FIB/SEM commissioned at Curtin University

AXT has completed the installation of a TESCAN LYRA focused ion beam/scanning electron microscope (FIB/SEM) at Curtin University, Perth, as part of the National Resource Sciences Precinct’s (NRSP) Advanced Resource Characterisation Facility. The precinct is a collaboration between CSIRO, Curtin University and The University of Western Australia.

The LYRA integrates a Schottky field-emission SEM with a high-resolution FIB column. The system benefits from improved high-performance electronics for fast image acquisition; ultrafast scanning with compensation for static and dynamic range aberrations; and built-in scripting for user-defined applications.

It is also said to include: the highest number of simultaneous analytical tools; a fully integrated time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (TOF-SIMS) capability which is unique in Australia; simultaneous EDS and EBSD using static measurement mode, enabling faster data acquisition and 3D reconstruction; and a fully integrated and software-controlled nanomanipulator which is suitable for atom probe and TEM sample prep.

Curtin University’s Professor Steven Reddy, who was key to securing funding and undertaking the instrument selection process, said one of the key applications for the LYRA will be sample preparation for the university’s atom probe facility.

“The atom probe in particular is used for groundbreaking geoscience research, where it is used for nanoscale characterisation of natural mineral and ore samples for Western Australia’s rich mining industry,” Professor Reddy said. “The LYRA and its precision milling capabilities will help us to quickly and accurately prepare samples so we can zero in on areas of interest and hence spend more time analysing important features.”

The LYRA now resides in a laboratory next to the TIMA (TESCAN Integrated Minerals Analyser) and a TESCAN MIRA, which share the same high-resolution electron microscope column. The TIMA is tailored specifically for high-throughput automated minerals analysis. All three installations are supported locally by AXT’s Perth-based service engineers.

Image caption: Operators being trained to drive the TESCAN LYRA FIB-SEM at Curtin University (TESCAN TIMA in the foreground).