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ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES •
MARCH 2014
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tifies size, shape, and chemical compo-
sition of particles. Traditionally,
SEM/EDX required personnel to man-
age the instrument or interpret data.
One alternative, the CleanCHK Ana-
lyzer from FEI, Hillsboro, Ore., requires
little or no expertise to more effectively
monitor particle cleanliness by identify-
ing the source of even the smallest par-
ticle. The device monitors surface
cleanliness by automatically detecting
and counting particles, and analyzes
their size, shape, and composition
within minutes.
Designed for use on the production
line floor, the system can identify parti-
cles as small as 0.5 µm so that the source
of contaminants can be determined and
problems can be fixed right away. The
instrument allows automated sample
setup, analysis, and instrument calibra-
tion and provides accurate information
on particle size, shape, and chemistry.
Classifications can be selected and auto-
matically obtained based on the meas-
ured parameters.
100
m
m
100
m
m
SEM image of aluminum oxide particle with corresponding EDS.
1 2 3 4 5 6
keV
2320
1740
1160
580
0
Al
O