting the Specimen to the Holder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Inserting / Exchanging a Specimen and / or a Detector . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Obtaining an Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Operation Pre-Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Selecting Vacuum Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Spot Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Obtaining an Image on Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Optimising an Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Principles of SEM imaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Magnification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Scan Speed and Filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Contrast and Brightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Focusing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Correcting Astigmatism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Pressure and Working Distance (WD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Digital Imaging Enhancement / Imaging Mixing / Coloring . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Detector Types and Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Detector Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Everhart Thornley Detector (ETD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Backscattered Electrons (BSED)
and Gaseous Analytical (GAD - optional) Detectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Large Field Detector (LFD). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
The CCD camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Gaseous Secondary Electron Detector (GSED). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
PLA Cones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Discharges between the Gaseous Detectors and the Sample . . . . . . . 5-20
Obtaining image Procedure for Gaseous Detectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Capturing and Handling Single Image. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Image types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Saving / Opening / Printing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Recording Movies (Saving Multiple Images). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23

C-iii
Movie TAB Preferences Dialogue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Movie Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
FEI Movie Creator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Playing a Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Measurement and Annotation Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Chapter 6 Alignments
Quanta FEG System Alignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Common Rules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Buttons and Control Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Final Lens Aperture Strip Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Aligning Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
1 - Gun Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
2 - Stigmator Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
3 - Stage Rotation Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
5 - Emitter Startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
94 - CCD Camera Alignment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
154 - Water Bottle Venting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Chapter 7 Stages
Stages Types and Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Quanta FEG 250 – 50 mm Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Quanta FEG 450 / 650 – 100 / 150 mm Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Eucentric Position. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Stage movement limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Software Stage Functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Map tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Coordinates tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Tilt tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Navigation Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Stage Related Functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Stage Movements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Specimen Alignment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Scan Rotation (Shift + F12) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Chapter 8 Maintenance and Troubleshooting
Cleaning Procedures Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
List of Applied Cleaners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Cleaning Column Parts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Materials and Technique. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
The Standard Insert. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Removing and Disassembling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Housing Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Platinum Apertures Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Platinum Apertures Installing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Aperture Strip Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Removing the Aperture rod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7

C-iv
Replacing the Aperture Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Replacing the Aperture rod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Gaseous Detectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
Cleaning the GSED / LFD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
Cleaning the GBSD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
Stage maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Stage mechanics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Specimen Holders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Refilling the Water Bottle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11
Pre-Vacuum Pump Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12
Periodic check. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-13
Diagnostics Auto Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-15
Simple TAD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-16
Chapter 9 System Options
Manual User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Joystick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Automatic Aperture System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
6 - Aperture Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Nav-Cam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Capturing Navigation Image Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
401 - Nav-Cam AutoBrightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Optional Detectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Gaseous Back scattered Electron Detector (GBSD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
In Column Detector (iCD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Retractable Detectors Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Scanning Transmission Electrons Microscopy Detector (STEM I) . . . . . 9-9
Annular Scanning Transmission Electrons Microscopy
Detector (STEM II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Low-voltage High-contrast Detector Lens Mounted / Retractable (vCD) 9-14
Directional Backscattered Detector –
Concentric Backscattered Detector (CBS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
ESEM & Gaseous Analytical Detector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Quad Backscattered Electrons Detector (Quad BSED) . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Photo Multiplier Tube / Backscattered Electron Detector
Autrata, Centaurus (PMT-BSE). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) Analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
The Support PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
High Vacuum EDX Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
LFD EDX Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
GSED EDX Analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
GAD EDX Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
STEM EDX Analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Cooling Stage / Waterless Cooling Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Cooling Stage Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Cooling Stage Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Software Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27

C-v
Cooling Stages Basic Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Water Cooled Temperature Stage Operation Termination . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Wet STEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Wet STEM Basic operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Heating Stage 1000 °C / Heating Stage 1500 °C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Heating Stages Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Heating Stage Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Software Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Heating Stages Basic Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
HS Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48
CryoCleanerEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Parts and Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
CryoCleaner Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Spare Vessel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Plasma Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Sample Cleaning Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
104 - Plasma Cleaning Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-56
Quanta Morphologi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Sample preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Image acquisition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58
Recommended settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-59
Symmetrical Low Vacuum Detector (SLVD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-60
Mapping tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-61
Image Analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-62
Measurement Accuracy Verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-62
Remote Imaging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-65
Connection to the Microscope PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-65
Microscope PC's desktop Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-66
Controlling the microscope remotely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-66
Beam Deceleration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-67
Detection Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-67
Stage Modification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-68
Beam Deceleration Applications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-69
Beam Deceleration Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-69
Specimen Holder Kit Option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-71
Location positions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-71
Older Interface Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-72
Interface pillar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-72
Multi-Holders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-73
Polished Mount Holders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-74
Clamp Stubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-74
Torx Drivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-74
Quick Loader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-75
General description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-75
Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-78
Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-79

C-vi

1-1
1PREFACE
User Manuals
THE USER SAFETY MANUAL
provides important information required during an operation and a
maintenance for a product and personal safety. Be sure to read this
document (which is delivered as the PDF file and in the printed form
also) at least.
THE USER OPERATION MANUAL
for your Scanning Electron Microscope is divided into the following
chapters:
1. PREFACE
provides information about the manual structure.
2. SYSTEM OVERVIEW
gives the basics about your system capabilities.
3. SYSTEM OPERATION
gives the basics about the vacuum system and procedures for
several system on/off modes, including Log On/Off, Standby Mode,
Overnight Mode, Complete Shutdown, and Emergency Shutdown.
4. SOFTWARE CONTROL
describes the interface that controls system operation, giving the
function of each tool, menu item and control page.
5. OPERATING PROCEDURES
gives procedures for how to use the system.
6. ALIGNMENTS
explains how to align the column and stage to achieve optimal
performance.
7. STAGES
gives a full description of the stage functionality and its software
control.
8. MAINTENANCE
gives step by step cleaning and maintenance procedures.
9. SYSTEM OPTIONS
explains relevant options that are integrated into or accessory
to the system.

Preface: How to Use this Manual
1-2
How to Use this Manual
This manual is available in two forms, the electronic PDF file and the
printed form (option).
It is recommended to read this manual before operating any of the
microscope function. Most importantly, you should locate the topics
necessary to operate the microscope in the proper way to safely
achieve the best results.
In the electronic PDF file you can take advantage of the searching and
navigation possibilities offered by this file format. In the printout the
following conventions are observed to be of help:
• You can search for the information in the main table of contents at
the beginning of the User’s manual, where tables and figures
(excluding explanatory ones) are also listed.
• Major headings have been hung in the left column to help you scan
for the basics within a chapter. That column provides space for
some explanatory figures and for your own notes as well.
• Some software functions use short-cuts, which are given beside
the heading in the brackets (for instance: Save (Ctrl + S))and in
the summary table available from the Help menu.
• Pages are numbered by this way:
[Chapter No.]-[Page No.] within the Chapter. Instead of
[Chapter No.] you can find an abbreviation C, which means
content pages.
• Tables and figures (excluding explanatory ones)
are numbered within each chapter in this way:
FIGURE [Chapter No.]-[Figure No. within the Chapter]
TABLE [Chapter No.]-[Table No. within the Chapter]
• A reference to the specific element is highlighted in bold and it
guides to its particular UI placement. For instance:
“Clear the Stage module / Coordinates tab / Zcoordinate check
box.”

2-1
2SYSTEM OVERVIEW
The Quanta FEG Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) produces
enlarged images of a variety of specimens, achieving magnifications
of over 100 000× providing high resolution imaging in a digital format.
This important and widely used analytical tool provides exceptional
field of view, minimal specimen preparation, and the ability to combine
the technique with X-ray microanalysis.
How Quanta FEG SEM Works
There are four main components of the microscope:
•Electron source
The electron beam is emitted within a small spatial volume with a
small angular spread and selectable energy.
•Lens system
The beam enters the lens system consisting of several
electromagnetic lenses and exits to hit the specimen surface.
•Scan unit
The scan generator signal, fed to the deflection systems, moves
the beam in a raster pattern over the specimen area. The electrical
voltage changes as it scans, which provides serial information of
the specimen surface. This signal, modulated by the detection
system signal, produces the onscreen image.
•Detection unit
Electrons striking the specimen react with its surface producing
three basic types of signal: back scatter electrons, secondary
electrons and X-rays. The detection system picks up these signals,
converts them into an amplified electrical signal which is sent to
the control PC and displayed on the monitor.

System Overview: How Quanta FEG SEM Works
2-2
FIGURE 2-1 SEM SCHEMATIC OVERVIEW
VACUUM SYSTEM
The entire electron path from gun to specimen must be under vacuum
so that the electrons do not collide with air molecules. The Quanta
FEG has 3 operating vacuum modes to deal with different sample
types:
•High Vacuum (HiVac)
•Low Vacuum (LoVac)
•ESEM™
Various levels of vacuum are necessary, so a Turbo Molecular Pump
(TMP) backed by a rotary pre-vacuum pump (PVP), obtains the
necessary specimen chamber pressure.
In the gaseous modes (LoVac, ESEM) the column is under lower
pressure than the specimen chamber, where the pressure ranges
from 10 to 2600 Pa (0.1 to 20 Torr), with auxiliary gas up to 4000 Pa
(30 Torr). Either mode can use water vapours from a built-in water
reservoir, or an auxiliary gas which is supplied by the user and
connected to a gas inlet provided for this purpose. Observation of
outgassing or highly charging materials can be made using one of
these modes without the need to metal coat the sample, which would
be necessary for conventional HiVac mode.
Specimen exchanges take place through a chamber door which
exposes the specimen stage when opened. Exchange time takes a
few minutes. Software and interlocks protect the system against the
damage and users against the injury.
ELECTRON GUN
CONDENSER
LENS(ES)
SCAN GENERATOR M
FINAL LENS
DEFLECTION
SYSTEM
SCAN UNIT
SPECIMEN
DETECTION UNIT
DETECTOR
FILAMENT PINS
EMITTER
SUPPRESSOR
LENS SYSTEM

System Overview: How Quanta FEG SEM Works
2-3
IMAGE VIEWING AND CAPTURE
Because the amplified detector signal is displayed synchronously with
the beam scanning, there is a correspondence between the
brightness of an image point on the monitor screen and the signal
detected at corresponding point on the specimen.
Magnification is the ratio of the size of the viewing monitor screen to
the size of the area scanned on the specimen. Increased
magnification is achieved by reducing the size of the area scanned on
the specimen.
POSITIONING OF THE STAGE
A choice of computer-controlled high-accuracy multi-axis stages
offers precision specimen manipulation and automation for overall
spatial orientation on highly repetitive or extremely irregular samples.
FIGURE 2-2 QUANTA FEG 250

System Overview: System Layout of Quanta FEG
2-4
System Layout of Quanta FEG
The standard layout of the Quanta FEG 250 / 450 / 650 system is
based around a dedicated microscope controller.
The user interface devices are peripherals to the microscope
controller, either software or hardware.
FIGURE 2-3 QUANTA FEG STANDARD LAYOUT SCHEME
SOFTWARE INTERFACE ELEMENTS
The software control contains graphic applications within Windows
XP™ operating environment. xT microscope Server starts and stops
the basic microscope functions. It makes possible to open and close
the xT microscope Control software (UI – user interface or
sometimes xTUI in the dialogue boxes) which controls system
functions including detection and analysis, scanning, image gathering,
manipulation and output, magnification, pressure, etc.
All user account levels created via FEI User Management software
ensure for the particular users admission to both the operating system
Windows XP and the xT microscope Control software. The hierarchy
of user account levels consists of the following:
• FEI Account Administrator
• FEI Supervisor Users
• FEI Microscope Users
• FEI Non-active Users
See Chapters 3 and 4 for more information on Logging on and
Logging off, the start-up of the system and all the features of the user
interface elements.
HARDWARE INTERFACE ELEMENTS
The system is computer controlled and as such has a microscope
controller which must be turned on to operate the microscope by
means of the software. The control software facilities and data are
displayed graphically on the LCD monitor and are superimposed
around and on the image. To control software utilities one can use a
keyboard, mouse, joystick (option) or the Manual User Interface
(option).

System Overview: System Layout of Quanta FEG
2-5
System Control Panel
The console / system power is activated by pressing the front panel /
green power button located on the microscope console. This
switches the sub-systems on and allows the interface and
communication with the microscope controller. Most of the functions
are activated via the software control.
FIGURE 2-4 SYSTEM CONTROL PANEL POWER BUTTON
Stage Controls
The stage is software / manually controlled and can be oriented with
reference to five axes: X, Y, Z, Rotation and Tilt. Some stage types
have only manually controlled Tilt (see Chapter 7).
FIGURE 2-5 HARDWARE STAGE 250 / 450 / 650 CONTROLS

System Overview: System Layout of Quanta FEG
2-6
Final Lens Aperture Strip
The strip is made from a Mo coated Si. Either manual (numbered
click-stop mechanism positions) or Automatic Aperture System (AAS)
motorized software-control (option - see Chapter 9) enables to choose
the aperture most applicable to your imaging needs (see Chapter 5).
The left hand turn of the large ring moves the aperture holder
outwards towards the larger aperture. After the aperture change, it is
necessary to tune its position by using the inner knob and the one on
the right side, controlling horizontal plane fine movements (see
Chapter 6).
FIGURE 2-6 FINAL LENS APERTURE STRIP CONTROL KNOB
WARNING!
Aligning the final lens aperture is a mechanical process. It is
possible to misalign the aperture strip and obscure the beam
from reaching the sample. Adjustment should only be done by
those with the understanding of how to proceed. The aperture
holes edges cleanness is also very important (see Chapter 8).
TABLE 2-1 APERTURE SIZES AND THEIR USE
No. Standard Option Option Recommended use
(related to Standard sizes)
11000 µm 1000 µm 1000 µm Service Alignment (hole in frame)
2 - - -
350 µm 100 µm 30 µm High current applications
440 µm 50 µm 30 µm X-ray mapping of low-Z elements at low voltages
530 µm 40 µm 20 µm General imaging or X-ray analysis
630 µm 30 µm 15 µm Dynamic experiments
720 µm 30 µm 10 µm High resolution imaging

System Overview: Quanta FEG Options
2-7
Quanta FEG Options
A range of hardware and software is available as options for the
system. Contact your FEI sales representative for more up-to-date
information on system options.
•TheSupport PC connects your work space to the network and
can hold some other software utilities.
•TheManual User Interface (MUI) provides direct manual control
of microscope parameters such as focus, magnification, contrast,
brightness, beam shift and Stigmator.
•TheJoystick brings another possibility to control the basic stage
movements.
•TheCooling Stage enables to image and analyse specimens
(cooled between 0 and 10 °C) of very diverse nature at relative
humidity conditions up to 100% (typical chamber pressures
required are in the range 300 - 1000 Pa). Humidity experiments
could characterize the sample morphology and phase distribution.
The stage is cooled by water.
•TheWaterless Cooling Stage uses copper belt to detract heat
excess.
•The1000 °C Heating Stage is used to view heated samples (up to
1000 °C) and record in-situ morphological changes.
•The 1500 °C Heating Stage enables to heat samples up to 1500 °C.
This option includes two 1500 °C and one 1000 °C heating stages.
•TheCooling / Heating Stage control kit
•TheFeed-through Port Relocator
• 52-pin Electrical Feed-through
• 7-pin Electrical Feed-through
•TheCompressor 115 V, 50/60 Hz with 4-liter Tank
•TheCompressor 230 V, 50/60 Hz with 4-liter Tank
•TheThermo Neslab Water Cooler 50 Hz
•TheThermo Neslab Water Cooler 60 Hz
•TheAcoustic Enclosure for Pre-vacuum Pump
•TheSpecimen Holder Kit
•TheElectrostatic Beam Blanker
•TheKeithley picoamper meter
•ThePicoamper meter Switch Box
•TheMains Matching and Isolation Transformer provides a
galvanic isolated AC-regulated power source with the 115 / 230 V,
50 / 60 Hz output.
•TheCryoCleanerEC + spare vessel – anti-contamination device
•ThePlasma Cleaner – the sample / chamber plasma cleaning
device
•TheVideo Hard Copy Unit
•5 paper rolls for video hard copy unit
•TheWetSTEM detector enables in connection with the Cooling
Stage to observe wet samples in a STEM mode.
•TheGaseous Back-Scatter Electron Detector (GBSD) allows
BSE imaging in ESEM™ mode, i.e. at a high chamber pressure (it
uses a gas amplification to compensate a signal loss). Other back-
scattered electron detectors (solid-state or scintillate-type BSE
detectors) typically work with a pressure up to 100 Pa, but tend to
get very noisy at this condition.

System Overview: Quanta FEG Options
2-8
• The small diameter, low voltage Back-Scatter Electron Detector
(BSED)
• The low-voltage, High-contrast Detector (vCD)
•TheGaseous Analytical Detector (GAD) is the low voltage
BSED with an additional X-ray cone with a 500 µm Pressure
Limiting Aperture which seals to the objective pole piece.
• The solid state STEM I detector allows detection of electrons
transmitted through the sample. Regular voltage range is from
30 kV down to around 5 kV, which is of course dependent on the
sample thickness.
•TheAnnular STEM II detector
•quad BSED
• InColumn detector (ICD)
•TheCentaurus Detector with back-scatter tip is a retractable,
scintillate-type BSE detector. Atomic number discrimination allows
a resolution better than 0.1 Z (when Z = 30).
The Cathodoluminiscence Tip for the Centaurus Detector
enables to convert it to a cathodoluminiscence detector.
•Autrata BSED
• ESEM GAD needle detector
•The Beam Deceleration improves the microscope resolution at low
accelerating voltages and enables to detect electrons heading
nearly parallel to a surface which accentuates a surface roughness.
•TheWDX Completion Kit relocates the GSED detector connector
(bracket) and GSED pre amplifier bias feed-through to another
position in the SEM specimen chamber, to avoid geometrical
conflicts with the wavelength spectrometer.
•TheQuick Loader
•TheUPS
•TheNav-Cam
•TheAutomatic Aperture System offers the comfort of a
motorized final lens strip aperture exchange. The alignment
procedure provides a high precision of the setting.
•TheStrip Aperture: 30 / 30 / 40 / 50 / 100 / 1000 µm
•TheStrip Aperture: 10 / 15 / 20 / 30 / 30 / 1000 µm
•TheStrip Aperture: 20 / 30 / 30 / 40 / 50 / 1000 µm
• The set of three apertures 400 µm, 3 mm diameter
• The set of two apertures 1250 µm, 3 mm diameter
•TheRemote Control / Imaging
•TheSIS Scandium Image software
•TheSIS Scandium desktop license
•TheSIS Scandium webRacer allows regular users with ID /
passwords (provided by the supervisor) to view and retrieve
worldwide database data, using any internet browser and any
computer system (PC, Apple, Sun…).
•TheQuanta Morphologi is a method for precise determination of
size and shape of submicron particles dispersed in a dilution.
•TheBasic SEM Course
•TheAdvanced Course SEM
•TheOn-site Training / Support

3-1
3SYSTEM OPERATION
This chapter describes:
• The Quanta FEG vacuum system
– Vacuum status and relevant actions (Pump, Vent)
– Vacuum modes and relevant actions (HiVac, LoVac, ESEM)
• Quanta FEG System States
– Start up procedure generally
– Shut down procedure generally
– Emergency off (EMO)
– Power off

System Operation: Quanta FEG Vacuum System
3-2
Quanta FEG Vacuum System
Within the system there are three main vacuum sections:
•Gun
• Column
• Specimen Chamber
Both Column and Specimen Chamber sections are vented for a
sample exchange. In operation the Gun and Column sections are
always under the high vacuum. The Specimen chamber is at the
pressure required for the given mode (HiVac / LoVac / ESEM).
All valve and pump operations are fully automatic.
FIGURE 3-1 THE QUANTA FEG VACUUM SYSTEM
Legend:
ABV . . . .Auxiliary Bypass Valve
AGV . . . .Auxiliary Gas Valve
BPV . . . . .By Pass Valve
BTG . . . .BaraTron Gauge
CCG . . . .Cold Cathode Gauge
CIV . . . . .Column Isolation Valve
EBV . . . . .Environmental Backing Valve
ChEV . . .Chamber Evacuation Valve
ChIV . . . .Chamber Isolation Valve
IGP . . . . .Ion Getter Pump
NVC . . . .Needle Valve Control
PVP . . . . .Pre Vacuum Pump
SIV . . . . .Servo Isolation Valve
TMP . . . .Turbo Molecular Pump
TVV . . . . .Turbo Venting Valve
VV . . . . . .Venting Valve
WBV . . . .Water Bottle Valve