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Mica and Single Crystal Substrates
Silicon Chip Specimen Supports

Silicon Chip Support • Silicon Nitride Discs • Single Crystal Substrates

Mica Substrates for AFM, TEM and SEM

Freshly cleaved muscovite mica surfaces have an outstanding even surface, are optically flat, clear, transparent, scratchless and free from fingerprints. There are very useful for electron microscopy for production of carbon support films, particle imaging, cell growing and thin film coating research. Muscovite mica surface are also suitable as substrates for high resolution atomic force microcopy studies such as DNA, DNA-protein and thin films.

Cleaving mica involves insertion of a sharp edge or point into an edge or corner of the sheet and gently prying apart the leaves. A good sharp razor blade edge will do the job and in some cases a sharp pointed tweezer may accomplish this.. The freshly exposed micro surface should be used immediately after cleaving to take advantage of the clean and even surface. The muscovite mica is die cut to the sizes offered. The thickness of the mica sheets varies between 0.18 - 0.25mm (0.007 - 0.01") with few pieces laying outside this range.
Cleaving can also be achieved by placing a double coated piece of tape onto the mica surface and gently pulling off the mica layer starting on one edge of the mica. Then place mica with tape side down on to a specimen disc or mount.

Ruby muscovite color ranges from almost white through pink to a light ruby and into shades of brownish ruby and brown. It is considered of higher quality (compared to green muscovite) because of hardness and excellent cleavage properties permitting it to be split into the thinnest desired film without the risk of cracking. It is optically flat, resilient and incompressible. While it splits into thin films along its cleavage planes, yet it remains tough and elastic, even at high temperature.

Chemically, mica is a complex hydrous silicate of aluminum, containing potassium, magnesium, iron, sodium fluoride and/or lithium and traces of other elements. It is stable and inert to water, acids (except hydrofluoric and concentrated sulfuric acids), alkalis, conventional solvents and oil.
Our mica has minimum inclusions, minimum air and bubbles and is clean. ASTM D-351 describes grading standards for mica. See this link for Properties and chemical composition of Mica Grade V1

Early references to this technique include Professors Dan Pease, C.E. Hall and Robert Bils
Bils R.F., Hall C.E., 1962. Biology, 17, 123-130
Pease D.C., 1964. Histological techniques for electron microscopy, 2nd ed, pp 208-209, (Academic Press)
Hall C.E., 1966. Introduction to electron microscopy, 2nd ed, (McGraw Hill)
mica disks for scanning electron microscopy

Mica Disks

Grade V1
9.9mm (.39") disks, popular with AFM users
Interleaved

Prod #DescriptionUnitPriceOrder / Quote
50
AFM Mica Disks, Quality Grade V1, Highest Quality, 9.9mm, interleaved
pkg/10
$9.98
Qty:

mica

Hi-Grade Mica

Grade V2
25 x 25mm (1 x 1")
0.23 to 0.3mm (.009 - .012") thick
Interleaved

Prod #DescriptionUnitPriceOrder / Quote
52-6
Hi-Grade Mica, Grade V2, 25 x 25mm
pkg/20
$20.60
Qty:

mica sheets

Mica Sheets

Three sizes available, presenting many fresh, clean surfaces for such EM applications as carbon filming and particle spraying. Thickness, .23mm (.009").
See Quality Classification of Muscovite Mica Based on Visual Properties

Prod #DescriptionUnitPriceOrder / Quote
52
PELCO® Mica Sheets, Grade V5, 50 x 76mm (2 x 3"),
pkg/10
$6.70
Qty:
53
PELCO® Mica Sheets, Grade V5, 25 x 76mm (1 x 3"),
pkg/20
7.95
Qty:
54
PELCO® Mica Sheets, Grade V5, 10 x 40mm (.39 x 1.57")
pkg/100
18.75
Qty:

Highest Grade Mica

Highest quality V1 Mica
Size 25 x 76mm (1 x 3")
.15 to .177mm (.006-.007") thick
Sheets interleaved - Package of ten

Prod #DescriptionUnitPriceOrder / Quote
56
Highest Grade V1 Mica, 25 x 76mm (1 x 3")
pkg/10
$29.60
Qty:

silicon chip supports for scanning electron microscopy

Silicon Chip Specimen Supports

grow cells on these specimen supports for SEM viewing
Si-chips are opaque, of low electrical resistance and have surface properties equal to glass (including smoothness). They are chemically inert and make good substrates for growing or mounting cells. Si-chips are precleaned before packaging.

Ordering information: 4" wafer is precut into 5x7mmm or 5x5mm chips that can be easily separated in the laboratory.

4" wafer precut into 5x7mm chips approximately 187 chips/wafer.
4" wafer precut into 5x5mm chips approximately 270 chips/wafer.

Properties:
Orientation (111)
Resistance 1-30 Ohms
Type P (Boron) if 1 primary flat
Type N (Phosphor) if also a secondary flat, 45 degrees from primary flat, is present
No SiO2 top coating
Wafer thickness is 18-21 mil (460-530µm)
Wafer is polished on one side
Before dicing they are rinsed in DI water for cleaning

courtesy K.R. Peters
Peters, K.R., Working at higher magnifications in scanning electron microscopy with secondary and backscattered electrons on metal coated biological specimens and imaging macromolecular cell membrane structures, 1985 Scanning Electron Microscopy, 1985, IV, 159.
Apkarian, R.P., High-resolution signal detection of specimen-specific secondary electrons in an analytical SEM, "Proc.. 44th Ann. Meeting of the EMSA", 1986, G.W. Bailey, Ed., San Francisco Press, 658.

Prod #DescriptionUnitPriceOrder / Quote
16007
4" (10cm) dia., 5x7mm diced Silicon Wafer, 187 chips/wafer,
each
$61.00
Qty:
16008
4" (10cm) dia., 5x5mm diced Silicon Wafer, 270 chips/wafer
each
61.00
Qty:


Silicon Nitride Disks for SEM, FESEM, AFM
Silicon Nitride Blank

Silicon Nitride Coated 3mm Disks (blanks)

These 3mm silicon disks have a 50nm ultra low stress silicon nitride layer (Si3N4) on both sides and can be used as specimen disks for AFM applications which need a Si3N4 background. Provide smooth background: Surface roughness has RMS (Rg) of 0.65 ±0.06nm which gives a mean roughness (RA) of 0.45 ±0.02nm

more information on silicon nitride support films


Product Specifications

  • Film thickness: 50nm ultra low stress Si3N4 on both sides
  • Disc thickness: 200µm silicon support
  • Disc diameter: 3mm
  • Surface roughness: The RMS (Rq) is 0.65 +/- 0.06nm which gives a mean roughness (Ra) of 0.45 +/- 0.02nm
  • Packaging: The PELCO® Silicon Aperture Frames are packaged under cleanroom conditions in the Pelco #160 TEM Grid Storage box. Each box holds 10 discs.

Prod #DescriptionUnitPriceOrder / Quote
21555-10
PELCO® Silicon Nitride 3mm Disks
pkg/10
$115.00
Qty:


crystal substrates

Single Crystal Substrates (NaCl, KBr and KCl)

High purity, optical grade single crystals of sodium chloride (NaCl) MSDS, Potassium Bromide (KBr) and potassium chloride (KCl) form excellent substrates to grow epitaxial films. The orientation of the vacuum coated thin films is directly related to the orientation of the single crystal substrate thereby creating single crystal films. Ideal for thin film research, education and studies of properties of single crystal films.
All three materials are supplied with (100) orientation with a crystal size of 10x10x10mm in packs of 5. For most applications it is advisable to use freshly cleaved substrates. The cleaved surfaces produce atomically flat areas, however cleavage steps over different atomic planes should be expected.

Prod #DescriptionUnitPriceOrder / Quote
46-2
NaCl Crystals, 10 x 10 x 10mm
pkg/5
$31.60
Qty:
46-6
KBr Crystals, 10 x 10 x 10mm
pkg/5
38.50
Qty:
46-8
KCl Crystals, 10 x 10 x 10mm
pkg/5
34.00
Qty:


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Page Last Updated: June 23, 2008