Our Facilities

Using state-of-the-art equipment, we have a wide-range of techniques available.

  • Light Microscopy. High power, low power, measuring and macro inspection.
  • Zeiss Gemini 450 Field Emission – Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) , first microscope installed in the UK.
  • Zeiss Merlin Field Emission – Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM), fitted with SE, inlens  AsB and EsB detectors, extremely high magnification and resolution (0.6 nm) with very low beam current.
  • Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX). Oxford Aztec fitted with 150 mm² X-MaxN detector
  • Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX). Oxford Aztec fitted with 80 mm² X-Max detector.
  • Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FT-IR). Spotlight 200i Microscope and Frontier UATR
  • Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS)
  • X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)
  • Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES)
  • Ion Chromatography
  • Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES)
  • MCS Perfect Edge™ and Perfect Edge 3D™ processing enabling deformation free micro-sectioning.
  • X-ray, Dage XiDat 6500 digital X-ray inspection
  • System level electrical testing. Agilent oscilloscopes and meters to support failure analysis
  • Component authenticity testing. Marking permanency, re-packing, die surface inspection (acid decap)
  • Environmental testing. Votsch environmental chambers for heat, humidity, thermal cycling, thermal shock
  • Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD)

GeminiSEM 450 MCS

Through our network of trusted partners, we can also offer seamless access to a wide range of complimentary materials analysis techniques.  Please ask if you have a specific requirement.

Mechanical Testing

Microelectronics Micro-mechanical Testing. Our DAGE 4000 multi-tester and Instron 5542 universal tester provide a range of offer wire bond pull, lead pull, die shear, joint shear and range of other micro-mechanical test facilities.

Buehler micro-hardness tool fitted with Knoop indenter. When testing materials, indentation hardness correlates linearly with tensile stress.

Sample Preparation Suite

A critical stage in sample preparation for failure analysis or microstructural characterisation, micro-section preparation lies at the heart of our sample preparation facilities. Delicate, difficult, thin, hard or very soft materials and structures can all be handled with bespoke routines.

We have a full suite of sample preparation equipment from Buehler including precision saws, encapsulation systems, rotary grinding and polishing to broad ion beam processing. Our latest development of Perfect  Edge™ and Perfect Edge 3D ™ processes provide the ability to prepare even the most challenging samples without deforming the sample. There is no mechanical contact with the sample using the Perfect Edge ™ technique which removes any ambiguity concerning whether sample defects found during analysis were originally there or caused by sample preparation.

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