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EM-Tec versatile 360° /90° off-set specimen holder and 90° Quick-Flip holders

EM-Tec PH90 versatile off-set and 360°/90° offset SEM specimen holder kit allows imaging samples and specimens mounted on specimen stubs directly under 90° tilt without a disturbing background.  The 90° SEM specimen holder kit has a low profile and small volume to reduce interference with detectors. With the 90° pre-tilt there is no need to tilt the SEM stage (which often runs into limitations with high tilt angles) – the 90° specimen holder kit avoids these limitations. The 90° mounted SEM stub or specimen can be easily rotated in the 90° block  to enable quick changes of viewing angles.

EM-Tec PH90 versatile 360°/90°-offset sample holder kit is fully compatible with all standard SEMs such as ThermoFisher/FEI, Tescan, Zeiss SEMs with short pin, Hitachi SEMs and with the EM-Tec SEM stage adaptor system. For use on JEOL SEMs, a JEOL pin stub adaptor needs to be used (see this link). It can be used in a large variety of configurations included (but not limited too):

  • off-set strip for SEM pin stubs
  • 90 degrees holder for SEM pin stubs or pin stub holders with off-set strip
  • 90 degrees holder for SEM pin stubs without off-set strip
  • 90 degrees holder for needle-type samples with a maximum diameter of 3.2mm
  • off-set strip for Hitachi SEM stubs
  • 90 degrees holder for Hitachi SEM stubs or M4 threaded sample holders with off-set strip
  • 90 degrees holder for Hitachi SEM stubs without an off-set strip
  • for connecting multiple kits together for longer off-set distances and different angles.

Overall size of the compact EM-Tec PH90 versatile 360°/90°-offset sample holder is only 36 x 25 x 12.7mm.
Off-set sample strip dimensions are: 36 x 12.7 x 5mm. 90°. Sample holder post dimensions are: 12.7 x 12.7 x 20mm.

Off-set strip
The off-set strip brings the 90° holder away from the centre of the sample stage. As a result, an SEM sample or SEM sample stub mounted at 90°, is positioned closer to the center of the SEM stage. This allows for easy rotation of the sample (in the X-Y plane). It is lso very useful for table-top SEMs which have been configured with simple sample stages lacking tilt and rotation.

90 Degrees SEM sample imaging
An additional feature of the 90° holder is the ability to accept a needle with a shaft diameter up to 3.2mm. SEM samples can be mounted on the needle and easily imaged from different angles by manually rotating the needle in the holder. Due to the long distance from SEM sample to the sample stage, there are hardly any disturbing background features. To fully reduce background signal, you can place a silicon wafer or carbon disc on the off-set strip directly underneath the sample. The vertical distance to the centre of the stub connection is 16mm which makes this holder kit compatible withSEM  pin stubs and Hitachi M4 SEM stubs up to 32mm diameter.

EM-Tec PH90 versatile 360°/90° offset SEM sample holder kits:

EM-Tec PH91 S-Clip 90 degrees Quick-Flip sample holder kit
The EM-Tec PH91 S-Clip 90° Quick-Flip SEM sample holder kit consists of a EM-Tec PH90 360°/90° offset holder and a 90° holder with a single S-Clip (#12-002911). This kit is intended for silicon chips and other thin samples and allows quick change between horizontal and vertical imaging of sample edges/sides.

EM-Tec PH92 mini vice clamp 90 degrees Quick-Flip SEM sample holder kit
The EM-Tec PH92 mini-vice clamp 90° Quick-Flip SEM sample holder kit consists of the EM-Tec PH90 360°/90°offset holder and a EM-Tec PS4 mini- vice clamp (#10-002240). This kit is intended for cross sections and samples up to 4mm in thickness to enable quick changes between horizontal and vertical imaging of the sample.

EM-Tec PH93 mini split mount vice clamp 90 degrees Quick-Flip SEM sample holder kit
The EM-Tec PH93 mini split mount vice clamp 90° Quick-Flip SEM sample holder kit consists of a EM-Tec PH90 360°/90° offset holder and a EM-Tec PS9 mini split mount vice clamp (#12-000230). This kit is intended for clamping thin samples, cross sections and samples up to 8mm thickness. The Quick-Flip rotation enable imaging of both sides of an edge.

EM-Tec PH94 stub vice clamp 90 degrees Quick-Flip SEM sample holder kit
The EM-Tec PH94 stub vice clamp 90 degrees Quick-Flip SEM sample holder kit consists of an EM-Tec PH90 360°/90° offset holder and an EM-Tec HS15 SEM stub vice clamp (#12-000315). The SEM stub vice clamp holds samples up to 16mm which can quickly flipped to different angles to allow imaging of different sides or edges of  asample.

The EM-Tec PH90 360°/90°offset SEM sample holder and Quick-Flip sample holder kits are fully compatible with the following SEMs:

  • SEMs using pin stubs; ThermoFisher/FEI, Philips, Tescan, Aspex, RJLee,  AmRay, Cambridge Instruments, Leica, CamScan, ETEC and Novascan SEMs.
  • Carl Zeiss SEMs and FIB systems
  • Hitachi SEMs using M4 threaded screws
  • EM-Tec SEM stage adaptors (see: this link)

Technical Support Note: TSB 12-000266 EM-Tec off-set strip and 90 degrees holder