Characterisation facilities
- Olympus DP20 optical microscope.
- Olympus OLS4100-SA optical profilometer.
- PANalytical X’Pert and X’PertPRO X-ray diffraction equipment.
- HORIBA pulsed RF glow discharge optical emission spectrometer.
- Zeiss LEO 1530, Zeiss Supra 55VP, JEOL 7800F SEMs (SEI, BSE, EDX, EBSD).
- FEI Quanta 3D electron microscope (FIB).
- Philips CM20 and JEOL 2100F transmission electron microscopes.
- Cameca LEAP4000 HR atom probe (HV/laser).
The advanced characterisation facilities at IFM allow us to analyse microstructures from the macroscopic to the atomic scale. The optical microscopes and profilometer are front-line tools to observe microstructures and analyse surfaces at low magnification. The X-ray diffractometers are mainly used for phase identification, but can also detect residual stresses.
The electron microscopes are powerful instruments for observations at high magnification, chemical (EDS) as well as crystallographic orientation (EBSD) analyses. The ion milling (FIB) enables us to extract microscopic samples from specific locations of a component. The transmission electron microscopes and atom probe complete the tool set, providing chemical and structural information with atomic resolution.