Mosaic Field of View SEM

Mosaic Field of View SEM

What is Mosaic Field of View SEM Imaging?

Mosaic Field of View (MFV) SEM imaging is a technique that bridges the resolution gap between XRM MicroCT (mm-cm studied sample size) and FIB-SEM (10-50 micron studied sample size). Also known as Maps (Thermo Fisher) and Atlas (Zeiss), MFV-SEM delivers a “google earth” visualization to the microstructures of your sample. The MFV-SEM method uses optionally an argon milling beam to polish a smooth surface (external or cleaved cross-section), visualizing microporosity, fractures, particles, and phase interfaces at both nanometer resolution and millimeter to centimeter field of view. 

Mosaic Field of View SEM imaging is a powerful technique bridging XRM and FIB-SEM to ensure sample representativeness at the right resolution. 

In the video above, we show a MFV-SEM image collected on a sandstone sample after argon mill polishing. A total of 35,000 by 27,000 pixels was stitched from a few hundred SEM tiles at a 100 nm resolution. Within DigiM I2S software, the supervised machine learning module segmented the large image into different phases to quantify porosity and mineral grains.  

Benefits and Challenges

Advantages

  • Large field of view of millimeter to centimeter and nanometer in resolution
  • Argon mill to prepare an artifact-free surface
  • EDS chemical characterization can be used in conjunction
  • Bridging technology between XRM and FIB-SEM
  • Full support of online visualization, AI segmentation, quantification, sharing, and storage through I2S software

Limitations

  • 2D technique
  • Large dataset (for example: 25,000 x 25,000 pixels) that cannot be easily viewed without cloud computing
  • Destructive technique that requires vacuum during imaging; thus, limiting samples to solids