New femtolaser in use

At the end of June, our new microPREP PRO FEMTO laser ablation system was put into operation. Laser pulses in the range of femtoseconds (=10-15 sec) enable material removal that leads to almost no thermal influence during processing. The fs-laser system can be used to process a wide variety of materials, as the process parameters can be freely chosen by the operator.

Thanks to the excellent cooperation of the Advanced Microstructure and Nanostructure Characterization (AMNC) group, parameter sets for the most common materials are already established. First mircotip coupons for the atom probe (APT) have also already been prepared and, after minimal further processing in the FIB, successfully measured in our new LEAP 5000 XR.

The results have already been summarized in a scientific paper and submitted to the journal "Ultramicroscopy". We would also like to point out the good cooperation with 3D MicroMac and the Fraunhofer IMWS, who supported us with words and deeds during the training and parameter selection.

The coupon with 15 individual tips was machined out of the solid material using only the fs laser.

The coupon with 15 individual tips was machined out of the solid material using only the fs laser.

The shape and surface of the individual tips is already so good that very little post-processing is required in the FIB - an enormous time saving!

The shape and surface of the individual tips is already so good that very little post-processing is required in the FIB - an enormous time saving!

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