ZEISS
3 Product and Functional Description | 3.2 Main Components
3.2.2.2 Variable Pressure Modes
Purpose
VP modes (optional) offer the possibility of analyzing and mapping non-conducting, strongly
gassing or moist specimens without any need for specimen preparation.
In Standard VP mode (optional), the partial pressure in the specimen chamber is between 5 and
60 Pa.
Nano VP mode (optional) is an enhanced VP mode with an inserted beamsleeve aperture below
the objective lens allowing imaging especially with the InLens SE and EsB detectors in variable
pressure mode.
There are two different beamsleeve apertures available (350 µm and 800 µm).
In Nano VP mode, the partial pressure in the specimen chamber is between 5 and 150 Pa
(350 µm beamsleeve aperture) or between 5 and 40 Pa (800 µm beamsleeve aperture).
XVP mode (optional) is an enhanced VP mode with an inserted beamsleeve aperture below the
objective lens allowing imaging with the VPSE or C2D detectors and highest chamber pressures of
up to 500 Pa.
In XVP mode, the partial pressure in the specimen chamber is between 5 and 500 Pa (350 µm
beamsleeve aperture) or between 5 and 150 Pa (800 µm beamsleeve aperture).
1
2
4
5
6
7
9
11
12
13
14
16
10
3
8
17
15
18
Fig. 13: Schematics of the vacuum system in variable pressure mode
1
Gun with filament
2
Gun head
3
Aperture
4
Column chamber valve
5
Bypass
6
Specimen chamber
7
Vent valve, flanged to TIV
8
Turbo isolation valve (TIV)
9
Turbo pump
10
11
Gas flow valve (GFV)
12
Pirani gauge
13
Penning gauge
14
Vent valve
15
Roughing backing valve (RBV)
16
Pre-vacuum pump
Instruction Manual ZEISS GeminiSEM series | en-US | Rev. 2 | 349500-8138-000
31