Why we believe in Correlative Microscopy
Combining different analytical methods into one instrument is of great importance for the simultaneous acquisition of complementary information.
Here at Quantum Design Microscopy we combine two of the most powerful microscopy methods – scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) – in order to gain completely new insights into the micro- and nano-world using correlative microscopy.
Especially the capability to integrate the AFM system directly inside the high-vacuum environment of the SEM enables a completely new way to perform your research and your experiments.
It allows to directly combine the complimentary strengths of both techniques in-situ without the need to transfer your sample or to break vacuum.
The possibility to work simultaneously with SEM and AFM offers the great advantage that – in in addition to simply measure the 3D topography – you can also work with the advanced AFM modes, in order to measure, e.g., mechanical, magnetic, or conductive properties.
This enables completely new possibilities for true correlative microscopy and allows you to extract unique information from your sample.
Correlative Microscopy in Action
Latest News
2021, April: AFSEM publication: Direct visualization of deformations in graphene membranes
Have you read this publication yet? It is a great example of why Correlative Microscopy is such a powerful analysis method. Using the SEM you can observe the deformations of graphene inflicted by the cantilever tip and afterwards analyse them even further by AFM. Check it out via this link!
2021, February: AFSEM publication: Granular Hall Sensors for Scanning Probe Microscopy
Have you read this publication yet? QDM's Johanna and Chris explain how nanogranular ferromagnetic Hall devices fabricated by the direct-write method of FEBID can be tailor-made for any given probe geometry and show first proof-of-principle results on the use of this novel sensor. Check it out via this link!
2020, December 3: First Demo at the New Lab
Showing people what correlative microscopy can do is what we are passionate about! It was great doing our first demo in the new lab with Alessio from Quantum Design Italy. Contact us to get your very own demo!
2020, November: Our New Lab Is All Set Up and Ready to Go
We are more than happy that after a trouble-free move our new lab is now fully functional and ready for your samples or customer demos. Just contact us!
AFSEM® users about our product…
“Constantly, applications and challenges arise for which the AFSEM is not only practical, but essential. That starts with direct correlation of specific particles or structures and ends with vacuum conditions as prerequisite, such as thermal measurements. Furthermore, the AFSEM accelerates the work-flow and therefore increases the efficiency for many studies.”
“The high spatial resolution of AFSEM, especially in Z direction, strongly stretched the application of our SEM. Combined with the high angle resolution of EBSD, the AFSEM becomes a powerful tool for the research of phase transformation.”
“What was really convincing to us is the huge versatility of this combination of an Atomic Force Microscope with our excellent optical microscope for our challenging materials and problems. We simply can use real life specimen without big preparation.”
“AFSEM® not only extends the resolution of our microscopes by an order of magnitude, it extends our measurement capabilities beyond topography concerning material composition.”
“Thanks to the AFSEM we can now perform in situ investigations in our FIB microscope, which were not possible before. Especially the possibility to immediately control the result of your nanofabrication experiment is a real benefit!”