Vacuum Transfer System for EM Application Combined with a Cryogenic Technique

Low-carbon efforts to realize a sustainable society are being vigorously pursued around the world. Rechargeable batteries, which are recognized as one of the most important nextgeneration energy technologies, are urgently needed not only for mobile applications such as cell phones and notebook PCs, but also for applications in transportation technology such as electric vehicles to promote low-carbon society.<br/><br/>Among these, lithium-ion battery materials, which are attracting attention because of their high energy density, react with water in the atmosphere when exposed to air, resulting in deterioration. In most cases, however, the sample is exposed to the atmosphere when it is transported to the electron microscope after preparation, making the observation itself difficult. Even if the sample can be transported to the electron microscope without being exposed to the atmosphere, it must be observed under cooled conditions because the crystal structure of the material tends to change due to electron irradiation during observation.<br/><br/>In order to conduct research on such samples, it is essential to develop a multifunctional system that can perform the entire transport process from sample preparation to electron microscopic observation under non-atmospheric conditions, as well as observation under cooled conditions. Against this background, Melville has been working on the development of non-atmospheric exposure and sample cooling techniques to meet the technical requirements of electron microscopy applications.<br/><br/>In this presentation, we will introduce our new TEM holder with non-exposure cooling and Peltier-cooled stage for FIB-SEM, which were developed based on the technologies we have developed so far.