TOOLS & TECHNIQUES

DECEMBER 2010 | VOLUME 13 | NUMBER 1250

Bruker acquires Metrology & Instrumentation GroupBruker Corporation, a leading provider

of instruments for molecular and

materials science for research and

industry, recently acquired the

Metrology & Instrumentation Group

of Veeco Instruments Inc. This group

includes the Scanning Probe Microscopy

(SPM), Optical Industrial Metrology

(OIM) and Stylus Profiler product lines

of Veeco.

Acquired at a cost of $229 million,

the new purchase is expected to

contribute over $130 million to

Bruker in 2011. The Metrology &

Instrumentation Group is now part of

Bruker’s new Nano Surfaces Business,

and is compromised of all of the

group’s former assets, such as its

facilities in California and Arizona,

and the worldwide service support

departments.

Contact: www.bruker-nano.com

Extreme high-aspect ratio AFMCarbon Design Innovations,

manufacturers of carbon nanotube

devices, has recently announced an

atomic force microscope (AFM) probe

with an extreme high-aspect ratio,

designed for life science imaging.

Using CDI’s patented techniques,

the company is able to produce

incredibly straight probes, which can

be precisely aligned. The Carbon Core

BioProbes (CCB) have a total length

of up to 5 μm, with an exposed

nanotube length of <500 nm. The

CCB AFM probes are able to provide a

high-aspect ratio, stability and superb

resolution.

The probe also offers a lifetime which

is ten-fold longer than silicon probes,

by exploiting the strength of carbon

nanotubes. The probes consist of

multiwall carbon nanotubes, which

are securely attached, meaning that

the tip can withstand forces that

silicon or amorphous carbon probes

cannot. The CCB probe is designed to

be suitable for most non-contact mode

operations; however custom coatings

and processes are available, if the

standard CCB is not ideal. The probe is

also available on the user’s choice of

cantilever.

Contact: www.carbondesigninnovations.com

Customised SiliconAgar Scientific, a major supplier of consumables and

equipment for microscopy, has announced that their

partners TEMwindows will offer a wafer fabrication

service. TEMwindows has experience in ultrathin films

and MEMs processes, and so will be able to support

customers who require unique solutions to their

microscopy problems. They will offer design, etching and

inspection of novel supports and films constructed from

silicon, silicon dioxide and silicon nitride. Features as

small as two microns can be etched into membranes, and

metal deposition with a thickness of fifty to two hundred

nanometres can be performed. Custom packaging will

also be arranged to ensure that the tailor-made products

arrive in the desired condition.

Contact: www.agarscientific.com

Novel desktop x-ray instrumentA new system for angle-dispersive x-ray diffraction

(ADXRD), energy-dispersive x-ray diffraction (EDXRD)

and x-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurements is now

being offered by Bruker AXS. The D2 PHASER uses the

XFlash detector, which provides an energy resolution

of less than 180 eV at 100 000 counts per second. The

detector is a silicon drift type device, and thanks to its

high energy resolution, it is able to provide superior

peak-to-background intensity ratios.

The energy of the D2 PHASER can be moved throughout

the copper emission spectrum, allowing the Kα doublet

or the Kβ line to be selected. Such an approach

overcomes the overlap problem associated with using

Kα radiation. The XRF data can be collected during other

measurements, allowing elements and concentrations to

be identified. Such a measurement is incredibly valuable

when the possibility of separate phases arises, or when

doubt surrounds the sample composition.

Contact: www.bruker.com

Next generation HBLED toolsOxford Instruments is, among other titles, the world

leading supplier of high volume bath plasma tools for

the production market. Now the company is launching

the PlasmaPro™ NGP®1000 HBLED range of plasma

etch and deposition tools, which the company hopes

will prove to be invaluable for high-brightness LED

(HBLED) manufacturers. The new tools offer a much

higher throughput than previously available, as well as

aiming to be reliable and easy-to-service products.

The range includes the PlasmaPro™ NGP1000 PECVD

system, designed to deposit SiO2 and SiNx layers over

large areas, and the PlasmaPro™ NGP1000 etch system,

designed for GaN, AlGaInP and Sapphire etching. By using

the new 60MHz Viper™ plasma source it is possible to

obtain uniformity over a wider area than conventional

sources, while still performing at an industry leading rate.

Contact: www.oxford-instruments.com

Small but able mass spectrometerA new compact mass spectrometer, the QGA, is now being

offered by Hiden Analytical. The benchtop spectrometer

can provide real-time multi-species analysis of gases and

vapors between 2 bar and 100 mbar. The sample insert

can be heated up to 200 °C, and the device will adjust the

consumption rates to meet the processing requirements.

By using available adaptors and extensions it is possible

to study pressures up to 30 bar and extract gases from

environments at 1000 °C. The device uses the QGA

operating system, and can analyze 16 gases or vapors.

Several advanced modes are available, which allow the

analysis of complex organic molecules using soft ionization,

and the selective ionization of many gas species.

Contact: www.HidenAnalytical.com

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