SII NanoTechnology Develops Custom SDD for Nanotechnology Characterization Applications

SII NanoTechnology Inc. (SIINT) recently created a custom silicon drift detector (SDD) with a larger solid angle for use in nanotechnology characterization. The solid angle was improved by a factor of 20, resulting in significant improvement in the overall count rate capability.

"We are constantly striving to improve our SDD products," says Gordon Myers, SIINT Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "SII NanoTechnology is committed researching nanotechnology and developing X-ray and XRF solutions that are straightforward, inventive and cost-saving."

The characterization of nanoscale materials at high spatial resolution has become increasingly important in state-of-the-art materials research. Instruments such as Argonne National Laboratory's (ANL) sub-angstrom electron-optical instrument and the X-ray Nanoprobe are capable of extraordinary spatial resolution to study these materials.

SII NanoTechnology USA Inc. customized a 50 mm2 SDD with a larger solid angle, designing and assembling into a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at the Electron Microscopy Center at ANL. Compared to a traditional 50 mm2 Si(Li) detector, the new large solid angle SDD spectrometer increased throughput with excellent energy resolution at short peaking times.

"SII NanoTechnology is proud to be an industry leader in scientific instrument development," states Myers. "We will continue explore nanotechnology and look forward to developing more equipment for applications such as x-ray spectroscopy and x-ray fluorescence measurements."

Source: http://www.siintusa.com/