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Editor note
TOOLS & TECHNIQUES UPDATE
of the graphite tube. An optional Tube-CAM provides a real-time video view of the furnace during sample dispensing, drying, and ashing phases of measurement. Ifor D. W. Samuel University of St Andrews, UK
Contact: www.varianinc.com
What is your main area of research interest? I work on organic semiconductors. They can be used to make a range of semiconducting devices, emit light, and are particularly promising as a new display technology.
Green light for processing
What techniques do you use? We aim to understand the physics of the materials and devices made from them by combining a range of optical, electrical, and materials characterization measurements. What’s your favourite piece of equipment? A charge-coupled device (CCD) spectrograph. What does it do? It measures the spectrum of light. The spectrograph disperses the light, which is then detected by a CCD. An entire spectrum to be measured in a fraction of second. Why do you like it? First, it makes measurements of optical spectra quickly and easily, allowing us to concentrate on experiments rather than the equipment. Secondly, these instruments are very versatile. We have systems from JY Horiba, Oriel/Andor, and Ocean Optics that we use for a range of experiments, including measuring light emission or photoluminescence; developing organic semiconductor lasers and optical amplifiers; and monitoring the modelocking of our femtosecond laser. Any top tips? For maximum convenience, couple light in using an optical fiber bundle. Operate the instrument from a laptop to make a portable spectroscopy system. If you could add one piece of kit to your lab, what would it be? An amplified femtosecond laser that works every day!
Spectrometers for all occasions A new family of single quadrupole mass spectrometers from Thermo Electron Corp. offers a range of configurations and options to suit different requirements in trace level analysis. The Finnigan™ DSQ™ series need less sample preparation time and use smaller injections and samples sizes. The entry-level Finnigan FOCUS™ DSQ instrument is particularly suitable for routine, high-throughput analyses. The compact mass spectrometer includes curved optics technology common to more advanced instruments. A curved prefilter reduces neutral noise and provides enhanced detection at low femtogram levels with an increased dynamic range. The Finnigan TRACE™ DSQ, for more complex analyses, can detect small amounts of compounds in particularly challenging matrices with fast scanning of up to 10 000 amu/s. Xcalibur™ software is included as standard with these mass spectrometers, allowing instant access to analysis functions. Contact: www.thermo.com
Trace analysis at high speed Varian, Inc. is launching two new atomic absorption (AA) spectrometers for trace metal, toxic element, and contaminant determination. They have a wide variety of analytical applications in the metallurgy and semiconductor fields. The AA280 Fast Sequential system offers an increase in speed over conventional AA instruments, matching the speed of sequential inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. This is achieved by determining every element in a sample in rapid sequence before moving to the next sample. An automated burner adjuster and programmable gas control ensure that optimal settings are used when switching from one element to another. This gives a high sensitivity as well as stable and reproducible flame performance. The AA280 Zeeman system combines fast transverse Zeeman background correction with a GTA-120 graphite furnace. The furnace reduces gas consumption by up to 40% and extends the lifetime
Spectra-Physics has released a green laser that is ideal for pumping Ti:sapphire amplifiers and materials processing tasks in microelectronics. The high-power Empower™ is a diode-pumped, Q-switched Nd:YLF laser that can deliver >30 W at adjustable pulse repetition rates of 1-10 kHz. Pulse energies are >20 mJ and laser operation is computer controlled. The compact instrument is 510 mm × 250 mm × 180 mm in size and does not require any external cooling water. Contact: www.spectra-physics.com
Mirror steers a new light path A new fast-steering mirror from Newport Corp. will be useful for a wide range of laser beam functions in laboratories. These include beam stabilization, scanning, pointing, tracking, and even image stabilization. Typical applications include semiconductor metrology and telecommunications. The FSM-300 has a 1” diameter pyrex mirror with either an enhanced Al coating, which shows high reflectivity throughout the visible spectrum, or a protected Au coating, for operation in the infrared. The turnkey instrument comes with a driver that provides all the necessary control signals and can be connected to external electronics. The mirror allows high bandwidth steering of laser beams over a ±52 mrad range with a resolution >1 µrad. The single mirror design, mounted on a two-axis flexure, offers a number of advantages. There is lower wavefront distortion, no displacement jitter, and no polarization rotation, unlike two-mirror, galvanometer-driven systems. The flexure construction also delivers a larger angular scanning range than piezo-driven mirrors. Contact: www.newport.com
March 2004
59
of the graphite tube. An optional Tube-CAM provides a real-time video view of the furnace during sample dispensing, drying, and ashing phases of measurement. Ifor D. W. Samuel University of St Andrews, UK
Contact: www.varianinc.com
What is your main area of research interest? I work on organic semiconductors. They can be used to make a range of semiconducting devices, emit light, and are particularly promising as a new display technology.
Green light for processing
What techniques do you use? We aim to understand the physics of the materials and devices made from them by combining a range of optical, electrical, and materials characterization measurements. What’s your favourite piece of equipment? A charge-coupled device (CCD) spectrograph. What does it do? It measures the spectrum of light. The spectrograph disperses the light, which is then detected by a CCD. An entire spectrum to be measured in a fraction of second. Why do you like it? First, it makes measurements of optical spectra quickly and easily, allowing us to concentrate on experiments rather than the equipment. Secondly, these instruments are very versatile. We have systems from JY Horiba, Oriel/Andor, and Ocean Optics that we use for a range of experiments, including measuring light emission or photoluminescence; developing organic semiconductor lasers and optical amplifiers; and monitoring the modelocking of our femtosecond laser. Any top tips? For maximum convenience, couple light in using an optical fiber bundle. Operate the instrument from a laptop to make a portable spectroscopy system. If you could add one piece of kit to your lab, what would it be? An amplified femtosecond laser that works every day!
Spectrometers for all occasions A new family of single quadrupole mass spectrometers from Thermo Electron Corp. offers a range of configurations and options to suit different requirements in trace level analysis. The Finnigan™ DSQ™ series need less sample preparation time and use smaller injections and samples sizes. The entry-level Finnigan FOCUS™ DSQ instrument is particularly suitable for routine, high-throughput analyses. The compact mass spectrometer includes curved optics technology common to more advanced instruments. A curved prefilter reduces neutral noise and provides enhanced detection at low femtogram levels with an increased dynamic range. The Finnigan TRACE™ DSQ, for more complex analyses, can detect small amounts of compounds in particularly challenging matrices with fast scanning of up to 10 000 amu/s. Xcalibur™ software is included as standard with these mass spectrometers, allowing instant access to analysis functions. Contact: www.thermo.com
Trace analysis at high speed Varian, Inc. is launching two new atomic absorption (AA) spectrometers for trace metal, toxic element, and contaminant determination. They have a wide variety of analytical applications in the metallurgy and semiconductor fields. The AA280 Fast Sequential system offers an increase in speed over conventional AA instruments, matching the speed of sequential inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. This is achieved by determining every element in a sample in rapid sequence before moving to the next sample. An automated burner adjuster and programmable gas control ensure that optimal settings are used when switching from one element to another. This gives a high sensitivity as well as stable and reproducible flame performance. The AA280 Zeeman system combines fast transverse Zeeman background correction with a GTA-120 graphite furnace. The furnace reduces gas consumption by up to 40% and extends the lifetime
Spectra-Physics has released a green laser that is ideal for pumping Ti:sapphire amplifiers and materials processing tasks in microelectronics. The high-power Empower™ is a diode-pumped, Q-switched Nd:YLF laser that can deliver >30 W at adjustable pulse repetition rates of 1-10 kHz. Pulse energies are >20 mJ and laser operation is computer controlled. The compact instrument is 510 mm × 250 mm × 180 mm in size and does not require any external cooling water. Contact: www.spectra-physics.com
Mirror steers a new light path A new fast-steering mirror from Newport Corp. will be useful for a wide range of laser beam functions in laboratories. These include beam stabilization, scanning, pointing, tracking, and even image stabilization. Typical applications include semiconductor metrology and telecommunications. The FSM-300 has a 1” diameter pyrex mirror with either an enhanced Al coating, which shows high reflectivity throughout the visible spectrum, or a protected Au coating, for operation in the infrared. The turnkey instrument comes with a driver that provides all the necessary control signals and can be connected to external electronics. The mirror allows high bandwidth steering of laser beams over a ±52 mrad range with a resolution >1 µrad. The single mirror design, mounted on a two-axis flexure, offers a number of advantages. There is lower wavefront distortion, no displacement jitter, and no polarization rotation, unlike two-mirror, galvanometer-driven systems. The flexure construction also delivers a larger angular scanning range than piezo-driven mirrors. Contact: www.newport.com
March 2004
59