Page 51 Leica EM TIC 3X Operating Manual 07/17
4.3.6 Rotary Stage (optional)
The rotary stage is used to perform an Ion beam polishing step which is used to
improve a mechanically or chemically polished surface of the sample e.g. to remove
fine scratches, abrasive material and smearing artefacts.
To achieve the highest
surface quality using ion beam polishing it is mandatory to pre-prepare the
sample surface to a high quality
e.g. mechanically polishing with fine grain size
(<0.5 µm) of the abrasive material.
Furthermore a special insert for the rotary stage allows to perform cross sectioning of
a sample using the triple ion beam technique.
Specifications for ion beam polishing:
Max. sample diameter:
38 mm
Max. Ion beam prepared area:
Ø 25 mm
Max. sample height:
12 mm
Lateral movement:
+/- 12.5 mm
Lateral speed:
0.1 to 2 mm/sec
Incident angle:
0° to 48° (1.5° increments)
Rotation speed:
Low (~4 rpm), Medium (~7 rpm), High (~10 rpm)
Oscillation:
20°, 45°, 90°, 180°, 360°
Specification for ion beam cross sectioning insert:
Max. sample thickness:
4 mm
Max. sample height:
7 mm
Max. sample width:
10 mm
Max. lateral movement:
+/- 3 mm (for wide area preparation)
Lateral speed:
0.1 to 2 mm/sec
Max. incident angle:
12°
Rotation speed:
Low (~4 rpm), Medium (~7 rpm), High (~10 rpm)
Highest oscillation angle:
45°
Please refer to the operating manual of the standard stage for proper usage.
