SII Vortex-EM User manual

Vortex-EM®
Silicon Drift Detector X-Ray
Spectrometer for Electron Microscope Applications
User’s Manual
Rev. 14 October 1, 2008
SII NanoTechnology USA Inc
19865 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91324
Phone [phone]
Fax [phone]

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This manual is the property of SII NanoTechnology USA Inc. (SNTUS), and may not be copied or
reproduced in any manner or form without the prior written consent of SNTUS.
This manual and the data herein are subject to change at any time without notification.

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Table of Contents
1. General Instructions............................................................................................3
2. Safety and Precautions........................................................................................3
2.1 Detector atmospheric thin window (ATW)..................................................3
2.2 Detector biases.................................................................................................3
2.3 Mechanical shock............................................................................................4
2.4 Turning the system ON/OFF .........................................................................4
3. System Description.............................................................................................4
3.1 SDD package....................................................................................................5
3.2 Digital pulse processor (DPP) and power supply (PS)................................6
3.3 Cables ...............................................................................................................9
3.4 Preamplifier...................................................................................................10
3.5 Software .........................................................................................................11
4. Operation...........................................................................................................12
4.1 Setting up for operation................................................................................12
4.2 Collecting x-ray spectra................................................................................13
4.3 Powering down the system...........................................................................13
4.4 Turning the system ON/OFF when not in use............................................13
5. Trouble shooting ................................................................................................13
5.1 The spectrum cannot be acquired...............................................................13
5.2 Poor energy resolution and/or noisy ...........................................................14
6. Technical Support..............................................................................................14
7. Inspection and Acceptance................................................................................14
8. General Warranty..............................................................................................15

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1. General Instructions
•The detector arrives with an external battery connected to the DB-15 connector of the
silicon drift detector (SDD) package. This external battery should be disconnected
after arriving at the final location and the SDD package should be connected to the
power line through the external +12 V DC wall transformer. The SDD package
should be connected to the power line at all times. However, if necessary, it is
acceptable to disconnect it from the power line for up to 100 hours.
•The Atmospheric Thin Window (ATW) in the front of the probe is only 3000 Å thick,
thus great care must be taken to ensure that nothing comes in contact with it. Cover
the edge of the probe with the protective plastic cover when not in use.
•The SDD package must be mounted with the snout in the horizontal position, or tilted
so that the detector end of the snout is facing down. Do not mount the SDD package
into a position such that the detector end of the snout is tilted up.
•The system can be stored at room temperature without any special care, but it is
recommended that it be stored in a location with low humidity.
•List of delivered items:
- SDD package
- Digital Pulse Processor and/or Power Supply
- Main biasing cable
- Output signal BNC cable
- +12 V DC wall transformer
- User’s Manual CD
- Software installation CD
2. Safety and Precautions
2.1 Detector atmospheric thin window (ATW)
•The ATW at the front of the detector probe is extremely thin and fragile. Never
touch, jar, or subject the detector window to thermal shock.
•Never allow any object to come in contact with the ATW!
•If breakage of the ATW does occur, return the product to SNTUS for repair.
2.2 Detector biases
Be sure that the detector biases are correctly set (see bias specifications pertaining to
individual units). Excessively high bias might damage the detector crystal and/or the field effect
transistor (FET). The detector is supplied with the electronics box (which includes the power
supply and/or digital pulse processor (DPP)), in which the biases were set at SNTUS should not

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be altered. However, measure the biases to ensure that the correct values have been maintained
during shipping. Contact SNTUS if the biases do not match the data sheet.
2.3 Mechanical shock
The system is a relatively rugged device. However, traumatic handling, such as falling
onto the floor from a bench height, can definitely cause damage. If not attached to an SEM, keep
the detector in a safe place to prevent accidental mistreatment.
2.4 Turning the system ON/OFF
Do not turn the system ON immediately after turning it OFF! As with most electronic
systems, there is a momentary recharging process that takes place after rebooting the system. It is
therefore important to wait ~ 3 minutes before turning the system back ON.
Unless it is necessary, avoid turning the detector OFF after it has been turned ON for at
least three minutes after it has reached its stable operating temperature.
Never turn OFF the external +12 V DC wall transformer!
2.5 Operation in noisy environments
The Vortex® instruments are specifically designed to be extremely sensitive to very low
signal levels. Thus, if the Vortex®is operating in an electrically “noisy” environment, or if it is
subjected to abnormal electro-magnetic interference, it may not operate properly. These
conditions are extremely rare, and would not be expected to be encountered under normal
operating conditions in a laboratory environment. However, if you suspect you are observing
electro-magnetic interference effects, contact technical support at SNTUS to determine the
solution.
3. System Description
The system is comprised of three main parts: the SDD package, the digital pulse processor
(DPP) electronics box and cables (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. The Vortex-EM®system, including the SDD package and the DPP electronics box
(connecting cables not shown).

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3.1 SDD package
The SDD package includes the vacuum chamber and the preamplifier box. The vacuum
chamber is sealed with an thin window (refer to section 2.1) and includes the SDD detector, the
thermoelectric cooler (TEC) and the first amplification stage field effect transistor (FET). The
preamplifier box includes the preamplifier, the temperature controller circuit, the ion pump with
the ion pump power supply and the electrical connections. The SDD package weighs 3.8 kg. The
SDD package is shown in Figure 2, with external dimensions shown in Figure 4.
The preamplifier box back panel includes the DB-15, BNC and power jack connectors,
two test points and one LED, as shown in Figure 3. The DB-15 connector is for the detector
power supply and the BNC connector is for the signal output. The test point “T” is for the SDD
temperature testing. The power jack is for the external +12 V DC wall transformer that is for
supplying the ion pump power. The test point IP is for testing the ion pump current. The LED is
lit when power is supplied to the ion pump from the external +12 V DC wall transformer.
Figure 2. Vortex-EM®SDD package.
Figure 3. Vortex-EM®back panel.

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493MM
61MM
30.5MM
6X
6-32 UNC-2B X 7.6MM DP
(MOUNTING HOLES)
Ø19.1MM
BOTTOM VIEW 127.5MM
49.5MM 41.2MM
84.3MM
338MM
309MM
99.1MM
FRONT VIEW
134.6MM
48.3MM
155MM
15 PIN SUB-D
CONNECTOR
REAR VIEW
155MM
Ø70MM
Ø86MM
BNC CONNECTOR
Figure 4. Vortex-EM ®SDD package with external dimensions (in mm).
3.2 Digital pulse processor (DPP) and power supply (PS)
3.2.1 DPP with PS
Two options are provided to the customer: (1) If the customer has purchased a DPP, the
PS is included in the DPP electronics box; or (2) if the customer chooses to use his own DPP,
then the PS is supplied separately (see section 3.2.2). The DPP/PS electronics box includes the
DPP, the detector power supply that provides four separate bias voltages to the SDD and power
supplies that provide power to the TEC and to the rest of the electronics. The front and the back
panels of the DPP/PS electronics box are shown in Figures 5 and 6, respectively. The DPP/PS
electronics box has external dimensions of 220.2 x 152.4 x 87.63 mm3 (L x W x H) and the
weight is 2.2 kg.

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Figure 5. Front panel of DPP/PS electronics box.
Figure 6. Back panel of DPP/PS electronics box.
On the front panel of the DPP/PS electronics box (Figure 5) are the high voltage (HV)
light-emitting diode (LED) and the TEC (green/red) LED:
•HV LED is lit when the system is ON and the detector is normally biased.
•TEC LED is red a couple of minutes after turning the system ON and it is

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indicating that the detector is cooling down.
•TEC LED is green when the detector cooling process is complete and the
detector is functioning normally.
There are another three LED status lights on the DPP/PS electronics box front panel (Figure 5):
•Status (red LED): This LED is lit when the DPP has detected an error condition.
This LED also flashes briefly when the DPP operating parameters are changed.
•I/O (yellow LED): Flashes for data transfers.
•Rate (Bicolor (Green/Red) LED): This LED flashes in a 5 ms duration whenever
a reset is detected. If the reset rate exceeds 200 Hz, the LED will be on
continuously. The color of the LED indicates the relative throughput of the system
as follows:
•If the output count rate (OCR) is greater than 50% of the input count rate
(ICR), then the LED is green.
•If 1/e < OCR/ICR < 0.5, then the LED is orange (green + red), where e is
the exponential base.
•If OCR/ICR < 1/e, then the LED is red. This is roughly the point of
maximum throughput.
On the back panel of the DPP/PS electronics box (Figure 6) are the ON/OFF switch, the
detector power connector, the detector bias regulating points, the parallel port and the detector
output connectors.
3.2.2 PS electronics box
If a DPP was not purchased by the customer, then a separate power supply provides four
separate bias voltages to the SDD and also provides power to the TEC and to the rest of the
electronics. The front and the back panels of the PS electronics box are shown in Figures 7 and 8,
respectively. The PS electronics box dimensions are 2 x 203.2 x 61.7 mm3 (L x W x H), and the
weight is 1.6 kg.

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TEC DETECTOR
VORTEX POWER SUPPLY
Figure 7. Front panel of PS electronics box.
Figure 8. Back panel of PS electronics box.
There are two LEDs on the front panel of the PS electronics box. One indicated as
“detector” and turns red whenever the power supply is ON. The other is the “TEC” LED, which
turns red when power is ON, and then, changes to green (through a yellow stage) in a process
that takes approximately 2 minutes. The detector is ready to work (has reached its optimal
temperature) when the LED is turned green.
3.3 Cables
The cables are shown in Figure 9, with the cable edges physically labeled as “main
biasing cable” and “out BNC” cable.