MICRO METROLOGY | CASE STUDY
Scanning Electron Microscope for WORLD-CLASS FACILITY DEVELOPING NEXT-GENERATION CERAMICS
A JCM-6000 NeoScope benchtop scanning
electron microscope (SEM) from Nikon Metrology was installed in February 2013 at Morgan
Advanced Materials' Innovation Hub in the UK. It is a world-class facility combining technically
advanced analytical equipment and development expertise to meet the technical challenges of the company’s customers.
World-leading oncology support A good example of the market-leading materials research being undertaken is the work on exciting new technologies such as ceramic injection moulding. Its complex forming capability has allowed Morgan to produce a commercially available, high- precision ceramic tip for microwave ablation of tissues to remove tumours. Due to its micro design, patient trauma following surgery is significantly reduced.
The extremely fine structure of the material imparts high strength and toughness, which are critical for the demanding application. Due to the material's small grain size, its micro structure cannot be analysed using the company's standard 50x optical microscope, so SEM techniques were required.
<< Figure 2: High precision ablation tips produced at Morgan Advanced Materials by ceramic injection moulding. Te
resulting fine-grained material cannot be optically inspected, which was one of the reasons for the company investing in the Nikon Metrology benchtop SEM. >>
<< Figure 1: Te Nikon
Metrology JCM-6000 benchtop SEM in use at Morgan Advanced Materials. >>
Having the benchtop SEM from Nikon Metrology on-site also allows us greater control over the equipment and the outcome from the analyses. Our material scientists, with their high level of expertise in our materials, are able to
optimise and focus the analysis to our requirements better than the microscopists working at sub-contracting companies.
Dr Tim Clipsham, Technical Manager, Morgan Advanced Materials, said: "The JCM-6000 was essential to enable our scientists to develop a material with advanced properties to suit this medical customer's specification.
Previously, when our inspection requirements fell outside the capabilities of optical microscopy, we used to subcontract SEM analysis. In recent years, the need for such analysis has steadily increased, making it critical to our on-going business activities to install this facility in house.
As a result, time can be saved with in-house SEM analysis, as previously preliminary analysis sometimes had to be carried out externally and then submitted to our technical team for advice before full in-depth analysis of the samples could be undertaken."
As a direct consequence, the technical support provided by Morgan's material scientists and engineers to production functions and customers has been optimised.
>> Continued on page 32
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