VIDEO - Operation of a Scanning Electron Microscope, at home, in my living room.

[eV1Te]

I mentioned earlier in another post here on the forum, that I would make a video showing the scanning electron microscope (SEM) that I have in my living room. I am not sure if it classifies as Test Equipment but technically it is, just not for the "average" electronics engineer.

So I finally made this video, just before I unfortunately had to get rid of the instrument since I had to move to a new place with less space.I had it for about 4 years, in my living room next to my sofa, sometimes even connected to my Tv, since it has a Tv-out signal. But luckily I managed to find a new owner in time, and it makes me very happy to know that it is in good hands now...

In the end of the video you have some nice pictures of the die of an IC (old Intel processor), among other things.

Update:
The SEM was donated to Ben Krasnow, he is now the new owner of this SEM, check out his channel for more videos!

[Deckert]

Hi eV1Te,

Nice video - good presentation. Oh, and your English is perfect.

--deckert

[Hydrawerk]

What a lovely machine. Oldschool but compact. I thought that Jeol Company was from Japan. http://www.jeol.co.jp/en/corporate/outline/

[mikeselectricstuff]

Would be nice to digitise the output for direct digital imaging - I wonder if at the slow scan rate, you could do it with a sound card input?

[mikeselectricstuff]

Do those position adjusters work using a magnetic coupling to avoid having a shaft seal?

[apelly]

Too cool for school!

Weeks of fun for the whole family. And in the living room. Fantastic!

[VK5RC]

How heavy is it?  I would imagine that it would be quite heavy.

[eV1Te]

Thanks for all the great comments, I now understand why video bloggers love to make videos, especially when you get this kind of positive feedback within hours of releasing a new video 

What a lovely machine. Oldschool but compact. I thought that Jeol Company was from Japan. http://www.jeol.co.jp/en/corporate/outline/

Thanks, and yes that is correct, it is from Japan, I had to use a 20+ kg step down transformer for my 230 Vac line voltage to 100 Vac, and every time I plugged the power cord into the wall, it was a 50% probability of the circuit breaker tripping, just because of the inductance in the transformer (SEM was not turned on).

Do those position adjusters work using a magnetic coupling to avoid having a shaft seal?

I think it actually has shaft seals for a more direct physical connection, especially for the X-Y movement, but for the rotation I can not be sure since I never checked (it is hard to tell from the inside of the chamber). The resolution of the instrument is on the order of 10 nm, so the movement in all directions have to be super stable without hysteresis.

Would be nice to digitise the output for direct digital imaging - I wonder if at the slow scan rate, you could do it with a sound card input?

I have had many thoughts of digitizing the signal, it even has a BNC for the signal on the side. But I never had time to do it. You would need to DC couple the inputs of the sound card and possible offset the signal, the output voltage is in the order of 1-2 Volts if I remember correctly so no problems there. My estimation is that it draws one line in ca. 100 ms, and you would like to get at least 1000 px resolution vertically. So you need a 0.1 ms sampling time (10 kHz), which should be no problem for a sound card!

How heavy is it?  I would imagine that it would be quite heavy.

300 kg, if that is heavy enough for you 

[EEVblog]

Can't say I've ever seen a SEM come up on the used market here in Oz. Rare as hens teeth 
BTW, the LVDC board is going to someone who has just acquired a SEM 

[mikeselectricstuff]

Hmmm - if only I had the space....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Scaning-Electron-Microscope-Cambridge-S360-SEM-/251616350546?pt=UK_BOI_Medical_Lab_Equipment_Lab_Equipment_ET&hash=item3a9580d152

[mikeselectricstuff]

Do those position adjusters work using a magnetic coupling to avoid having a shaft seal?

I think it actually has shaft seals for a more direct physical connection, especially for the X-Y movement, but for the rotation I can not be sure since I never checked (it is hard to tell from the inside of the chamber). The resolution of the instrument is on the order of 10 nm, so the movement in all directions have to be super stable without hysteresis.

Actually thinking about it, having magnets near the stage would probably not be a great idea as it would probably affect the beam!

[SeanB]

You probably have a set of labyrinth seals with a vacuum grease inside them, so that the interface will gas out slowly into the interior high vacuum, slow enough that the diffusion pump can handle the extra load. Otherwise you need a bellows seal using a corrugated nickel or titanium plated tube, which has close to zero leakage but which is quite long compared to the allowable motion. You would only need one for the XY stage, and another for the rotation axis that would then have to be mechanically added inside the chamber.

[VK5RC]

300kg! Hope the floor is strong and it separates into lots of small (not so heavy) parts. But I want one.
Not sure what I would use it for though my wife would kill me!
I think they use flexible copper seals bellows for variable vacuum capacitors, maybe they use something similar.

[SeanB]

As well look how those are made by electroplating the material ( or sputtering) onto a conductive mandrel, then dissolving the mandrel away leaving the thin flexible ribbon behind.

[eV1Te]

Actually thinking about it, having magnets near the stage would probably not be a great idea as it would probably affect the beam!

That is true, probably a good reason to not have magnets, even if the beam deflection would be static and easily calibrated for. But a labyrinth seal or just simple O-rings would probably be what is used

I know that the TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope) that I am responsible for at work, uses just a single O-ring (or maybe one more on the inside) to seal the sample rod to the outside. In a TEM the sample is on the tip of a long rod, which is inserted into a hole on the side of the chamber, so that the rod still sticks out of the microscope while observing the sample.
Here is an example picture of this type of sample rod, where the left part of the O-ring is in high vacuum, and the right part is at atmospheric pressure:

[pickle9000]

Awesome video. Thanks

[dexters_lab]

if i had one in my living room, i'd be stuck there for days finding stuff to view in it

great video btw

[Slappy_g]

Ok, I have to say that's one of the coolest videos I've seen on this site.

Well done, my friend!

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

[David Hess]

I have heard of people building home grown ones using the electron optics and deflection assembly from an oscilloscope CRT.

[miguelvp]

Or a TV for that matter, specially a black and white one.
the vacuum seems to be the most important part to raise funds (not actually to develop a product)

[GreyWoolfe]

Very nice video   That would be just simply too cool to have one.  Too bad you had to sell it.

[mikeselectricstuff]

Just saw a tweet form Ben Krasnow that he used his scope to capture data from his SEM
https://twitter.com/BenKrasnow
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BwGvcF3CIAM4gcH.png

[eV1Te]

Very nice video   That would be just simply too cool to have one.  Too bad you had to sell it.

Thanks a lot! I did enjoy it a lot during my graduate studies, thanks to the knowledge I learned from this equipment I am now responsible for the use of the electron microscopes at my work.

I choose to donated it for free, because I wanted others to have the same opportunity to learn from the technology and to explore the nano-world, which is almost inaccessible without one.

[jlmoon]

And I thought I had a bit of eccentric character about me.. with rebuilding/restoring a old motorcycle in my living room when I was a young adult.  Now a SEM in the living room.. that's really revealing  the eccentric side .. 

[AndreasF]

Great video!