The Hitachi IM4000Plus Ar ion milling system provides two milling configurations in a single instrument.
Previously two separate systems were needed to perform both cross section cutting (E-3500) and wide-area sample surface fine polishing (IM3000), but with Hitachi’s IM4000Plus, both applications can be run within the same machine.
Furthermore, with an increase in the maximum milling rate to 500 μm/h for Si, the new Ar ion gun design of the IM4000Plus enables a reduction of cross section processing times by as much as 66% compared to the previous IM4000.
In addition, the entire sample stage of the IM4000Plus can be removed for convenience when setting specimen and fine positioning a cross section cutting edge using an external high-resolution optical microscope.
Parabola-shaped polished cross section as seen through the optional live stereo microscope
Conventional mechanical polishing or cutting techniques on soft, composite materials apply significant lateral sheer forces to the sample and often result in cross-section surface artifacts such as scratches, smearing, wash-out of softer materials, delamination and other damage.
In contrast, ion beam sputtering is a stress-free physical process whereby atoms are ejected from a target material due to bombardment of the target by energized particles.
Mirror-surface quality cross sections are created by forming an ion beam resistant mask on a sample surface in such way that one half of the vertically incident ion beam is blocked by the mask. The other half of the ion beam gradually removes the sample material protruding from the mask, and as a result, a straight cross sectional plain is formed below the edge of the protective mask.
The range of materials and samples that can be subjected to ion cross section milling is not limited to hard matter. In fact, high-quality sectioning can be achieved with the IM4000Plus even with “soft” samples such as paper, polymers, and powders.
Hydrodyl apatite powder
Coated printing paper
Enforcing fiber distribution in polymer
Contact on IC card
Principle of Flat Milling
The wide, polished areas can be achieved as the sample rotation (or swing) center axis is shifted from the ion beam center, thereby compensating the intensity distribution of the ion beam profile.
A variable beam incidence angle (freely selectable from vertical to glancing incidence) allows both a perfect smoothing – for example in preparation for EBSD analysis – or a selective enhancement of specimen surface features (relief milling) for optimized SEM observation.
A high-resolution optical microscope is optionally available with the IM4000Plus to enable live observation of the cross section cutting area through a window in the processing chamber. This supports the user in various tasks such as deciding the end point of sample milling when dealing with unknown materials.
The IM4000Plus Series Ion-Milling Systems are the second-generation of IM4000 series hybrid instruments that support Cross-Section Milling and Flatmilling®. A wide variety of system configurations are available: Standard, Cooling, Air Protection, and Cooling & Air Protection.
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