Recent News - Product Updates
- FAST RAMAN MICROSCOPY POSTER AT MICROSCOPY & MICRONALYSIS
A late breaking poster (LB35) has been accepted for Microscopy and Microanalysis Conference (Portland, OR August 2-5)
"Ultra-Fast Raman Microscopy: Line Scanning Confocal Raman Microscopy using Diffraction Limited Optics", by Barry Weavers, Hideo Naito & Tomoya Uchiyama
- LEFT COAST INSTRUMENTS ATTENDING MICROSCOPY & MICRONALYSIS
LCI shall be attending the annual Microscopy and Microanalysis Convention in Portland, OR August 2 - 5, 2010.
LCI staff will be available on the following booths at the trade show -
Leica/Marine Reef International - booth # 1165
Hitachi - booth # 420
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - NEW APPLICATION NOTES FROM NANOPHOTON CORPORATION
Nanophoton Corporation have published a new Application Note for their Ramanplus microscope.
Cycleability Analysis of Graphite-Silicon Battery Electrode by Raman Microscopy
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - HITACHI TM3000 TABLE TOP SEM with EDS WILL BE EXHIBITED AT INTERSOLAR 2010,
SAN FRANCISCO,CA, JULY 13-15, 2010Hitachi High Technologies will be exhibiting at Intersolar, 2010, Moscone West Building, Level 3, Booth 9030
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - APPLICATION NOTES FROM RKD ENGINEERING
RKD Engineering have released updated Application Notes for some of their Failure Analysis products.
The Real Innovators of Decapsulation
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - LEFT COAST INSTRUMENTS TO EXHIBIT AT CeRMACS 2010
Left Coast Instruments will be exhibiting at this show, being held in Dayton, OH, June 16 - June 19, 2010
Representatives of LCI will be on hand to discuss our products, including our innovative Ultra-Fast Raman Microscopes and their applicability to chemistry and nanomaterials developments.
- NEW RAMAN APPLICATION NOTE FROM NANOPHOTON CORPORATION
A new Raman Application Note is now available for download.This note describes Cycleability Analysis of a Graphite-Si Composite Electrode using Ramanplus microscopy.
Ramanplus Analysis of Cycleability of Graphite
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - NEW PRODUCT LITERATURE FROM RKD ENGINEERING
RKD Engineering have released updated descriptions of some of their Failure Analysis products.
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - NEW RAMAN-11 MICROSCOPE SPECIFICATIONS & DESCRIPTION PUBLISHED BY NANOPHOTON CORPORATION
Nanophoton Corporation have just released updated specificatons and description of their Raman-11 line scanning confocal microscope
For these detailed specificatons and descriptions please visit Nanophoton Corporation web site.
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - MARINE REEF INTERNATIONAL
Left Coast Instruments as a representative of Marine Reef International are authorized to sell the following Hitachi Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscopes in Northern California -
- SU 1510 variable pressure scanning electron microscope
- S 3400 variable pressure scanning electron microscope
- S 3700 variable pressure scanning electron microscope
- and of course the TM 3000 Tabletop scanning electron microscope
- NEW INNOVATIONS FROM NANOPHOTON CORPORATION
Left Coast Instruments can now annouce two very exciting microscope additions from Nanophoton Corporation.
RamanfluoX, a combined Raman Microscope and Fluorescence Microscope
SHG 21, a Second Harmonic Generation Microscope
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - EM SAMPLE PREPARATION TOOLS
Left Coast Instruments now have a range of sample preparation tools available from Technoorg Linda.
Please see under PRODUCTS pull down menu SAMPLE PREPARATION
- NANOPHOTON CORPORATION
Left Coast Instruments have now added a re-designed NEW RAMAN-11 product page emphasizing data acquisition speeds and a new RAMAN PLUS product page.
Please see under PRODUCTS pull down menu RAMAN MICROSCOPY
- HITACHI HIGH TECHNOLOGIES INTRODUCE THE TM-3000 TABLETOP SEM
Hitachi High-Technologies has introduced the next generation TM 3000 Tabletop Scanning Electron Microscope.
Building on the success of its predecessor (the TM-1000) the new microscope offers improved performance, that includes magnifications up to 30,000x with corresponding resolution changes; all in a unit that occupies 20% less space and has an energy-saving design.
With more than 1000 units shipped since the launch of the TM-1000 in 2005, Hitachi's Tabletop microscope technology has established itself in a host of applications and industries worldwide, simplifying and facilitating observation of the microstructures of a wide range of material surfaces.
Used in applications ranging from research and development to quality assurance in materials, semiconductors, food products and biotechnology, and with installations in research institutes, schools and science museums worldwide, Hitachi's Tabletop microscope plays an important role in both education and industry.
The TM-3000 is a tabletop variable-pressure scanning electron microscope is characterised by very easy operation, with a 'one button' auto-start, image auto-focus and many other automated on-board functions. These are all controlled through a laptop computer with an intuitive, Windows 7-based user interface.
Improved electron optics have allowed the maximum magnification to be extended to 30,000x with improved resolution. Three easily selectable modes of operation are available: Surface, Normal and High-Brightness/Contrast. The exceptional depth of focus, combined with the improved imaging capabilities, makes the TM-3000 extremely versatile. Adjustable pressure charge-up reduction mode means that samples can be imaged without any special sample preparation, even insulating and uncoated materials are easily imaged. Shipments of the TM-3000 are scheduled to start in April, 2010 and initial annual shipments of 500 units are anticipated.
For the press releases please see -
- S.P.I.E. SCANNING MICROSCOPY CONFERENCE, 2010
Left Coast Instruments will participate in this Conference May 17 through May 19, 2010 in Monterey CA.
We shall be on the following Exhibit booth -
- Hitachi High Technologies America
- TableTop Scanning Electron Micrscopy, TM3000 from Hitachi
- High-Speed Raman Microscopy Applications
- PITTCON CONFERENCE & EXPO, 2010
Left Coast Instruments will be attending this Conference February 20 through March 5, 2010 in Orlando FL.
We shall be on the following Exhibit booths -
- Hitachi High Technologies America
- Nanophoton Corporation
- ELITE ETCH WARRANTY CHANGE
RKD Engineering have announced an Elite Etch decapsulator warranty change.
All Elite Etch Decapsulators now have, in addition to a standard a 6-year Pump Warranty; a Lifetime Warranty for the Etch Head and a Lifetime Heat Exchanger Warranty.
In Addition to the lifetime extension for the heat exchanger and etch head assemblies; RKD have also announced that they have extended their Complete System Warranty Period to Two Years.
RKD Engineering's manufacturing is located in Scotts Valley, California. All component machining, design, assembly and final test are conducted in this facility close to Silicon Valley. RKD also maintain a fully equipped application laboratory at the same Scotts Valley location.
For a reprint of the Field Reliability Data or for more information on these new warranty periods just contact us by phone or email.
- NEW MICRO CT SYSTEM CONFIGURATIONS FROM XRT LTD.
XRT Ltd. have announced 4 new Micro CT systems, each offering Phase Contrast Imaging. The suite of Micro CT Systems now available allows you to select an optimum system depending on your sample requirements.
For more information please visit our XRT Ltd Product Pages -
Phase Contrast Imaging & Phase Retrieval - An Introduction
XRT Ltd. A discussion of Micro CT Systems
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - DISCUSSION OF MICRO CT TECHNIQUES AND OPTIONS
A comprehensive discussion of Micro CT systems is now availalbe for download.
XRT Ltd. A discussion of Micro CT Systems
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - FAST HIGH-DEFINITION RAMAN IMAGING OF SINGLE LAYERED GRAPHENE
The number of graphene layers in a sample can be distinguished by examination of the intensity ratio of G-Band and D-Band in Raman spectra.
Identification of Single and Multiple Graphene layers by Raman Microscopy
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - NEW VARIOSCALE PRODUCT BROCHURES
New Product Brochures can be downloaded for the following products -
VarioEdit, an automated tool for Laser Assisted Chemical Etching VarioEdit
VarioMetric, for Silicon Thickness Measurements from 1µm to 1,000µm in thicknessVarioMetric
VarioProfile, Non-Contact Micro-Meso Profilometer for Flatness & Thickness Measurements VarioProfile
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - RAMAN MEASUREMENT OF GRAIN BOUNDARIES IN THIN SILICON FILMS
Using High Accuracy Peak Position Analysis Raman Microscopy enables crystal grain boundary imaging by detection of small amounts of crystal strain present
Observation of Grain Boundary in a Thin Silicon Film - High Accuracy Peak Position Analysis
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - NEW APPLICATION NOTES FOR TECHNOORG's GENTLE MILL
Left Coast Instruments will be exhibiting the Gentle Mill for STEM/TEM and Post-FIB Sample Preparation at ISTFA, San Jose Convention Center, 17-18 November 2009-
New Applicaion Notes are available -
Technoorg Post FIB Decreasing amorphous layer caused by FIB Application Note
Technoorg Silicon [110] DumbBell Imaging Application Note
Technoorg GaSb/InAs Superlattice Imaging Application Note
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES in NOVEMBER, 2009
Left Coast Instruments will be exhibiting at two Trade Shows in November -
AMERICAN VACUUM SOCIETY, San Jose, CA (11/10-11/12). We are exhibiting a Hitachi TM-1000 TableTop Scanning Electron Microscope in conjunction with R.J.Lee Group.
EDFAS, San Jose CA (11/17 to 11/18). LEFT COAST INSTRUMENTS will be exhibiting a range of products -
- IC sample preparation from RKD Engineering
- TEM and post-FIB sample processing and cleaning from Technoorg Linda
- 3-D Profiling Metrology Tool from Varioscale
In Addition to our Corporate Booths, other products we represent will be displayed by the following companies -
- HITACHI - Variable pressure SEM
- LEICA - Ion Mills (dual beam, triple beam), TXP cross sectioning sample preparation system
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - PRODUCT LEASING IN THIS DIFFICULT ECONOMY
Left Coast Instruments, working with our financial partners, offer easy application-only financing up to $75,000 with competitive pricing; and larger dollar amounts with financial statement review. This means you can get approval for up to $75,000 without providing any financial statements. It's just that easy.
However, if you are willing to share the details of your financies, our partners are willing to provide even lower lease rates! Transactions $35,000 and higher may qualify for the lowest possible lease rates with full financial disclosure. Our partners are in the risk-management business, and can provide the best possible lease rates for the best customers who deserve it, and they price appropriately for the amount of risk that they are taking. So, every customer gets the best pricing available based upon their credit profile.
Our value-added partners will do their very best to approve as many customers as they possibly can. That's why they offer approval capability for A-D credits, as well as start-up businesses with less than two years time in business.
Tougher credit means higher risk. Our partners price-adjust the higher risk credit profiles with risk-appropriate pricing and conversely reward the best-performing customers with the lowest possible lease rates
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - NEW PRODUCT PAGES FOR PLASMA AND SCANNING ACOUSTIC MICROSCOPY
Some news about additional products that we are now authorized to distribute - Glow Research AUTOGLOW Plasma Systems and Sonikon SCANNING ACOUSTIC MICROSCOPES - for both R&D and Production applications
For more information please visit the AUTOGLOW Plasma page and the SCANNING ACOUSTIC MICROSCOPY page of this site or contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - THE ADVANTAGES OF ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING FOR DUAL ACID DECAPSULATORS
RKD Engineerings program control of all its products uses Assembly Language because optimal efficiency, accessibility and control of system hardware is only possible using assembly language. The term efficiency refers to how good a system is in achieving a given objective. Normally this objective can be broken down into two sub-categories -space efficiency and time efficiency. Space efficiency refers to memory requirements - i.e. the size of the executable code necessary for a given tool. Assembly language is far more compact and requires significantly less memory than programs written in a high level language. Time efficiency refers to the time taken to execute a program. The faster a program runs the better, from the point of view of time efficiency. Assembly language code will always run faster than compiled (higher level) code.
Today the superiority of assembly language is once again becoming increasingly important. Tools such as RKDs Dual Acid Decapsulator are designed with embedded controllers; not with memory-rich computers. Using embedded controllers the need for efficient, tight code is of paramount importance. As mentioned above, assembly language code is very time efficient, and this time efficiency is itself a function of Specificity. That is, assembly language contains only the code necessary to perform specific tasks without the need for superfluous program overhead.
An Acid Decapsulator needs to perform a specific set of operations quickly and very efficiently - a situation that is ideally suited to assembly language control that retains direct, efficient and precise control of all system hardware.
If a higher level language is used (such as C++) the direct control of electro-mechanical interfaces, (e.g. pump valves, etch head heaters, volume displacement counters, accelerometers) is turned over to this compiled language; a language that has only a restricted view of the underlying hardware. Complied languages do not and cannot have the ability to directly access hardware and so have only a limited systems view. It is because of this limited systems view that efficiently is lost as compiled languages cannot directly perform tasks that require access to system hardware.
Please visit the RKD Elite Etch Decapsulator page of this site.
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - ELITE ETCH DUAL ACID DECAPSULATOR : A CUSTOMER COMMENT
"I am extremely pleased with the Etcher. An absolutely elegant piece of equipment! I would also like to thank the Left Coast team for the excellent support provided before and after my purchase."
Fabian Morales, IC DETECT ANALYTICAL SERVICESFor more information please visit the RKD Elite Etch Decapsulator page of this site or contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - NEW WEB PAGE ADDED FOR BRUKER LIGHT ELEMENT X-RAY MICROANALYSIS (QUANTAX 50)
We are pleased to announce that a new option has been made available for the Hitachi Table Top SEM. Bruker now offer Quantax 50, a Silicon Drift Detector based x-ray microaanalysis system capable of detecting elements from Boron to Americium.
For more information please visit the Bruker Quantax 50 page of this site.
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - NEW APPLICATION NOTES FOR RAMAN MICROSCOPY from NANPHOTON CORPORATION
Nanophoton Corporation have just issued 3 new Application Notes covering the following subjects -
Electrode Degredation in Lithium Ion Batteries
High Resolution Imaging of Carbon Nanotube Bridging between 2 Electrodes
Grain boundary Investigation of Thin Film Silicon - Peak Position Analysis
Please download copies from the Raman Microscopy page of this site. A link for Application Notes is at the bottom of that page.
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - BRUKER LIGHT ELEMENT X-RAY MICROANALYSIS OPTION FOR THE HITACHI TM-1000 SEM
Hitachi High Technologies have announced the availability of light element x-ray microanalysis for the TM-1000 SEM by the addition of Bruker's QUANTAX 50 EDS System. Using a 30 mm2 SDD detector and qualitative and quantitative EDS microanalysis this system offers excellent light element detection from Boron. High stability energy resolution up to 60,000 cps is achieved with the MIN SVE signal processing electronics. QUANTAX 50 runs on both Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems.
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - LEFT COAST INSTRUMENTS AT INTERSOLAR 2009, Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA
We exhibited and demonstrated the Hitachi Tabletop Scanning Electron Microscope on the Hitachi High Technologies Booth at Intersolar 2009. A busy 3 days of demonstrations and discussion with many customers and colleagues
- RKD ENGINEERING FAST DECAPSULATOR - ELITE ETCH
Heard today that RKD stands for Really Kool Decapsulator - we agree. It's a great product, it's very fast, uses very little acid so has really low operating costs and just about zero down time. Since its introduction there has never been a clogged etch head, or a pump failure - never!
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - HIGH RESOLUTION PHASE CONTRAST X-RAY IMAGING SYSTEM from XRT Ltd.
The PCX-100HR provides optimised X-Ray Imaging for sample sizes up to 100mm x 100mm. Resolution is sub-micron (500nm) that is achieved using a 160 kVp turbomolecular pumped x-ray tube. XRT also are now offeriing a wide range of optimised x-ray imaging chains, giving thier users maximum imaging capability and flexibility.
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - RAMAN MICROSCOPY from NANOPHOTON CORPORATION
Left Coast Instruments has been appointed distributor for the Americas for the Raman-11 and the Ramanplus Microscopes.The Raman-11 has an imaging speed of 300 to 600 times faster than rival products. Combining fast and high-definition imaging now allows expansion into fields where Raman imaging has traditionally been considered impossible.
The Ramanplus microscope combines Fast Raman Imaging with Surface Profiling. The PlusNavi function enables measurement of the precise 3D profile of a sample surface to give locational information for Raman measurements.
For immediate information on these products please contacts us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - LASER ASSISTED CHEMICAL ETCHING with VARIOEDIT
VarioEdit enables rapid removal of silicon from Flip Chips via laser assisted chemical etching. A new Technical Bulletin is available for download (Technical Bulletin 7000) that describes this rapid approach to silicon thinning as a cost effective alternative to preparing samples for edit directly in a FIB. VarioEdit enables silicon thinning, metal deposition and dielectric deposition processes to be performed faster and much more cost effectively than is possible using a FIB tool.
For information on VarioEdit tools please visit our VarioEdit page, or LACE Silicon Etching or contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - TECHNOORG LINDA
Left Coast Instruments has been appointed as distributor for the Gentle Mill series of Ion Mills designed for final polishing, easy cleaning and improving samples previously treated in standard high-energy ion mills or FIB columns.
Gentle Mill models are recommended for the preparation of Artefact free and Damage free XTEM, HRTEM and STEM samples.
For more information please contact us by email or telephone :
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - PRODUCT LEASE OPTIONS
Approval to purchase necessary equipment can be difficult in light of present economic conditions. Left Coast Instruments can now provide favorable equipment lease terms for all our products. A variety of lease-to-purchase options are available.
For more information please contact us by email or telephone:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - REAL TIME X-RAY IMAGING SYSTEMS from FOCALSPOT, INC.
Left Coast Instruments have been appointed North American representatives for FocalSpot's line of Real Time X-Ray Imaging Systems. This agreement encompasses Semiconductor Failure Analysis, Reliability & Quality Assurance; as well as the Counterfeit IC Protection & Solutions Sector of the supply chain.
For more information on
- Verifier Series of X-Ray Systems
- Insight & Insight Pro X-Ray Stations
Please contact us by telephone or email:
info@leftcoastinstruments.com
Tel: +1.831.684.9224 - NANOMILL
RKD Engineering have now released the NanoMill. NanoMill is a low cost alternative for the removal of heat sinks as well as for making gaskets. It provides the same micro-precision CNC accuracy and ease-of-use of the MicroMill; but now is available with a compact footprint.
Please contact us via telephone or email for pricing and product specifications.
- ELITE ETCH WARRANTY EXTENSIONS
RKD Engineering have enhanced the Elite Etch decapsulator warranty.
All Elite Etch decapsulators now have as standard a 6-year pump warranty and a lifetime warranty for the silicon carbide etch head. RKD Engineering also add an additional 3-year warranty period for the etch head/heat exchanger against all clogs and blockages.
For a copy of the new extended RKD Elite Etch Warranty and/or a reprint of the Field Reliability Data just contact us by phone or email, thanks in advance.
- plus all accessory items, including energy dispersive and wavelength dispersive x-ray microanalysis systems.
Dr.Weavers is presenting two papers at this conference -
Hitachi will exhibit a range of analytical instrumentation, including a variable pressure table top (desk top) scanning electron microscope.
Nanophoton will exhibit their Raman-11 Microscope, the fastest high-definition Raman imaging system available.