XEI Scientific reports on how RJ Lee Group has applied Evactron plasma technology for specimen cleaning.
RJ Lee Group is a materials characterisation laboratory and industrial forensics consulting firm.
The group specialises in scientific support of four areas of interest: analytical laboratory testing, industrial forensics consultation and support, litigation support, and systems reliability tools for engine health.
Commercial nanotechnology customers are looking for analysis of their products and processes. These examinations may include looking at quantum dots, nanoparticles or nanotubes.
For example, these nanomaterials need to be characterized in terms of morphology, size and composition.
Further, in theranostics, nanomaterials are used in diagnostic therapy for individual patients and may also be used in targeted drug therapies where quality control and compliance are critical in these developing applications.
Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy, STEM, is frequently the chosen technique for such studies.
RJ Lee Group has recently employed the downstream plasma cleaning technique provided by XEI Scientific in order to optimise the image quality of their Hitachi HD2300 Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM).
While commonly used to remove unwanted hydrocarbons which can cause contamination build-up in electron microscopes, the XEI Evactron system may also be used to optimise image quality on samples which may have incurred contamination at other steps during their examination.
As noted by Long Li, operator of the Hitachi microscope, “After completing a thorough study of the effects of downstream plasma cleaning we are clearly able to demonstrate the removal of contaminants and improved image and data quality without damaging our samples.”
The Evactron CombiClean System simplifies the control and operation of multiple Plasma Radical Sources (PRS) modules on columns and desktops.
With an integrated controller and vacuum chamber, operators can easily select which PRS is active via the system front panel and seamlessly switch between column cleaning and desktop de-contamination of items destined for use in the microscopes.
