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></span> <span aria-label="breadcrumb separator">/</span> <span class="breadcrumb-current-title">Sputter Coating for SEM: How This Sample Preparation Technique Assists Your Imaging</span></div></div></header><div class="site-inner"><div class="content-sidebar-wrap"><main class="content"><article class="post-12933 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail category-general tag-microscopy2022 entry" aria-label="Sputter Coating for SEM: How This Sample Preparation Technique Assists Your Imaging"><header class="entry-header"><h1 class="entry-title">Sputter Coating for SEM: How This Sample Preparation Technique Assists Your Imaging</h1> <span class="post-info-author"> By <a href="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/author/erikluyk/" title="Posts by Erik Luyk" rel="author">Erik Luyk</a> </span> <span class="post-info-date"> 12.26.2019 </span> </header><div class="entry-content"><h2 style="font-size: 50%;color: white">Challenging samples for SEM</h2> <p><a href="https://ter.li/w1vn6t"><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13483" src="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/materials/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2019/11/Join-the-conversation-banner-in-blogs-social-graphic-1143250-779x134-2.png" alt="" width="779" height="134" srcset="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/materials/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2019/11/Join-the-conversation-banner-in-blogs-social-graphic-1143250-779x134-2.png 779w, https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/materials/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2019/11/Join-the-conversation-banner-in-blogs-social-graphic-1143250-779x134-2-300x52.png 300w, https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/materials/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2019/11/Join-the-conversation-banner-in-blogs-social-graphic-1143250-779x134-2-768x132.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 779px) 100vw, 779px" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p class="p1"><a href="https://ter.li/nu9ye8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Scanning electron microscopes</a> (SEMs) are versatile tools that can provide nanoscale-level information about a wide range of samples with little or no sample preparation. In some cases, however, <a href="https://ter.li/4yyfzg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sputter coating the samples</a> before working with SEMs is necessary to obtain a good-quality SEM image.</p> <p class="p1">SEMs can image all kinds of samples: ceramics, metals and alloys, semiconductors, polymers, biological samples, and much more. However, certain types of samples are more challenging and require an extra step as the sample is prepared to gather high-quality information. This extra step involves coating your sample with an additional thin layer of about 10 nanometers (nm) of a conductive material such as gold, silver, platinum, or chromium.</p> <h2 style="font-size: 100%"><strong>When sputter coating is needed</strong></h2> <p><strong> Due to their high conductivity, coating materials can increase the signal-to-noise ratio during SEM imaging and therefore produce better quality images.</strong> Among the challenging samples that require sputter coating are beam-sensitive and non-conductive materials.</p> <ul> <li><strong>Beam-sensitive samples</strong><span class="s1">: Beam-sensitive samples are mainly biological samples, but they can also be other types, such as materials made from plastics. The electron beam in an SEM is highly energetic and during its interaction with the sample, it carries part of its energy to the sample mainly in the form of heat. If the sample consists of a material that’s sensitive to the electron beam, this interaction can damage part or all of the structure. In this case, sputter coating with a material that’s not beam-sensitive can act as a protective layer against this kind of damage.</span></li> <li><strong>Non-conductive materials</strong><span class="s1">: Due to their non-conductive nature, the surface of non-conductive materials acts as an electron trap. The resulting accumulation of electrons on the surface is called “charging” and creates extra-white regions on the sample, which can influence the image information. When sputter coating is used, </span>the conductive coating material acts as a channel that allows the charging electrons to be removed from the material.</li> </ul> <div style="width: 760px" class="wp-caption alignmiddle"><img decoding="async" style="vertical-align: middle;margin: 10px" title="Charging effect on a non-conductive sample in SEM" src="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/materials/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/04/sputtercoating.jpg" alt="Charging effect on a non-conductive sample in SEM" width="750" height="396" /><p class="wp-caption-text">(Left) Charging effect on a non-conductive sample. (Right) Backscatter electron detector imaging of this sample after 10 nm gold coating is applied.</p></div> <h2 style="font-size: 100%"><strong>The drawbacks of sputter coating for SEM</strong></h2> <p>Sputter coating SEM samples has its downsides. For one, additional time and effort is required to define the optimal coating parameters. Even more importantly, the surface of the sample does not contain the original material but the sputter-coated one, and therefore the atomic number-contrast is lost. In some extreme cases, the technique may lead to altered surface topography or false elemental information about the sample.</p> <p>In most cases, however, the parameters of the sputter coating procedure are carefully selected and these issues do not arise, allowing the user to obtain the accurate, high-quality images they need.</p> <h2 style="font-size: 100%"><strong>Materials used to sputter coat your sample</strong></h2> <p>Historically, the most frequently used sputter coating material has been gold because of its high conductivity and relatively small grain size, which makes it ideal for high-resolution imaging. If energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis is required, SEM users typically coat their samples with carbon due to the fact that carbon’s X-ray peak does not conflict with the peak of any other element.</p> <p>Nowadays, people are also using other coating materials with even finer grain sizes such as tungsten, iridium, and chromium when ultra-high-resolution imaging is required. Other coating materials include platinum, palladium and silver, with the latter having the advantage of reversibility.</p> <p>To achieve the best possible SEM images, <strong>certain type of samples require extra</strong> sample preparation. Sputter coating can be an effective technique for obtaining high-quality SEM images when working with challenging samples such as beam-sensitive and non-conductive materials.</p> <p>To learn more about sputter coating as an SEM sample preparation technique, <a href="http://bit.ly/2PZij8o" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">fill out this form</a> to speak with an expert.</p> <p>//</p> <p><em>Erik Luyk is a marketing communications specialist at Thermo Fisher Scientific. </em></p> <aside class="mashsb-container mashsb-main "><div class="mashsb_above_buttons">Share this article </div><div class="mashsb-box"><div class="mashsb-count mash-large" style="float:left"><div class="counts mashsbcount">417</div><span class="mashsb-sharetext">SHARES</span></div><div class="mashsb-buttons"><a class="mashicon-facebook mash-large mashsb-noshadow" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thermofisher.com%2Fblog%2Fmaterials%2Fsputter-coating-for-sem-how-this-sample-preparation-technique-assists-your-imaging%2F" target="_top" rel="nofollow"><span class="icon"></span><span class="text">Facebook</span></a><a class="mashicon-linkedin mash-large mashsb-noshadow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?trk=Sputter+Coating+for+SEM%3A+How+This+Sample+Preparation+Technique+Assists+Your+Imaging&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thermofisher.com%2Fblog%2Fmaterials%2Fsputter-coating-for-sem-how-this-sample-preparation-technique-assists-your-imaging%2F" target="_top" rel="nofollow"><span class="icon"></span><span class="text">Linkedin</span></a><a class="mashicon-twitter mash-large mashsb-noshadow" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Sputter%20Coating%20for%20SEM%3A%20How%20This%20Sample%20Preparation%20Technique%20Assists%20Your%20Imaging&url=https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/materials/?p=12933&via=thermofisher" target="_top" rel="nofollow"><span class="icon"></span><span class="text">Twitter</span></a><a class="mashicon-mail mash-large mashsb-noshadow" href="mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20this%20article%20from%20Accelerating%20Science&body=Check%20out%20this%20article%20I%20just%20read%3Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.thermofisher.com%2Fblog%2Fmaterials%2Fsputter-coating-for-sem-how-this-sample-preparation-technique-assists-your-imaging%2F" target="_top" rel="nofollow"><span class="icon"></span><span class="text">Mail</span></a><div class="onoffswitch2 mash-large mashsb-noshadow" style="display:none"></div></div> </div> <div style="clear:both"></div><div class="mashsb-toggle-container"></div></aside> </div></article><div class="entry-comments" id="comments"><h3>Comments</h3><ol class="comment-list"> <li class="comment even thread-even depth-1" id="comment-7171"> <article id="article-comment-7171"> <header class="comment-header"> <p class="comment-author"> <img alt='' src='httpss://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/df182b77127e0c14960135c7f8067738?s=48&d=mm&r=g' srcset='httpss://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/df182b77127e0c14960135c7f8067738?s=96&d=mm&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/><span class="comment-author-name">Ella Knight</span> <span class="says">says</span> </p> <p class="comment-meta"><time class="comment-time"><a class="comment-time-link" href="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/materials/sputter-coating-for-sem-how-this-sample-preparation-technique-assists-your-imaging/#comment-7171">May 15, 2023 at 11:03 pm</a></time></p> </header> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Hi, I would live to speak to someone about using sputter coating for SEM sample preparation, but it seems like the link for the form to fill out no longer works. I’m hoping to be connected with someone that could help me figure out what I need to do to prepare my samples. Thank you!</p> </div> <div class="comment-reply"><a rel='nofollow' class='comment-reply-link' href='#comment-7171' data-commentid="7171" data-postid="12933" data-belowelement="article-comment-7171" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Ella Knight" aria-label='Reply to Ella Knight'>Reply</a></div> </article> </li> <li class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1" id="comment-7341"> <article id="article-comment-7341"> <header class="comment-header"> <p class="comment-author"> <img alt='' src='httpss://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/faae23236a188622137e09d4e1109ceb?s=48&d=mm&r=g' srcset='httpss://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/faae23236a188622137e09d4e1109ceb?s=96&d=mm&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/><span class="comment-author-name">Joseph Buhagiar</span> <span class="says">says</span> </p> <p class="comment-meta"><time class="comment-time"><a class="comment-time-link" href="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/materials/sputter-coating-for-sem-how-this-sample-preparation-technique-assists-your-imaging/#comment-7341">June 28, 2023 at 8:25 am</a></time></p> </header> <div class="comment-content"> <p>We are seeking to buy a sputter coater for use with a SEM COXEM 30. Can you pls send us a quote for your unit</p> </div> <div class="comment-reply"><a rel='nofollow' class='comment-reply-link' href='#comment-7341' data-commentid="7341" data-postid="12933" data-belowelement="article-comment-7341" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Joseph Buhagiar" aria-label='Reply to Joseph Buhagiar'>Reply</a></div> </article> </li> <li class="comment even thread-even depth-1" id="comment-9156"> <article id="article-comment-9156"> <header class="comment-header"> <p class="comment-author"> <img alt='' src='httpss://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/624fbcd1b98bb80fa9dcdb37675a25f1?s=48&d=mm&r=g' srcset='httpss://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/624fbcd1b98bb80fa9dcdb37675a25f1?s=96&d=mm&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/><span class="comment-author-name">udaya bhan sharma</span> <span class="says">says</span> </p> <p class="comment-meta"><time class="comment-time"><a class="comment-time-link" href="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/materials/sputter-coating-for-sem-how-this-sample-preparation-technique-assists-your-imaging/#comment-9156">April 23, 2024 at 2:38 am</a></time></p> </header> <div class="comment-content"> <p>we are looking to procure Sputter coat for charged sample preparation for SEM .</p> </div> <div class="comment-reply"><a rel='nofollow' class='comment-reply-link' href='#comment-9156' data-commentid="9156" data-postid="12933" data-belowelement="article-comment-9156" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to udaya bhan sharma" aria-label='Reply to udaya bhan sharma'>Reply</a></div> </article> </li> </ol></div> <div id="respond" class="comment-respond"> <h3 id="reply-title" class="comment-reply-title">Leave a Reply <small><a rel="nofollow" id="cancel-comment-reply-link" href="/materials/sputter-coating-for-sem-how-this-sample-preparation-technique-assists-your-imaging/#respond" style="display:none;">Cancel reply</a></small></h3><form action="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/materials/wp-comments-post.php" method="post" id="commentform" class="comment-form" novalidate><p class="comment-notes"><span id="email-notes">Your email address will not be published.</span> <span class="required-field-message">Required fields are marked <span class="required">*</span></span></p><p class="comment-form-comment"><label for="comment">Comment <span class="required">*</span></label> <textarea id="comment" name="comment" cols="45" rows="8" maxlength="65525" required></textarea></p><p class="comment-form-author"><label for="author">Name <span class="required">*</span></label> <input id="author" name="author" type="text" value="" size="30" maxlength="245" autocomplete="name" required /></p> <p class="comment-form-email"><label for="email">Email <span class="required">*</span></label> <input id="email" name="email" type="email" value="" size="30" maxlength="100" aria-describedby="email-notes" autocomplete="email" required /></p> <p class="comment-form-url"><label for="url">Website</label> <input id="url" name="url" type="url" value="" size="30" maxlength="200" autocomplete="url" /></p> <p class="form-submit"><input name="submit" type="submit" id="submit" class="submit" value="Post Comment" /> <input type='hidden' name='comment_post_ID' value='12933' id='comment_post_ID' /> <input type='hidden' name='comment_parent' id='comment_parent' value='0' /> </p><p style="display: none;"><input type="hidden" id="akismet_comment_nonce" name="akismet_comment_nonce" value="78e63b8b02" /></p><p style="display: none !important;" class="akismet-fields-container" data-prefix="ak_"><label>Δ<textarea name="ak_hp_textarea" cols="45" rows="8" maxlength="100"></textarea></label><input type="hidden" id="ak_js_2" name="ak_js" value="99"/><script>document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );</script></p></form> </div> <div class="adjacent-entry-pagination pagination"><div class="pagination-previous alignleft"><i class="fa fa-icon fa-chevron-left"></i> <a href="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/materials/backscattered-electrons-in-sem-imaging/" rel="prev">Backscattered Electrons in SEM Imaging</a></div><div class="pagination-next alignright"><a href="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/materials/thin-film-applications-in-energy/" rel="next">Thin Film Applications in Energy</a> <i class="fa fa-icon fa-chevron-right"></i></div></div></main></div></div><footer class="site-footer"><div class="wrap"><div class="creds"><p class="footer-links"><a href="https://corporate.thermofisher.com/en/footer/privacy-statement.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Privacy Statement</a><a href="https://corporate.thermofisher.com/en/footer/terms-and-conditions.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Terms & Conditions</a><a href="/blog/locations/">Locations</a><a href="/blog/sitemap/">Sitemap</a></p><p>© 2024 <a href="https://www.thermofisher.com">Thermo Fisher Scientific</a>. 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} $.each(elems, function(index, elem) { var inElementsArray = $.inArray(elem, options.elements); var inCacheArray = $.inArray(elem, cache); if (inElementsArray != -1) { options.elements.splice(inElementsArray, 1); } if (inCacheArray != -1) { cache.splice(inCacheArray, 1); } }); }; /* * Throttle function borrowed from: * Underscore.js 1.5.2 * http://underscorejs.org * (c) 2009-2013 Jeremy Ashkenas, DocumentCloud and Investigative Reporters & Editors * Underscore may be freely distributed under the MIT license. */ function throttle(func, wait) { var context, args, result; var timeout = null; var previous = 0; var later = function() { previous = new Date; timeout = null; result = func.apply(context, args); }; return function() { var now = new Date; if (!previous) previous = now; var remaining = wait - (now - previous); context = this; args = arguments; if (remaining <= 0) { clearTimeout(timeout); timeout = null; previous = now; result = func.apply(context, args); } else if (!timeout) { timeout = setTimeout(later, remaining); 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