Magnetic Field Cancellation and Vibration Isolation Systems Offer a Complete Environmental Solution
STACIS iX SEM-Base Active Hard-Mount Vibration Cancellation Floor Platform Designed Specifically for SEMs
Building on its expertise as a designer and manufacturer of active vibration isolation systems that cancel building floor vibrations, Technical Manufacturing Corporation (TMC) developed Mag-NetX, a magnetic field cancellation system that actively compensates for magnetic field fluctuations caused by nearby machinery, elevators, power lines, and other external sources. Such sources can diminish the performance of scanning and transmission electron microscopes, electron beam lithography systems, focused ion beam instruments, and other tools that incorporate a charged beam. TMC will demonstrate its Mag-NetX magnetic field cancellation system at Microscopy & Microanalysis 2010 in Portland, Oregon, in August.
“Ambient floor vibration and magnetic field interference present the same challenge: How to precisely control the focus of a charged beam disturbed by external influences. And often it’s not clear which source is the limiting influence,” said Steve Ryan, TMC vice president, marketing. “Our state-of-the-art precision vibration isolation systems cancel floor vibration. It just makes sense to also offer our customers magnetic field cancellation to provide a complete environmental solution.”
Designed for both point-of-use and OEM applications, the open cube-shaped Mag-NetX detects magnetic fields and sends out an equal and opposite field to cancel the interference. The system is made up of a dedicated controller with automated calibration and self-test features, AC and DC magnetic sensor, and Helmholtz coils in a structural casing. It can be floor/wall mounted or tool mounted and sized to user-specific requirements. The system is dynamic, continuously monitoring and achieves 35-40 dB of attenuation.
Technical Manufacturing Corporation’s (TMC) new STACIS iX SEM-Base active vibration cancellation floor platform system is designed for use with scanning electron microscopes (SEMs). SEM-Base will be shown at Microscopy & Microanalysis 2010 in Portland, Oregon, in August.
The SEM-Base features sub-Hz vibration cancellation in an active hard-mount floor platform that fits most commercial SEMs. SEMs are among the most vibration sensitive tools made, and these precision instruments typically incorporate an internal vibration isolation system. SEM-Base is compatible with all internal SEM vibration isolation systems.
“SEM-Base is a compact, cost-effective alternative to our patented STACIS active vibration cancellation,” said Steve Ryan, TMC vice president, marketing. “It incorporates STACIS technology but has a much smaller footprint and installs easily with minimal tuning. Simply put the SEM on the platform, power up, and you’re done.”
With vibration cancellation starting below 1 Hz, STACIS SEM-Base features extended stroke piezoelectric actuators and damped, powder-coated steel plates that sandwich four isolators and TMC’s DC 2000 digital controller. The system is only 5.5 inches tall, measures 35.5" x 44.5", weighs less than 400 pounds, and can support 900 to 2,500 pounds with no soft air suspension. It is available with six active degrees of freedom.
TMC designs and manufactures precision vibration isolation systems for sensitive research and manufacturing processes worldwide. The ISO 9001:2008-certified company’s products include active and passive vibration isolation systems; optical tops, optical table systems, and breadboards; laboratory tables and table top platforms; floor platforms; magnetic field cancellation and electric field shielding systems; and acoustic enclosures. http://www.techmfg.com/products/magnetic/magnetx.htm
