Q150T Sample Preparation System
10473 - Issue 5 8 Q150T - Instruction Manual
1 Introduction
1.1 General Description
The Q150T system is a versatile sputter coater/turbo evaporator (see Figure 1-1) for
preparing specimens for examination by electron microscopy.
With a comprehensive selection of easily interchanged inserts and sample stages, the
Q150T can be used to:
Sputter coat samples using targets such as Chromium or Gold.
Evaporate support films and replicas for TEM and X-Ray analysis and conducting
coatings for SEM using 3mm or 6mm carbon rods or cords.
Evaporate metals upwards or downwards from a wire basket or molybdenum boat
arrangement.
Clean aperture strips.
There are three models in the Q150T range:
Q150T S Sputter coater version only.
Q150T E Carbon/metal evaporation version only.
Q150T ES Combined system with interchangeable inserts for sputter coating or
carbon/metal evaporation.
The instrument is fully adaptable to a wide range of specimens and offers easy loading
and unloading of samples. The changeover between sputtering and evaporation inserts
is simple. The system is fully automated with a user defined profile controlling the
pumping sequence, preheating, outgassing, the time and number of evaporation/sputter
bursts, and the current used during the process.
The Q150T can be fitted with a film thickness monitor (FTM), which measures the
coating thickness on a crystal in the chamber, to control the coating applied to the
sample. For example, the Q150T can automatically terminate a coating cycle when the
required thickness has been achieved.
Figure 1-1. Front view of the Q150T
The Q150T features a turbo molecular pump backed by a rotary vacuum pump and
controlled by the instrument throughout the fully automatic coating cycle.
The system is fitted with a vacuum shutdown system allowing the instrument to be
pumped down and switched off, with the chamber left under vacuum.
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