Excimer UV Cleaner SM-92100EUVC

Description

This excimer ultraviolet cleaner is a sample preparation instrument for electron microscopy. It is designed to eliminate organic surface contaminants that can interfere with imaging in scanning and transmission electron microscopes (SEM/TEM). When an electron beam interacts with hydrocarbon residues on a specimen, it can polymerize them into carbon deposits, creating dark artifacts that obscure genuine surface details and reduce image clarity. The system addresses this by irradiating samples with 172 nm wavelength UV light, produced via xenon excimer emission. This light effectively breaks down organic contamination prior to observation. An additional benefit is the modification of surface properties, as the treatment can convert hydrophobic surfaces to hydrophilic, which aids in subsequent preparation steps like coating. Users can program the irradiation duration from a brief 10 seconds up to 99 minutes. The unit has a compact design, measuring 39 cm wide, 50 cm deep, and 32 cm high, and weighs about 22 kg. It operates on a standard single-phase AC power supply of 90-110 V at 50/60 Hz, with a power requirement of 500 VA. This instrument is utilized to clean both samples and tools to prevent contamination-related artifacts in critical microscopy applications.