Particle Size Analysis Using an Air-Jet Sieve Air-Jet sieving is a technique to determine particle size distribution of fine, dry powders. The Air-Jet sieve principle involves creating a vacuum powered, high velocity Air-Jet for fluidization of sample material and for pneumatic conveying of undersized material through the sieve. It is ideally suited for powders that...

Atom Probe Tomography Atom probe tomography (APT) is an analytical technique that can provide images of individual atoms in a sample and enable their positions to be mapped, at nanoscale, in a three-dimensional spatial coordinate system.The APT test specimen is prepared in the shape of a needle with a sharp conical tip of sub-micron diameter,...

 Auger electron spectroscopy Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) utilizes a high-energy electron beam to excite surface layers of the test sample and by detecting the energy and quantities of the resulting Auger electrons, the elemental composition of the sampled surface can be inferred.  While the beam’s excitation volume within the sample may extend upto 5 microns,...

Colorimetry — the science of quantifying and describing color perception — bridges the gap between the physical measurement of light and the subjective experience of human vision. In material analysis and quality control, colorimetric measurements provide the objective, reproducible data needed to specify, verify, and control color across production batches, geographic locations, and time. For...

Cryogenic Transmission Electron Microscopy Cryogenic Transmission Electron Microscopy (Cryo-TEM) is a technique that uses a focused high energy electron beam transmitted through a thin (~ 50-100 nm) sample under cryogenic conditions, to produce highly magnified images (resolutions of ~4 A0) on a fluorescent screen or digital imaging system.  Cryo-TEM was originally developed for the high-resolution...

Differential Hall Effect Metrology (DHEM) Differential Hall Effect Metrology (DHEM) is an electrical characterization technique for surface layers of semiconductors. DHEM enables critical electrical properties to be measured at depths upto a few nanometres in semiconductor samples. It uses the principle of Differential Hall effect (DHE) and the Van der Pauw technique, to measure mobility...

What Is Dilatometry? Dilatometry is a precision thermal analysis technique that measures the dimensional changes — expansion or contraction — of a material as a function of temperature or time. These dimensional changes, expressed as linear or volumetric coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE), are fundamental material properties that govern how components perform under thermal cycling,...

 Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) applies sinusoidally oscillating stresses to investigate the relationship between stress and strain of materials at various temperatures, oscillatory frequencies and loads, and durations. While originally developed for metals, the DMA technique has become extremely important for thermomechanical testing of engineering polymers and composites. Visco-elastic materials such as...

When electronic components are destined for high-reliability applications — military avionics, space systems, implantable medical devices, nuclear control systems — incoming inspection that relies solely on electrical testing and visual examination is insufficient. Electrical conformance tells you nothing about internal construction quality, materials compliance, or artistry defects that may not affect initial electrical performance but...

Dual Beam – Focused Ion Beam (Dual Beam – FIB) A focused ion beam (FIB) system uses ions (usually Gallium), operated at sufficiently high beam current, focused upon specific areas of a sample, for sputtering or milling, at nanometre scale precision. When FIB is combined with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) it forms a dual beam...

Electron Beam Induced Current (EBIC) Electron Beam Induced Current (EBIC) is a semiconductor analysis technique that uses a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) or Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM) to create electron-hole pairs (charge carriers), by the interaction of electron beam and semiconductor surface. When these charge carrier pairs diffuse into an area having an internal...

Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) Introduction Electron Backscatter Diffraction is a microstructural characterization technique applicable to crystalline materials. It utilizes diffraction patterns from an incident electron beam in a scanning electron microscope to obtain crystallographic information. As such, essential information relative to grain orientation, phase identification, and defects can be deduced at the micro and nanoscale...

Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS) Introduction  What is Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS map and line profile)? Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS) is used in materials science and electron microscopy to examine materials’ composition, electrical structure, and chemical bonding on highly tiny scales. This approach includes measuring the energy loss of electrons as they move...

Electrochemical Analysis Electrochemical analysis is a generic term used to describe a variety of analytical methods based on oxidation-reduction (REDOX) reactions in electrolytic solutions. Electrochemical analysis utilizes the principle that electrode potentials and electron transfers occurring during REDOX reactions can be measured, as voltage and current respectively. This provides qualitative and quantitative information on the...

Introduction ETV-ICP-OES (Electrothermal Vaporization ICP Optical Emission Spectroscopy) uses Electrothermal Vaporization (ETV) to vaporize a sample into a carrier gas by controlled heating, followed by atom excitation in high-temperature plasma and subsequent atomic emission spectra analysis using Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES). ETV is achieved in a small graphite tube furnace, where the sample is placed...

Ellipsometry Ellipsometry is an optical measurement technique that is based upon the fact that linearly polarized light, incident at an oblique angle to a surface, becomes elliptically polarized when it is reflected, transmitted, or scattered. Ellipsometry measures the change in amplitude and the phase difference and relates it to material and surface properties using theoretical...

Introduction Emissivity defines an object’s ability to emit infrared energy. The energy emitted is connected with the object’s temperature. It varies from 0 to 0.95. Most organic, painted, or oxidized surfaces have emissivities close to 0.95. Most Fluke Process Instruments sensors allow for variable emissivity, so accurate readings can be made on other materials, like...

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) utilizes Gas chromatography (GC) to separate a chemical mixture into individual molecules followed by Mass spectrometry (MS) to identify the molecules. These two distinct micro-analytical techniques are coupled together in the GC-MS. Gas Chromatography utilizes the principle that intermolecular (physical adsorption) forces between molecules in a gas...

Introduction Gas Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS-MS) is a microanalytical technique that provides superior selectivity sensitivity and detail compared to GC with a single MS (GC-MS). It’s a sophisticated analytical technique that separates gas chromatography with detection using tandem mass spectrometry. It is one of the techniques that have widely been used to analyze complex mixtures,...

Introduction of Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry | GDMS Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry (GD-MS) is among the most potent solid-state analytical methods for directly determining solids’ traces, impurities, and depth profiling. Commercially available glow discharge mass spectrometers with fast and sensitive electrical ion detection enable the direct trace element determination of solid materials with good sensitivity and...

Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) is a type of high-performance liquid chromatography. GPC is also referred to as Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) and is based on the principle of size exclusion, in which components flowing in solution through a chromatographic column, are separated based on molecular size. The GPC column is packed...

Introduction Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is an effective elemental and isotopic analysis method of solid objects. The operation principles involve directing a narrow laser beam on the sample to remove a layer and create particles carried to the ICP. Here, the atoms are ionized, and the ion beams are introduced into...

Hydrogen Forward Scattering Spectrometry (HFS) Hydrogen Forward Scattering Spectrometry (HFS) is a type of Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA), that uses forward recoil to detect and quantify Hydrogen atoms in the surface and near surface layers of solid samples. The principle is that a high energy ion beam striking and penetrating a test sample will...

High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) utilizes a high-pressure chromatographic column to separate components of liquids or solids dissolved in liquids, followed by detection and analysis. The molecular species of interest (termed analyte) together with the solvent and other components (termed matrix) form the ‘mobile phase’ that flows through the column....

Ion Chromatography (IC) Introduction: Ion chromatography (IC) uses a charged stationary phase to retain ionic analytes from the mobile phase, utilizing ion exchange principles. The retained molecules are then eluted out in sequence, depending upon the strength of their electrostatic bonds with the stationary phase, to obtain characteristic chromatograms. Ion exchange chromatography is an analysis...

Instrumental Gas Analysis (IGA) Instrumental Gas Analysis (IGA) refers to a set of analytical techniques for accurately measuring Carbon (C), Sulfur (S), Oxygen (O), Nitrogen (N), and Hydrogen (H) content in a range of solids including metals and alloys, ceramics, metal oxides, metal sulfides, slag, and cement. The samples can be in the form of...

Introduction Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy, or ICP-OES, is an analytical technique determining the elemental content of various materials. Here, a high-temperature plasma excites atoms in the sample, and the measured light at specific wavelengths allows one to identify and quantify elements contained within the material. This method is highly beneficial in material science...