3D-Micromac AG, the industry leader in laser micromachining and roll-to-roll laser systems for the photovoltaic, medical device, and electronics markets, has extended its distribution network into the Scandinavian market.

3D-Micromac AG is happy to announce that Spectral AB is our new sales agency in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and Finland. With experience in both the microscopy and materials sectors, as well as deep market knowledge in semiconductors and medical technology, SPECTRAL AB is the ideal partner to promote 3D-Micromac’s technologies in the region.

“The exhibitions and conferences we joined together with 3D-Micromac, have shown that there is great potential for microPREP PRO and microPREP PRO FEMTO systems in Scandinavia. We are looking forward to offering these efficient tools for sample preparation for microstructure and failure diagnostics to researchers and industries in the Nordics”, says Mats Eriksson, CEO of Spectral AB.

About 3D-Micromac

Founded in 2002, 3D-Micromac AG is the industry leader in laser micromachining, delivering powerful, user-friendly, and leading-edge processes with superior production efficiency. We develop processes, machines, and turnkey solutions at the highest technical and technological level. 3D-Micromac systems and services have been successfully implemented in various high-tech industries worldwide, including photovoltaic, semiconductor, glass, and display industries, micro diagnostics, and medical technology.

Company Contact:

3D-Micromac AG

Claudia Radelow
Team Leader Marketing and Public Relations 3D-Micromac AG
Phone: +49 371 40043-922
E-mail: radelow@3d-micromac.com

Chemnitz, Germany, April 12, 2023—3D-Micromac AG, the industry leader in laser micromachining and roll-to-roll laser systems for the semiconductor, photovoltaic, glass and display markets, today introduced the microPREP™ PRO FEMTO laser micromachining system for high-speed Atom Probe Tomography (APT) and cross-section sample preparation.

Fulfilling a critical need for atomic-scale materials analysis, the microPREP PRO FEMTO system features a femtosecond laser and optimized optical setup, which enables micrometer-precision removal of material in minutes versus many hours with focused ion beam (FIB) milling while avoiding mechanical and thermal damage to the sample. The microPREP PRO FEMTO enables APT microtip coupons to be prepared directly from the sample material with automated workflows. This frees up valuable FIB resources to be utilized more cost effectively for final preparation steps only, such as final annular focused milling and polishing of the microtips.

The Department of Materials Science at Montanuniversität Leoben (the University of Leoben), a leading research university in the fields of mining, metallurgy and materials science, has purchased the first microPREP PRO FEMTO system and is now using it for the preparation of APT specimens, focusing on a variety of different materials. According to Dr. Michael Tkadletz, Chair of Functional Materials and Material Systems at Montanuniversität Leoben, “APT is a crucial technique for the knowledge-based development of modern high-performance materials. For example, it can help to illuminate the segregation of impurities and tramp elements at grain boundaries of green steels, to reveal the complex elemental distribution within multifunctional coatings and nanostructures, or to investigate the effects of local chemistry on the performance of energy storage and conversion materials. Yet, the major bottleneck for APT experiments is the elaborate and time-consuming specimen preparation. Femtosecond laser preparation using the microPREP PRO FEMTO helps to overcome this bottleneck by reducing the complexity of the process, significantly reducing the time-to-sample and FIB utilization, while at the same time, the number of prepared specimens can be substantially increased compared to a standard lift-out-procedure.”

New Approaches Needed for APT Sample Prep

Traditionally, APT sample preparation processes have been based on electrolytic or ion-based thinning workflows. Both workflows require mechanical preparation steps that introduce mechanical stress to the specimen, which can affect the overall quality and yield. Using FIB milling for the preparation process to avoid mechanical stress can take many hours to complete and requires specialized lift-out of the specimen, which introduces risk of damaging the specimen. Since FIB systems are costly, this approach also ties up FIB resources and results in very high operational costs for the user.

Some systems combine a laser for high-speed ablation and an FIB for final polishing in a single platform. However, this approach creates capacity bottlenecks since only one process can be used at a time. In addition, since laser preparation ablates high volumes of material, particle contamination inside the analytic area of combination laser/FIB tools becomes a much bigger issue and its removal is difficult due to the vacuum conditions inside the isolated laser or process chamber. Short pulse lasers can also cause large heat-affected zones (HAZs), which can not only damage the sample but also can modify the structure of the probe tips, leading to inaccurate measurement results.

Unlike these other approaches, the microPREP PRO FEMTO is a dedicated laser micromachining solution that utilizes a femtosecond laser to provide the high speed, accuracy, cost-effectiveness, and versatility that research labs and universities require for APT sample preparation and cross-section analysis.

Dedicated Femtosecond Laser Micromachining

The microPREP PRO FEMTO can mill samples down to two microns from the final pillar – reducing APT sample preparation time from many hours to just minutes compared to FIB milling. Its femtosecond laser source limits the HAZ of the working sample to a few nanometers, compared to sub-micrometer-range HAZ with picosecond lasers. The system also features an optimized optical setup that includes a telecentric objective, which enables higher precision when preparing APT microtip coupons. This is especially important for coupons containing many APT pillars. The optical setup also features a shorter focal length and smaller laser spot size, adding to its high precision.

In addition, the microPREP PRO FEMTO features 3D-Micromac’s integrated proprietary CO₂ Snow Jet contactless, non-abrasive cleaning system, which uses compressed air and dry ice in a normal atmosphere to safely remove particles from the surface of the sample following the laser preparation process. The microPREP PRO FEMTO also includes multiple pre-defined workflows, which facilitate setup and operation, and enable its use for a variety of use cases and applications.

“As materials science progresses deeper into the sub-nanometer and atomic scale, the demand for atom probe tomography for high-resolution and 3D-imaging-based materials analysis continues to grow. Prefabrication of microtip arrays for APT specimen preparation using a dedicated femtosecond laser ablation system can provide tremendous savings in time, effort and expense compared to mechanical sawing, FIB milling and short-pulse lasers,” stated Dr. Boris Arnold Rottwinkel, product manager microdiagnostics at 3D-Micromac. “By leveraging our expertise and technology leadership in laser micromachining solutions as well as in laser-based sample preparation through our microPREP PRO family, 3D-Micromac can offer research labs and universities a highly cost-effective, scalable and versatile approach to APT specific preparation to meet their growing and more demanding materials analysis needs.”

3D-Micromac is exhibiting at several leading international conferences on microscopy where attendees can learn more about the microPREP PRO FEMTO. Among these are: Microscopy and Microanalysis (M&M) in Minneapolis, Minn., July 23-27; the 20th International Microscopy Conference (IMC20) in Busan, Korea, September 10-15; and ISTFA in Phoenix, Ariz., November 12-16.

In addition, Dr. Tkadletz of the University of Leoben will be presenting on the benefits of using the microPREP PRO FEMTO in his research at the 57th Metallography Conference (ASMET) in Leoben, Austria, September 13, and at the 93th IUVSTA Workshop in Seggau, Austria, October 15-19.

For more information on the microPREP PRO FEMTO, visit: www.microPREP.pro.

Our laser micromachining system microPREP PRO is constantly evolving. As our customers and users of the microPREP PRO are constantly giving us feedback on what they need to make their sample preparation tasks even easier, we are always developing new workflows, recipes and accessories. This free webinar will give you an overview on the latest updates for the microPREP PRO system and will explain how these updates can facilitate your lab work.

Amongst others the following topics will be covered:

• New Ramp Workflow: Learn how to save precious lab time by milling ramps instead of boxes into the sample and thus remove less material!
• Improved Scan Regimes: What does this mean for your samples and their surface quality?
• Image Overlay: Find out how to navigate on your specimen as easy as on any construction plan!

This webinar is suited for you if:

• you already have an idea of what a microPREP PRO is used for OR
• you are using a microPREP PRO system already in your lab OR
• you are wondering if microPREP could help you with your sample preparation tasks

You can now watch this webinar online.

Is laser micromachining the solution for everything? Can any laser source machine any material? Which accuracies can be achieved with a laser micromachining tool such as the microPREP PRO? And what do you need to watch out for in order to achieve best results?

This free webinar will bust some of the most common laser micromachining myths and give you hands-on advices on how-to handle. Amongst others the following topics will be covered:

• Which materials and material combinations can be processed by laser?
• How can contamination be prevented while working with lasers?
• Which laser sources are available? And which laser source is suited for what?
• What kind of micromachining is possible with the microPREP PRO? What are the limits?
• How accurate can you work while using lasers?

You can now watch the recording of this webinar online.