The 208HR High Resolution Sputter Coater from Cressington offers real solutions to the problems encountered when coating difficult samples for FESEM imaging. FESEM applications need extremely thin, grain-free, uniform coatings to eliminate charging and to improve contrast on low density materials. In order to minimize the effects of grain size the 208HR offers a full range of coating materials and gives unprecedented control over thickness and deposition conditions. The 208HR design and wide range of operating pressures allows precise control of the uniformity and conformity of the coating, minimizing charging effects. The HIGH / LOW chamber configuration allows easy adjustment of the distance from target to sample. The MTM-20 High Resolution Thickness Controller has a resolution of better than 0.1nm. This enables precise and reproducible thin coatings, especially in the desirable range of 0.5 - 3nm thickness for FESEM applications.

Coating Materials for FESEM Applications are:

• Pt/Pd: General-purpose coating material for non-conducting specimens
• Cr: Excellent for semi-conductor materials
• Ir: Excellent, virtually grain-free coating material

Main features

• Wide Choice of Coating Materials. Magnetron head design and effective gas handling allow a wide choice of target materials.
• Precision Thickness Control. Thickness optimized for FESEM operating voltage using the MTM-20 High Resolution Thickness Controller.
• Multi-angle Stage Movements. Separate rotary, planetary and tilting stage movements ensure uniform coating with excellent conformity, even on highly topographic samples.
• Multiple Sample Holders. Four sample holders are provided to accommodate sample sizes as large as 32mm diameter of up to 6 stubs per holder.
• Variable Chamber Geometry. Chamber geometry is used to adjust deposition rates from 1.0nm/sec to 0.002nm/sec to optimize structure.
• Wide Range of Operating Pressures. Independent power / pressure adjustment allows operation at argon gas pressure range of 0.2 - 0.005 mbar.
• Compact, Modern, Benchtop Design. Space and energy saving design eliminates need for floor space, water or specialized electrical connections.
• Ease of Operation. System operation and setup is very similar to standard sputter coating and does not require additional cleaning compared to ion beam coaters.