3 Available Surface Characterization Services in Austin, TX

Surface characterization services in Austin, TX are incredibly important and necessary to many aspects of our modern lives. This refers to the broad and general process by which a material's structure and properties are probed and measured. It is a fundamental process in the field of materials science, without which no scientific understanding of engineering materials could be ascertained. The scale of the structures observed in materials characterization ranges from angstroms, such as in the imaging of individual atoms and chemical bonds, up to centimeters, such as in the imaging of coarse grain structures in metals.

 

With so many uses, it makes sense that there is a large amount of testing procedures available. In fact, a huge range of techniques are used to characterize various macroscopic properties of materials. Just a few of these include:

 

Scanning Electron Microscopy/ Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM/EDS)

This is used for surface morphology. This is an imaging technique in which a focused electron beam is scanned on the surface of a sample to generate secondary and backscattered electrons. Images formed by these electrons provide topographical and structural information of the sample.   Electron imaging is required when the feature size of your sample is sub-micron and ordinary light microscopy is not able to resolve the smaller features.  Careful sample preparation allows examination of metals, semiconductors, ceramics, and some polymers.

 

Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS)

This method's application involves trace composition vs. depth. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy uses a high energy ion beam to sputter solid samples. The mass spectrometer then separates and counts the ions that are expelled from the sample. The result is an analysis of the elemental concentration in depth from the surface into the bulk. Quadrupole SIMS instruments use low extraction fields to extract secondary ions from the sample.  Low energy ion bombardment, gives higher depth resolution and allows for analysis of ultra-shallow implants and very thin films. Because of the low extraction fields of the Quad-SIMS instrument, it is easier to do charge compensation for the analysis of insulating material

 

Transmission Electron Microscopy – Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy/ Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (TEM)

If your application involves a high resolution structure, you're probably looking for TEM. This is an imaging technique in which forward scattering of a high energy electron beam transmitted through a sample is used to form images from regions as small as several nanometers. This method can achieve point resolutions better than 0.2 nm, allowing lattice imaging of crystalline and polycrystalline materials. Wow! That is incredibly precise! Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) is very similar and also used in conjunction with TEM. It is an analytic technique in which a small (~1 nm) electron probe is scanned on a sample to generate characteristic signals that are measured by various detectors.

 

Which surface characterization technique is needed for your product to continue development? That's a tricky answer, but one that a scientist who handles surface characterization in Austin, TX will be able to answer for you. Reach out to a trusted team and ask!