Features of the Helios include:
• Schottky field emission gun as source of electrons
• Special final lens with an integral electron detector for very low voltage back scattered electron imaging.
• has an ion column to allow micro-machining of samples.
Ions are positively charged atoms with one or more of their electrons missing. They behave somewhat like electrons but have over 100,000 times the mass. This allows a high energy ion beam to cut and shape materials on a microscopic scale to make, for example, TEM samples.
• By injecting organic metal compounds into the ion beam it is possible to deposit metals on the sample surface to mark out areas for ion beam milling or to make electrical connections.