Hinds Instruments EXICOR MicroImager User manual

USER MANUAL
Hinds Instruments, Inc.
P/N: 010-0000-077 UM Rev D
Software 025-0000-075 Beta Version

ii Exicor MicroImager User Manual
Copyright © 2015 by Hinds Instruments, Inc.
THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED “AS IS” WITH NO WARRANTIES
WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR ANY WARRANTY OTHERWISE
ARISING OUT OF ANY PROPOSAL, SPECIFICATION OR SAMPLE. All rights
reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, by photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Hinds Instruments,
Inc.
Information furnished by Hinds Instruments, Inc. is believed to be accurate and
reliable; however, no responsibility is assumed by Hinds Instruments, Inc. for its use;
nor for any infringements of patents or other rights of third parties which may result
from its use. No license is granted by implication or otherwise under any patent
rights of Hinds Instruments, Inc.
In all respects, the English version of this manual is controlling.
Exicor
®
is a registered trademark of Hinds Instruments, Inc.
The Exicor
®
MicroImager has Patents Pending.
Exicor
®
, Signaloc, PEMLabs, Hinds Instruments and the Hinds Instruments graphic
logo are trademarks of Hinds Instruments, Inc.
*Third-party brands and names are the property of their respective owners

Exicor MicroImager User Manual iii
Table of Contents
Table of Contents.........................................................................................................iii
Table of Figures ............................................................................................................v
Table of Tables ............................................................................................................vii
Operator Safety Summary ............................................................................................9
Terms .....................................................................................................................9
Labels ....................................................................................................................9
Power Source ........................................................................................................9
Do Not Operate without Covers .........................................................................10
Light Safety .........................................................................................................10
Mechanical Safety ............................................................................................... 11
Electrical Safety ..................................................................................................11
1 System Overview......................................................................................................13
System Description.............................................................................................13
General Dimensions............................................................................................15
2 System Operating Requirements/Setup .................................................................17
Component Placement .......................................................................................17
Power Connections............................................................................................. 17
Calibration ...........................................................................................................17
3 Operating The System .............................................................................................19
System Initialization............................................................................................19
Loading a Sample ...............................................................................................20
Measuring a Sample............................................................................................21
System Shutdown ............................................................................................... 22
4 Software Interface ....................................................................................................24
Calibration ...........................................................................................................24
Opening Files ......................................................................................................24
Setting Exposure.................................................................................................25
Changing Objectives...........................................................................................26
Fast Mode ............................................................................................................26
Offsets .................................................................................................................27
Display of data.....................................................................................................27
Analysis ...............................................................................................................28
Multi-Order Samples ...........................................................................................31
Auto-Collect.........................................................................................................32
5 Calibration ................................................................................................................35
Calibration Procedure.........................................................................................35
6 Maintenance .............................................................................................................48
Basic System Check ...........................................................................................48
Cleaning the Exterior ..........................................................................................48
7 Troubleshooting & Help...........................................................................................50
Diagnosing Common Errors...............................................................................50
Contacting Hinds Instruments ...........................................................................51
A Technical Specifications ......................................................................................... 52
General Specifications........................................................................................52
Measurement Specifications..............................................................................52

Table of Contents
iv Exicor MicroImager User Manual
Software Features............................................................................................... 53
CE Approval ........................................................................................................ 53
B Exicor
®
MicroImager Limited Warranty.................................................................. 55
Exclusions........................................................................................................... 55
Warranty Service................................................................................................. 55
Non-Warranty Repairs ........................................................................................ 56

Operator Safety Summary
Exicor MicroImager User Manual v
Table of Figures
Figure 1 System identification label ................................................................................. 9
Figure 2 Light beam path..................................................................................................11
Figure 3 System main components .................................................................................14
Figure 4 Main optical components of the system ...........................................................14
Figure 5 Dimensions.........................................................................................................15
Figure 6 Main Window ......................................................................................................20
Figure 7 Stage axis controls.............................................................................................21
Figure 8 Completed scan..................................................................................................22
Figure 9 Over exposure Live Screen................................................................................25
Figure 10 Overexposure Data Screen..............................................................................26
Figure 11 Colorbar Picker.................................................................................................27
Figure 12 Analysis Toolbar...............................................................................................28
Figure 13 Shape Tool Examples.......................................................................................29
Figure 14 Shape Tool Options..........................................................................................30
Figure 15 Dataset Tab. ......................................................................................................31
Figure 16 Datasets Window..............................................................................................32
Figure 17 Auto Collect Main Window...............................................................................33
Figure 18 Auto Collect Start Window...............................................................................33
Figure 19 Auto Collect Status Window. ...........................................................................34
Figure 1..............................................................................................................................35
Figure 2..............................................................................................................................36
Figure 3..............................................................................................................................37
Figure 4..............................................................................................................................38
Figure 5..............................................................................................................................39
Figure 6..............................................................................................................................40
Figure 7..............................................................................................................................42
Figure 8..............................................................................................................................43
Figure 9..............................................................................................................................44

Table of Figures
vi Exicor MicroImager User Manual
....................................................................................................................................45
Figure 10............................................................................................................................45
Figure 11............................................................................................................................46
Table 2 Diagnosing common errors ................................................................................50
Table 3 Contacting technical support..............................................................................51

Operator Safety Summary
Exicor MicroImager User Manual vii
Table of Tables
Table 01. Software to Rotator Readings. ............................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Table 2 Diagnosing common errors.................................................................................50
Table 3 Contacting technical support..............................................................................51

Table of Tables
viii Exicor MicroImager User Manual

Exicor MicroImager User Manual 9
Operator Safety Summary
The general safety information in this summary is for operators of the Exicor
®
Micro
Imager. Specific warnings and cautions may be found throughout the manual where
they apply but may not appear in this summary.
Terms
DANGER statements identify conditions or practices that will result in personal injury
or loss of life.
WARNING statements identify conditions or practices that could result in personal
injury or loss of life.
CAUTION statements identify conditions or practices that could result in damage to
the equipment or other property.
NOTICE statements identify conditions or practices that are important in proper use
of the equipment to get the expected results.
Labels
The system identification label below is placed on the rear of the MicroImager frame.
Figure 1 System identification label
The wording on this label is:
Model No. _____, Serial No. _____, Manufactured: _____.
Power Source
This product is intended to operate from a power source that will not apply more
than 250 volts rms between the supply conductors or between either the supply
7245 NW Evergreen Pkwy
Hillsboro, OR 97124 USA
[phone]
Model:
Exicor
MircroImager
SN:
0010
Mf
d
:
June 2014
Electrical Ratings
Output: 24VDC at 4.2 Amps Max
Class 2 per EN60825-1 (2007)

Do Not Operate without Covers
10 Exicor MicroImager User Manual
conductor and ground. A protective ground connection by way of the grounding
connector in the power cord is essential for safe operation. The user should supply
power to the system that will provide at least the following amount of current at the
corresponding supply voltage:
100-240VAC, 50/60Hz, 1.5A MAX
The MicroImager system uses a single AC power cord to power a DC power brick. If
the power cord needs to be replaced for any reason, make sure that the
replacement cord is rated for the voltage and current noted above
Do Not Operate without Covers
To avoid personal injury, only operate this product with all covers and panels
installed.
Light Safety
The light source is located in the bottom module of the system. It is a 3 wavelength
LED that outputs <1mW. Removing any covers (all of them require tools) can
expose a user to the LED light. The light beam path is shown in Figure 2.
CAUTION
Avoid direct eye exposure to the beam and to reflections from
shiny objects.
This or any other low power LED can cause a temporary
inability to see clearly, much as is experienced by exposure to
the flash of a camera.
Use of controls or adjustments or performance of procedures
other than those specified herein, may result in hazardous LED
light exposure.
Persons other than qualified maintenance personnel should not
unnecessarily remove covers.

Chapter 1: System Overview
Exicor MicroImager User Manual 11
Figure 2 Light beam path
Mechanical Safety
Be careful to have hands clear of any pinch points while operating the focus block
and sample stage.
Electrical Safety
Rear panel outlets, other than the DC input are only USB 3.0 connectors which do
not exceed 5 Volts.
The Exicor
®
MicroImager contains no user-serviceable components. Refer any
maintenance or adjustment needs to Hinds Instruments, Inc.
Do not allow any liquids to get inside the equipment.
Maintenance of the other elements of the system should be referred to Hinds
Instruments, Inc. or other trained personnel.
Light Beam

Electrical Safety
12 Exicor MicroImager User Manual

Exicor MicroImager User Manual 13
1
System Overview
The Exicor
®
MicroImager is a highly sensitive polarization imaging system that
utilizes different microscope objectives to image very small features of samples. It
measures Retardation and fast axis angle. Samples need to be flat and transparent
to the wavelength that is being used.
System Description
Listed below are the main components of the system. See Figure 3 for the
component layout.
Top Module: The Top Module houses the top half of the optical components of the
imaging system.
Focus Block: The Focus Block has both fine and coarse adjustment knobs. Use the
larger outer knob to adjust the coarse focus and the smaller inner knob to adjust the
fine focus.
Bottom Module: The Bottom Module houses the electronics of the system as well
as the bottom half of the optical train of the system. The bottom half also houses the
light source.
Sample Stage: The Sample Stage can be moved in the vertical direction by the
focus block while having an X travel of 76mm and a Y travel of 50mm.
Microscope Objective: The MicroImager comes with a variety of different options in
objectives. Most commonly in 2X, 5X, and 10X. To use a different objective, simply
unscrew the current objective and replace it with the desired objective. The focus
block may need to be readjusted to bring the sample back into focus.

System Description
14 Exicor MicroImager User Manual
Figure 3 System main components
Figure 4 Main optical components of the system
LED
PEM
(4
5°
)
POLARIZER (0°)
CUSTOMER SAMPLE
PEM (0°)
CCD
POLARIZER

Chapter 1: System Overview
Exicor MicroImager User Manual 15
General Dimensions
Figure 5 Dimensions

General Dimensions
16 Exicor MicroImager User Manual

Exicor MicroImager User Manual 17
2
System Operating
Requirements/Setup
Component Placement
The computer and monitor need to be placed within 0.5 meter of the system to
facilitate connection of all hardware control cables.
The system uses a fan to keep internal electrical components located in the base of
the system cool. The system must be placed such that airflow from the rear panel is
not restricted.
Power Connections
The Exicor
®
MicroImager system is designed to use an external DC power supply
that outputs 24VDC while accepting 100-240VAC, 50/60 Hz. User adjustment
should not be necessary for any internal components due to changes in power.
The Exicor
®
MicroImager system requires a single power outlet. The computer and
monitor need to be powered separately from a user-supplied wall outlet or outlet
strip.
Calibration
The Exicor
®
MicroImager has been calibrated by Hinds Instruments, Inc. prior to
shipment. The instrument should require no further adjustment for most applications.
Regularly zeroing the system will ensure the best low level sensitivity for all
measurement parameters.
Note: All systems sold by Hinds Instruments are currently installed and
supported only through Hinds Instruments, Inc. and authorized
distributors.

Calibration
18 Exicor MicroImager User Manual

Exicor MicroImager User Manual 19
3
Operating The System
WARNING
The Exicor
®
MicroImager contains hazards such as: bright
visible light and pinch points.
All operators should be aware of the location of the main power
switch
To ensure continued safety, all operators should familiarize
themselves with the Operators' Safety Summary section,
beginning on page vii.
System Initialization
To initialize the Exicor
®
MicroImager system, starting with the power off:
1. Turn the power switch to the ON position. The power switch is found on the
rear panel of the machine.
2. Launch the software by double clicking on the Exicor
®
desktop icon.
During hardware initialization, the user might notice the LED and camera will
initialize using the settings from the previous use.
If there are no errors during the initialization phase, the main window will come up as
shown in Figure 6.

Loading a Sample
20 Exicor MicroImager User Manual
Figure 6 Main Window
If an error is witnessed during the initialization phase, see section 7 “Troubleshooting
& Help” on page 50 for system initialization errors.
To start the system if the hardware has already been powered up, such as from a
computer restart, simply start the software.
Loading a Sample
This system includes a basic manually operated sample stage. The best way to get
reproducible measurements is to make a custom sample holder that holds the
sample and fastens to the stage in a repeatable way. Hinds Instruments can also
supply custom sample holders as an option.
Use the following steps to load a sample:
1. Place the sample on the stage. Do not hold the sample to the stage in a way
that might put stress on the sample.
2. Using the manual adjusters, move the sample to the desired location on the
screen. The adjustment knob controls both the X and Y-axis adjustments. The
X-axis is controlled by the bottom part of the knob. The Y-axis is controlled by
the top part of the knob. See Figure 7.