ASTAR - TEM ORIENTATION IMAGING

ASTAR combines Precession Electron Diffraction (PED) with orientation or phase mapping allowing the characterisation of crystalline materials resulting in maps with a special resolution down to 1nm (specimen dependent).

ASTAR can turn any TEM into a very powerful analytical tool enabling orientation–phase imaging at 1 nm resolution attainable (FEG TEM) in combination with other TEM analytical techniques. In combination with TOPSPIN simultaneous orientation/phase/strain /STEM maps are possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    • ASTAR®️ (Patented device and technique) is an advanced tool that works in combination with  precession electron diffraction (PED) device DigiSTAR to generate high spatial resolution orientation/phase maps (1-4 nm for FEG TEM,  < 10 nm TEM-LaB6)
    • ASTAR is compatible with most commercial TEMs (120-300 KV), including single/double Cs aberration corrected TEMs and can be interfaced with  several TEMs in the same laboratory .The system  includes advanced  galvanic isolation system (GIS) for ASTAR-TEM connection
    • ASTAR can perform beam 4D-SPED (scanning precession electron diffraction) in synchronization with beam precession to acquire series of PED patterns (no need for STEM unit). ASTAR may work with any type of diffracting material (inorganic, organic) using standard TEM specimen preparation techniques
    • ASTAR has dedicated external CCD camera allows to acquire at high frame rate electron diffraction (ED) patterns (typical 100 ED patterns /sec). Orientation/phase maps and ED patterns  can be also acquired at higher speeds  (> 1000 fps) using  a number  of high end direct electron detectors  though a specific interface
    • ASTAR can generate virtual BF/DF images after acquisition with user defined aperture (disk, circle, line) and can use mask combination (addition /subtraction) onto the acquired ED patterns to highlight specific features.
    • ASTAR can generate grain boundaries in orientation/phase maps,  including special boundaries  with calculated grain size distribution,  area pole figure visualization for texture analysis and  180 deg ambiguity correction for specific grain orientations
    • ASTAR can be used in combination with TOPSPIN  for simultaneous  acquisition of orientation /phase /strain /STEM maps

ACOM/TEM (ASTAR) : Automated crystal orientation mapping with TEMs

Dr. Edgar Rauch SiMAP Laboratory CNRS France

Applications of orientation and phase maps in metallurgy

Prof. Muriel Veron, CNRS Grenoble INP France

APPLICATION NOTES

Texture of metals is linked to specific physical properties so the need to characterize it at nm scale with novel ASTAR orientation 
imaging technique.

Design materials with specific applications

Challeging materials with challenging applications

Better steel with improved properties

Steel corrosion in Nuclear Plants

Metals under huge stress

Pavements of the nanoworld

Nanoscale reaction models in solid oxide fuel cells

Faster chip performances in electronic devices push copper interconnects at < 3 nm scale , so the need for novel TEM based texture ASTAR characterization technique.

Next generation circuits for semiconductor industry

Structure of magnetic semiconductors

Organic semiconductors in daily life

Atomic scale of nanolayer composites

 

Nanoparticle crystal structure and texture are very importan for drug delivery and catalysis properties and need novel
TEM characterization techniques.

Drug delivery & structure of nanoparticles

Inside the nanowire forest

Texture secrets of nanoparticles

Understanding Li insertion for next generation batteries

Crystal orientation imaging of organic nanomagnets

Textures of minerals at nm scale are intimately linked to their physical & chemical properties so the need for novel TEM characterization techniques (ASTAR).

Inside a Roman Ceramic Factory in Ancient Gaul

Shed Light to Earth Seismicity

The world of mineral polymorphs & Textures