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Omicron Tip Etching Kit User Manual

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Tip Etching Kit User Manual
Version 1.2 • 16 December 2014
Help Line:
German Headquarters and Service Centre:
Scienta Omicron GmbH
Limburger Str. 75
65232 Taunusstein, Germany
Tel.: +49(0) 61 28 / 987-230
Fax: +49(0) 61 28 / 987-33-230
E-Mail: services@scientaomicron.com
M6171

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  • Page 1 Tip Etching Kit User Manual Version 1.2 • 16 December 2014 Help Line: German Headquarters and Service Centre: Scienta Omicron GmbH Limburger Str. 75 65232 Taunusstein, Germany Tel.: +49(0) 61 28 / 987-230 Fax: +49(0) 61 28 / 987-33-230 E-Mail: services@scientaomicron.com...

  • Page 2: Preface

    Omicron NanoTechnology GmbH. Warranty Omicron acknowledges a warranty period of 12 months from the date of delivery (if not otherwise stated) on parts and labour, excluding consumables such as filaments, sensors, etc. No liability or warranty claims shall be accepted for any damages resulting from non-observance of operational and safety instructions, natural wear of the components or unauthorised repair attempts.

  • Page 3: Waste Electric And Electronic Equipment

    Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment In compliance with the WEEE directive (2002/96/EC) OMICRON ensures that all products supplied by OMICRON which are de-commissioned and which are labelled with a WEEE Registration Number will be taken back by OMICRON free of charge.

  • Page 4: Conditions Of Ce Compliance

    OMICRON even if performed by an OMICRON service representative. Spare Parts OMICRON spare parts, accessories and replacements are not CE labelled individually since they can only be used in conjunction with other pieces of equipment. Notice CE compliance for a combination of certified products can only be guaranteed with respect to the lowest level of certification.

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    Preface Tip Etching Kit User Guide Contents Preface ................................2 Copyright ..............................2 Warranty ..............................2 Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment ....................3 Normal Use .............................. 3 Conditions of CE Compliance ........................4 Contents ..............................5 List of Figures ............................5 List of Tables ............................

  • Page 6: List Of Tables

    Preface Tip Etching Kit User Guide List of Tables Table 1: Tip etching materials classified......................10 Table 2: Advantages and disadvantages of the etching methods..............11 Table 3: Tip etching parameters for polycrystalline tungsten tips in solution............ 17 Table 4: Tip etching parameters for polycrystalline tungsten tips in solution.

  • Page 7: Introduction

    Tip Etching Kit User Guide 1. Introduction The Tip Etching Kit is a device for producing sharp tungsten tips with smallest local radii of the tip apex. The so-etched tips are well suited for use in STM, FIM, FEM and SEM.

  • Page 8: Safety Information

     Do not cover any ventilation slits/holes so as to avoid overheating.  The Tip Etching Kit may only be handled by authorised personnel. Warning Warning: Lethal Voltages!!  Adjustments and fault finding measurements may only be carried out by authorised personnel qualified to handle lethal voltages.
  • Page 9 2. Safety Information Tip Etching Kit User Guide Caution NaOH Causes Severe Burns!  In case of contact with eyes, rinse immediately with plenty of water and seek medical advice.  Always wear suitable gloves and eye/face protection when handling NaOH solution.

  • Page 10: General

    3. General Tip Etching Kit User Guide 3. General STM tips are normally made from cut-to-size pieces of high purity metal wire. There are many different ways to make tips for atomic resolution, the very first STM tips simply were mechanically ground. A standard method for STM tip fabrication is electro-chemical etching.
  • Page 11 Advantages and Disadvantages of Etching Methods The Tip Etching Kit is supplied with insets for holding the tip during etching. These are a bare wire inset for holding pieces of wire directly and two tip holders with adapters for different AFM and STM instruments.

  • Page 12: The Etching Control Unit

    4. The Etching Control Unit Tip Etching Kit User Guide 4. The Etching Control Unit Front Panel Figure 1. Control unit front panel, schematic diagram. Push-button switch with optical status indicator. Green LED is lit during etching (DIFF. mode or THRESHOLD mode).
  • Page 13 4. The Etching Control Unit Tip Etching Kit User Guide Selectable digital display for threshold current, etching voltage and etching current. 3-position rotary knob for selecting display signal to be threshold current in milliamps, etching voltage in volts, or etching current in milliamps.

  • Page 14: Rear Panel

    4. The Etching Control Unit Tip Etching Kit User Guide Rear Panel Figure 2. Control unit rear panel, schematic diagram. Banana monitor sockets for etching current: red = + black = - small = earth/ground 0-10 V output for 0-100 mA etching current maximum current output 20 mA 3-pin Renk socket for connecting the control unit to the etching mount.

  • Page 15: Cut-Off Procedures

    5. Cut-Off Procedures Tip Etching Kit User Guide 5. Cut-Off Procedures In order to achieve high quality tips it is absolutely vital to cut the etching voltage in the instant the etched tip or excess end of wire drops down. The tip etching control unit offers two different methods for detecting the end of the etching process.

  • Page 16: Dc Etching In Solution (Threshold Cut-Off)

    6. DC Etching in Solution (Threshold Cut-off) Tip Etching Kit User Guide 6. DC Etching in Solution (Threshold Cut-off) Remarks concerning DC-etching of tunnel tips  Prepare a NaOH-solution from 100 ml distilled or de-ionised water and 20 g NaOH pellets (see table 3).
  • Page 17 6. DC Etching in Solution (Threshold Cut-off) Tip Etching Kit User Guide  Set the front panel display to show the threshold current and adjust the Threshold potentiometer for the desired stop current value, see table 3. If this current is reached the etching voltage is cut and the etching process stops.

  • Page 18: Dc Etching In Solution (Differential Cut-Off)

    7. DC Etching in Solution (Differential Cut-off) Tip Etching Kit User Guide 7. DC Etching in Solution (Differential Cut-off) Remarks concerning DC-etching of tunnel tips  Prepare a NaOH-solution from 100 ml distilled or de-ionised water and 20 g NaOH pellets (see table 3).
  • Page 19 7. DC Etching in Solution (Differential Cut-off) Tip Etching Kit User Guide  Switch the mode selector to "Diff." and adjust the Sensitivity: potentiometer for the desired stop current difference I, see table 4. If this value is reached the etching voltage is cut and the etching process stops.

  • Page 20: Dc Etching "Lamella

    8. DC Etching "Lamella" Tip Etching Kit User Guide 8. DC Etching "Lamella" Notice The ring electrode required for lamella etching, see figure 5, is not supplied with the instrument.  Prepare a NaOH-solution from 100 ml distilled or de-ionised water and 8 g NaOH pellets (see table 5).
  • Page 21 8. DC Etching "Lamella" Tip Etching Kit User Guide  Adjust the Sensitivity: potentiometer for the desired stop current difference I, see table 5. If this value is reached the etching voltage is cut and the etching process stops. If the sensitivity is set too low the etching voltage may not be cut even when the tip drops.

  • Page 22: Trouble Shooting

    9. Trouble Shooting Tip Etching Kit User Guide 9. Trouble Shooting Etching Process Takes Longer Than 15 Minutes  The NaOH has not yet completely dissolved. In this case wait until completely dissolved before starting the etching process.  The NaOH concentration is not uniform over the entire volume. In this case stir the solution and start again.

  • Page 23: Literature

    10. Literature Tip Etching Kit User Guide 10. Literature Niemeck F W and Ruppin D (1954). Z. f. angewandte Physik 6, 1. (In German) Müller E W, Tsong T T (1969). Field Ion Microscopy. Elsevier, New York. Kuk Y and Silverman P (1986). Role of tip structure in STM. Appl. Phys. Lett. 48, 1597-1599.

  • Page 24: Service At Omicron

    Make sure all necessary information is supplied. Always note the serial number(s) of your instrument and related equipment (e.g. head, electronics, preamp…) or have it at hand when calling. If you have to send any equipment back to Scienta Omicron  Please contact Scienta Omicron headquarters before shipping any equipment.

  • Page 25: Index

    Index Tip Etching Kit User Guide Index adjustment ............3 problems ............22 adjustments, warning ........... 8 advantages ............11 recipe ............17, 19 references............23 cathode ............17, 19 requirements............9 cleaning tips ........... 17, 19, 21 ring electrode .......... 16, 18, 20 components ............

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