Cross-section milling rate: 1 mm/hour!^*1

The ArBlade 5000 is equipped with a fast-milling Ar ion gun with a milling rate twice as high for cutting-edge performance, thus dramatically reducing the processing time for cross-section preparation.

*1

Si protrudes 100 um from the mask edge.

Comparison of cross-section milling

(Specimen: lead for mechanical pencil, Milling time : 1.5 hours)

Cross-section widths up to 8 mm!

For large-area milling requirements such as electronic-device applications, a revolutionary cross-section milling holder design has been developed for wider-area fabrication.

Example of wide-area cross-section milling

(Specimen: electronic component, Milling time: 5 hours)

Hybrid Model: Dual-Milling Configuration Available

The all new ion-milling system is equipped with both cross-section milling and flat milling modes for the most complex application needs.
Equipped with multiple holders, the ArBlade 5000 system accommodates a wide range of applications.

– The digital Cryo Temperature Control (CTC) unit allows operators to set a desired cooling temperature by placing a heater and sensor directly at the cross-section shielding mask so that a desired process temperature can be accurately maintained.

– At the conclusion of cryo-milling, the specimen stage is gently warmed up to room temperature in order to avoid ice formation or water condensation on the sample surface.

– Sample cooling can support damage-free cross-section milling of highly temperature-sensitive specimen such as polymers or soft metals. However, even with active cooling applied, it is important to choose proper processing parameters for best results. This is especially important for samples with low thermal conductivity because the heat generated at the direct ion-beam point of impact must first be effectively conducted to other regions of the specimen. The ArBlade 5000 with CTC provides high ion-beam currents even at lower “gentle” accelerating voltages and is, therefore, optimally suited for this and other processing techniques.

Specimen : wood alloy