January_AMP_Digital

A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 2 4 TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT A grayscale SEM image fails to reveal the elements found within a fractured teapot made from aluminum oxide. But when the SEM image is colorized using EDS analysis, it becomes clear that the fracture was created by micro-quantities of iron debris from tools used in the manufacturing process. NEXT-GEN COLOR TECHNOLOGY CHANGES HOW MATERIALS ARE CHARACTERIZED Integrated elemental analysis with color imaging lets researchers quickly and accurately answer compositional questions. W hen color televisions first start- ed appearing in the 1950s, they transformed the viewing experience. Suddenly, hard-to-discern shades of gray were replaced with vi- brant colors that gave viewers far more detailed information about the image. The advance brought the television ex- perience to life, elevating this medium to a new level. Thanks to new color technology available with scanning electron mi- croscope (SEM) imaging and analysis, today’s researchers are experiencing a similar revolution. The once gray- scale images can now be seen in color almost instantly as the sample is be- ing scanned by the SEM. This, in turn, promises to advance materials science by allowing researchers to quickly and accurately identify the chemical com- position of samples at the micron scale. Over the years, the ability to de- termine the chemical composition of samples has enabled researchers to ac- complish a broad range of goals from identifying machine malfunctions to pinpointing product defects to detect- ing food contaminants. Yet historical- ly the process has been cumbersome, requiring researchers to combine two techniques: SEM imaging and ener- gy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. Using a SEM, researchers obtain black-and-white images showing com- positional and topographical contrast derived from backscattered and sec- ondary electrons. These grayscale im- ages lack compositional information about the sample, so scientists and en- gineers have had to turn to EDS anal- ysis, which generates color images obtained from x-rays. The challenge is that EDS anal- ysis can be difficult for new users to learn. Moreover, combining SEM and EDS requires scientists to engage in the time-consuming task of switching back and forth between the two tech- niques using separate computers, soft- ware, and user interfaces often sold and maintained by different vendors. SEM AND EDS IN ONE With advanced color EDS technol- ogy built directly into SEM imaging and analysis, these two techniques have now been combined into a single tool. Thermo Scientific ColorSEM technolo- gy offers materials scientists integrated elemental analysis and color imaging to advance their research—without having to master EDS analysis. Take a sample of copper-nickel- zinc, which are neighboring elements on the periodic table. In a regular SEM backscattered image, all three elements appear roughly the same gray color, making each element difficult to distin- guish. With EDS technology built direct- ly into the SEM software user interface, researchers can now immediately see a color image that precisely distinguishes