November 2007, page 68

Rapid curing adhesive

Master Bond's EP30-4 is a transparent, low-viscosity, fast-curing adhesive sealant and coating. When this polymer adhesive is spread in films as thin as 0.025 inch, it will become tack free in as few as 30 minutes, making it ideal for use as a conformal coating when heating the components or substrate is not possible. The two-component EP30-4 epoxy offers high spectral transmission in thin sections and superior nonyellowing properties and produces rigid bonds with tensile strength greater than 10 500 psi and bond shear strength exceeding 2000 psi. The epoxy's excellent electrical insulation properties include a dielectric constant of 4.3 and a dissipation factor of 0.022—both at 100 Hz— and a volume resistivity greater than 10¹⁶ ohm-cm. EP30-4 bonds are highly resistant to many chemicals over the temperature range of –50 °C to 120 °C. Master Bond Inc, 154 Hobart Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601, http://www.masterbond.com

Enhanced silver coatings

Princeton Instruments is offering Acton Optics' enhanced silver coatings that protect diamond-turned optics from scratches and corrosion. The coatings provide high performance in visible and IR wavelengths simultaneously and are a superior choice for highest reflectivity from 500 nm to 2 µm. The excellent reflectance and durability can easily be extended out to 20 µm and beyond. The longevity of the silver mirror is maximized by the precise deposition of proprietary binder layers that offer superior adhesion and lifetimes and dielectric overcoat layers carefully selected based on substrate choice and end-user application. The mirrors can be cleaned at the point of use, even in the harshest environments. The silver coatings exceed the requirements of MIL-M-13508 and pass the saltwater immersion test of MIL-F-48616. Princeton Instruments Inc, 3660 Quakerbridge Road, Trenton, NJ 08619, http://www.piacton.com

Localized thermal analysis

Anasys Instruments has released VESTA, said to be the first standalone solution for localized thermal analysis measurements on heterogeneous samples at the micrometer scale. The new instrument provides users with point-and-click technology to perform localized thermomechanical analysis on the features of interest with one of the company's customized heated probes, which have end radii of 30 nm up to 5 µm. The probes enable the instrument to interrogate sample volumes from a few cubic micrometers to tens of cubic nanometers with masses of a few micrograms down to as small as a few picograms. VESTA enables materials characterization through the study of glass-transition and melting temperatures of only the identified feature while the rest of the sample is unperturbed. Anasys Instruments, 3944 State Street, Suite 345, Santa Barbara, CA 93105, http://www.anasysinstruments.com

Polymer film

Goodfellow Corp has introduced ultrathin amorphous PEEK (polyetheretherketone) film that combines the high-performance characteristics of PEEK with a versatile film format of 0.006-mm thickness. PEEK film offers space and weight advantages with no loss of mechanical integrity. The thermoplastic is strong, stiff, and hard; it has high-temperature resistance, good chemical resistance, exceptional durability and scratch resistance, and inherently low flammability and smoke emission. It also has good resistance to wear, dynamic fatigue, and radiation. PEEK film is easy to process and can be thermoformed, laminated without the use of adhesive, and heat sealed. In addition to amorphous film, a range of semicrystalline PEEK films are available, as are filled grades, including those designed for bearing-type applications. Goodfellow Corporation, 305 High Tech Drive, Oakdale, PA 15071-3911, http://www.goodfellow.com

Opaque sample imaging

JPK Instruments has announced the BioMAT Workstation that enables the combination of upright microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) on the same sample spot—even on opaque samples. The technique is useful for investigating nanostructured materials and biomaterials. The composition or chemical information from optical fluorescence or spectroscopy complements the capabilities of AFM. The extensive choice of optical microscope setups means that a wide range of optical contrast methods and even confocal laser scanning and Raman mapping is possible. To those setups, JPK adds its NanoWizard AFM system for high-resolution nanoimaging, elasticity and adhesion measurements, and nanomanipulation and lithography. It is now possible to make measurements in liquids with dipping lenses and AFM on the same sample area. JPK Instruments AG, Bouchéstrasse 12, Haus 2, Aufgang C, 12435 Berlin, Germany, http://www.jpk.com

LPCVD coating process

Deposition Sciences has used its IsoDyn LPCVD (low pressure chemical vapor deposition) process for coating almost all types of optical glass, including ball lenses, crystalline materials, ceramics, and metals. LPCVD is a high-temperature—approximately 500 °C—process that features uniform coatings on inside and outside surfaces, deposited over the entire contour of an irregularly shaped optic, in a single-pass operation. The application method is a thermally driven, organometallic configuration that deposits multilayers of silicon dioxide, tantalum oxide, and titanium dioxide, as needed. The company's process is capable of manufacturing complex filters that provide coatings with service temperatures as high as 700 °C, are resistant to thermal shock, and can be deposited on optics as small as 0.3 mm. Deposition Sciences Inc, 3300 Coffey Lane, Santa Rosa, CA 95403, http://www.depsci.com

Surface profiling system

The Wyko SP9900 from Veeco Instruments is a surface profiling system, part of a next-generation optical metrology system for semiconductor packaging inspection. The SP9900 monitors critical parameters in multilayer organic panels manufactured for flip-chip pin-grid array and flip-chip ball-grid array packages. The new tool enhances the performance of the Wyko SP family, delivering faster measurements and providing increased sample access and the ability to measure panel sizes up to 600 mm × 600 mm. Measurements include critical dimensions, trace heights, via depths, and roughness of the layers in laminate packages. The unit also provides analysis of solder bump arrays. A new dual-illumination-source interferometric method delivers sub-angstrom resolution for surface-height determinations. Veeco Instruments Inc, 100 Sunnyside Boulevard, Suite B, Woodbury, NY 11797, http://www.veeco.com

Silicone materials

NuSil Technology has developed a new product line of ultralow outgassing, controlled volatility, silicone-based materials for the aerospace industry, which has used silicone adhesives and coatings because of their ability to retain elasticity and low modulus over the broad temperature range –130 °C to 260 °C. Since an optical telescope, for example, is sensitive to contamination of any kind, it is imperative that the lowest possible outgassing material be used in a spacecraft. NASA and the European Space Agency recommend that low outgassing materials should meet the specifications of a maximum allowable total mass loss of 1.0% and collected volatile condensable material of 0.1%. NuSil's ultralow outgassing materials go beyond those specifications by an order of magnitude. NuSil Technology LLC, 1050 Cindy Lane, Carpinteria, CA 93013, http://www.nusil.com

Nonconductive sample imaging

Carl Zeiss SMT has introduced the ULTRA plus scanning electron microscope with unique technology for charge compensation of nonconductive samples. High-resolution, stable, and noise-free images can now be obtained from materials such as ceramics, polymers, and fiber optics, even at high-acceleration voltage and high-probe current. A proprietary gas-injection system allows a local flush application of an inert gas, thereby neutralizing the electrostatic charging of samples and making feasible the detection of secondary and backscattered electrons. The ULTRA plus incorporates an in-lens secondary electron detector, an in-lens energy-selective backscattered detector, a detector for low-angle electrons that reveals orientation contrast, and a detector for topographical contrast. Carl Zeiss SMT Inc, One Corporation Way, Peabody, MA 01960, http://www.smt.zeiss.com

Precious-metal clad wire

Metallurgically bonded, precious-metal clad wire and ribbon from Anomet Products are a cost-effective alternative to solid products for manufacturing high-reliability connectors and components for aerospace, electronic, and medical applications. The cladding can include platinum for oxidation and corrosion resistance and biocompatibility, gold for contact resistance, and palladium or silver. The precious metals can each be clad to core materials such as copper, Kovar, niobium, nickel–iron, molybdenum, stainless steel, tantalum, and titanium. The precious-metal clad wire and ribbon provide greater ductility and formability than filled or plated products. They are offered in 0.05–3.2 mm o.d. (wire) and up to 25 mm wide (ribbon), with 2% or more cladding thickness, depending on the desired properties. Anomet Products Inc, 830 Boston Turnpike Road, Shrewsbury, MA 01545, http://www.anometproducts.com

X-ray crystallography

Rigaku Americas Corp has announced the Saturn 944+ and Saturn 724+ CCD-based area x-ray detectors, optimized for macromolecular and small molecule x-ray crystallography, respectively. Compared with the previous generation of CCD-based x-ray detectors, the new units deliver extremely high readout speeds (up to 8 MHz total) without any significant increase in read noise and with greater dynamic range. Both detectors use the advanced Kodak KAF-4320E CCD sensor that incorporates transparent indium oxide technology for superior sensitivity. The full-frame CCD sensor uses proprietary two-phase architecture with large pixels for wide dynamic range. The Saturn 944+ has a 94-mm × 94-mm (133-mm diagonal) image area; the Saturn 724+ features a 72-mm × 72-mm (102-mm diagonal) image area. Rigaku Americas Corporation, 9009 New Trails Drive, The Woodlands, TX 77381-5209, http://www.rigaku.com

New literature

The OMEGAMATION New Horizons in Automation from Omega Engineering has more than 270 color pages that offer a complete line of automation products, including sensors, programmable logic controllers, power products, process measurement and control devices, human–machine interface, and motion systems. Omega Engineering Inc, One Omega Drive, Stamford, CT 06907-0047, http://www.omega.com