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 diffraction pattern cross-correlation maps to highlight sample details like grain thickness variation, thickness of domain boundaries, grains overlapping and various 3-dimensional details.
- 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
