GeminiSEM Family

Manufacturer	Zeiss
Testing	Micro

Highlights

The Family

Image any of your samples effortlessly at sub-nanometer resolution and high detection efficiency. Rely on surface sensitive analysis. Capitalize on variable pressure. Profit from the highest sample flexibility.

More Signal and More Detail

GeminiSEM 500 brings you more signal and more detail, especially at very low voltages for any sample. Acquire crisp images fast and with minimum sample damage.

Acquire crisp images fast and with minimum sample damage thanks to significantly increased Inlens detection signal.
Resolve nanoscale details with high resolution and contrast at low voltages and profit from perfect image quality, without requiring sample bias.
At 500 V you can resolve 1.0 nm with perfect image quality, without requiring beam deceleration.
Apply beam deceleration, Tandem decel, and achieve even up to 0.8 nm at 1 kV.
The new variable pressure mode, NanoVP, makes you feel like you’re working in high vacuum.

Speed and Surface Sensitivity for Both Imaging and Analytics

GeminiSEM 450 is your specialist for speed and surface sensitivity in imaging and analytics. Achieve spatial resolution during EDS or EBSD experiments easy and fast.

Take advantage of high resolution and surface sensitivity for your EDS or EBSD analysis, especially when working with low voltages.
Image large areas of your sample fast and with excellent quality
Profit from the optical design: you do not lose time in complicated realignments as you work.
Investigate non-conductive, or magnetic or any kind of sample: Work in high vacuum or variable pressure – no need for compromise either, whether on the speed or the quality of your images and analyses.

Imaging Flexibility

GeminiSEM 300 lets you experience high resolution and high contrast even on extremely large fields of view. Especially, but not solely, liked by for novice users at high or low vacuum.

Image large fields of view with excellent image quality and fast-time-to-image.
Count on efficient detection, excellent resolution and distortion-free, large area images.
Profit from the novel optical design’s high gun resolution mode that is tailored to low voltage imaging even for challenging samples, such as beam-sensitive or magnetic materials.
Characterize your sample comprehensively: obtain unique low voltage, material contrast with the energy selective backscatter detector.
Utilize the NanoVP mode: Image non-conductive specimens at high resolution with excellent surface sensitivity with the Inlens SE detector at higher pressures.

Essential Specifications	ZEISS GeminiSEM 500	ZEISS GeminiSEM 450	ZEISS GeminiSEM 300
	Thermal field emission type, stability better than 0.2 %/h
Acceleration Voltage		0.02 – 30 kV
Probe Current	3 pA – 20 nA	3 pA – 40 nA	3 pA – 20 nA
Probe Current	(100 nA configuration also available)	(100 nA or 300 nA configuration also available)	(100 nA configuration also available)
Store Resolution		Up to 32k × 24k pixels
Magnification	50 – 2,000,000	12 – 2,000,000	12 – 2,000,000
Detectors available in basic configuration		Inlens Secondary Electron detector
		Everhart Thornley Secondary Electron detector
		High efficiency VPSE detector (included in variable pressure option)
Selected Options		Inlens Energy selected Backscatter detector (EsB)
		Angular selective backscattered detector	Angular selective backscattered detector
		Annular STEM detector (aSTEM 4)
		EDS Detector (energy dispersive spectroscopy)
		EBSD Detector (electron backscatter diffraction) Investigation of crystalline orientation
		NanoVP
		Local Charge Compensation
		Additional stage options available on request

The Technology Behind

Gemini Electron Optics

Gemini Basics

The Gemini optical column consists a beam booster, Inlens detectors and a Gemini objective

Gemini 1 – What You Always Wanted to Know about the Basics

Field emission SEMs are designed for high resolution imaging. Key to the performance of a field emission SEM is its electron optical column. Gemini is tailored for excellent resolution on any sample, especially at low accelerating voltages, for complete and efficient detection, and ease-of-use.

Gemini optics is characterized by three main components:

The Gemini objective lens design combines electrostatic and magnetic fields to maximize optical performance while reducing field influences at the sample to a minimum. This enables excellent imaging, even on challenging samples such as magnetic materials.

Gemini beam booster technology, an integrated beam deceleration, guarantees small probe sizes and high signal-to-noise ratios.

The Gemini Inlens detection concept ensures efficient signal detection by detecting secondary (SE) and backscattered (BSE) electrons in parallel minimizing time-to-image.

For your applications benefit from:

Long-term stability of the SEM alignment and the effortless way it adjusts all system parameters such as probe current and acceleration voltage.

Achieve distortion-free, high resolution imaging with the help of the near magnetic-field free optics.

Get information solely from the top-most layer of your samples with the Inlens SE detector that produces images out of the truly surface sensitive SE 1 electrons true.

Obtain true material contrast at very low voltages with the detection concept of the Inlens EsB detector.

Gemini 1 and its Novelties

GeminiSEM 300 and GeminiSEM 500. High resolution gun mode, Tandem decel and Nano-twin lens as part of the novel optical design (highlighted). Nano-twin lens only available in GeminiSEM 500 (highlighted in red).

Gemini 1 Novelties – the Development Goes on

Today’s SEM applications demand high resolution imaging at low landing energy as a standard.

It is essential for:

Beam sensitive samples
Non-conductive materials
Gaining true sample surface information without undesirable background signal from deeper sample layers

The novel Gemini optics are optimized for resolutions at low and very low voltages and for contrast enhancement. Technological characteristics are the high gun resolution mode, GeminiSEM 500’s Nano-twin lens and the optional Tandem decel.

The high gun resolution mode results in:

Minimized chromatic aberration thanks to of a reduction of primary energy width by 30%
Allows even smaller probe sizes

The Nano-twin lens delivers:

Better resolution at low and ultra-low voltages by optimizing the geometry and the electrostatic and magnetic field distributions.
An enhanced Inlens detector signal under low voltage imaging conditions.

Tandem decel lets you maximize high resolution imaging on suitable samples:

Tandem decel, a two-step deceleration mode, combines the beam booster technology with a high negative bias voltage that is applied to the sample: the electrons of the primary electron beam are decelerated, thus the landing energy is effectively reduced.
Use this to further improve resolution below 1 kV and boost the detection efficiency of backscattered diode detectors.
Tandem decel optional sample biasing up to 5 kV further improves the excellent imaging capabilities at low voltages.

Gemini 2

ZEISS GeminiSEM 450: Gemini 2 column with double condenser, two Inlens detectors and NanoVP or local charge compensation

Capitalize on Gemini 2 Optics

A comprehensive characterization of any sample calls for performance in imaging and in analytics. Plus, today’s users expect the set up and handling of the instrument to be easy. The Gemini 2 optics answers these demands:

GeminiSEM 450 comes with Gemini 2 optics featuring a double condenser
Adjust the beam current continuously while the spot size stays optimized simultaneously
Switch seamlessly between high resolution imaging – at low beam currents – and analytical modes – at high beam currents
You save time and effort because there’s no need to realign the beam after changing imaging parameters
Stay flexible: use the highest beam current density for high resolution imaging and analysis at both low and high beam current, independently of which beam energy you select
Your specimen won’t exposed to a magnetic field: achieve a distortion-free EBSD patterns and high resolution imaging over a large field of view
Tilt the specimen without influencing the electron optical performance. Image even magnetic samples easily
Choose a charge reduction mode that suits your sample best: local charge compensation, variable pressure in the chamber or NanoVP

Variable Pressure

NanoVP: differential pumping aperture with insulating o-ring underneath the Gemini objective lens in the SEM chamber.

NanoVP – Get More Detail and Stay Flexible in Variable Pressure Mode

NanoVP technology offers the best way to reduce charging on non-conductive samples without compromising Inlens detection capabilities and resolution.

Reduce charging on non-conductive samples.
NanoVP technology reduces beam broadening and thus enables both imaging of high resolution details and true in-lens detection up to 150 Pa.
Hence, Inlens SE and EsB detectors can be used, even simultaneously, in VP mode for high resolution surface and materials contrast imaging.
Pressure can even be elevated up to 500 Pa using chamber VPSE detection for your most challenging samples.

Applications

ZEISS GeminiSEM

Materials Science

Precursor material for functional surface, gold nanoparticles on polystyrene sphere, imaged with GeminiSEM 500, at 3 kV.

Precursor material for functional surface, gold nanoparticles on polystyrene sphere, imaged: GeminiSEM 500 at 3 kV.

Etched silicon nanostructures at 50 V, no sample biasing. Imaged with GeminiSEM 500. Sample: courtesy of A. Charai, Aix Marseille University, France.

Silica-supported Cobalt catalyst is characterized by means of high resolution imaging and EDS analysis at 25 kV using GeminiSEM 450 and Oxford Instruments Ultim Max 170 EDS detector.

Metal foams like this open cell nickel foam are widely used as cathode substrate in batteries or super-capacitors.

Fractured surface of a NdFeB magnet.

$Investigation of the fractured surface of an NdFeB magnet (demagnetized) with GeminiSEM 450.$

Investigation of the fractured surface of an NdFeB magnet (demagnetized) with GeminiSEM 450.

Lithium ion battery cathode shows no beam damage of sensitive binder material at 500 V.

Lithium ion battery cathode. EDS compositional mapping shows main constituents of the different oxides.

Life Sciences

Moth wing, Inlens SE detector, at 50 V, in high vacuum.

Brain section, large field of view, imaged using 3View® in combination with GeminiSEM 300.

Cilia, imaged with the BSD detector in GeminiSEM 450.

Brain section, imaged without Tandem decel results in low contrast.

Brain section, applying Tandem decel increases contrast.

T4-Phage, negative stained, imaged with a STEM detector.

Semiconductor / Electronics

Data storage, hard disk read head. Left: Inlens SE detector. Right: Inlens EsB detector.

FinFET transistor, top view, 22 nm technology, 3 kV, pure BSE imaging using EsB, high material contrast.

Industry

The magnetic grains of a hard disk platter, a magnetic data storage medium, are only a few nanometers in scale, which affects the bit density and thus the data capacity of the hard disk.