Hitachi TM4000 II Benchtop SEM

Easily image and analyze any sample in minutes

The new TM4000 II benchtop SEM from Hitachi makes advanced electron microscopy quick and easy for any user. High resolution, high contrast, large depth-of-focus imaging, and rapid identification of chemical element distribution are achieved with minimal sample preparation time.

Key Capabilities

• High-resolution imaging with magnification from 25x to 250,000x
• Quickly optimize your results with probe current control and voltage control (up to 20kV)
• Observe clear topographical contrast with the dedicated Secondary Electron (SE) detector
• Rapidly identify compositional variation in your specimen with the Backscatter Electron (BSE) detector
• Eliminate charging problems on electrically insulating specimens by switching vacuum mode with a single click
• Examine large or multiple specimens thanks to the large stage and chamber (samples up to 80mm in diameter and 50mm in height)
• Quickly navigate your sample with the integrated navigation camera and motorized stage ^*
• Get deeper chemical insights with the x-ray microanalysis (EDX) capability (option), including fast mapping ^*
• Automate your microscopy and data analysis with options for multi-field acquisition and automated particle and phase analysis ^*
• Obtain quantitative surface metrology data directly in the SEM ^*
• Add advanced detection capabilities like STEM or Cathodoluminescence ^*
• Observe dynamic experiments in-situ with tensile or compression, heating, cooling, electrical probing, and nanoindentation sub-stages ^*

^{* Options}

Flexible Imaging Made Easy

The TM4000 keeps usability and time-to-date at its heart, but this is not at the expense of the flexibility you need to truly understand your sample. Choose between SE (surface contrast) and BSE (compositional contrast) on both conductive and insulating samples without prior sample preparation. Both SE and BSE detectors can be viewed simultaneously (separately or mixed) as well as in low vacuum mode. The ability to select appropriate probe current and acceleration voltage helps to ensure the best results.

Left: Chemical contrast (BSE) Middle: Topography (SE) Right: Mixed SE/BSE image

Fast Navigation

Quickly find your way around your specimen with a fully integrated optical navigation camera. Easily overlay and correlate your SEM and optical images so you know exactly where you are and what you’ve done at all times.

The left side shows an SE image of the inside of a watch,  bottom right shows the optical image with overlayed SEM images from areas that have been imaged

High-Performance EDS for Advanced Elemental Analysis

The integrated x-ray microanalysis (EDS) system from leading suppliers like Oxford Instruments or Bruker ensures fast and accurate elemental analysis with advanced features not found on other benchtop SEMs. Live peak deconvolution ensures that spectral line overlaps are removed to provide true elemental distribution and avoid accidental misinterpretation.

Line overlap with W and Si peaks in the spectra on the right By using peak deconvolution it is possible to see which grains actually contain W

Automate you Particle, Fiber, or Chemical Analysis

Improve your statistics and eliminate time-consuming work by adding our powerful modules to automate your particle, fiber, or matrix analysis (a capability normally associated only with full-size SEMs). Fully automated acquisition and analysis in the TM4000 enables size, morphology, and chemical composition to be quickly characterized, even across thousands or millions of features. This capability can be critical in characterizing materials including:

• Electrospun fibers
• Metal powders for additive manufacturing
• Technical cleanliness (to VDA19 / ISO16232 standards)
• Steel cleanliness (to ISO4967 standard)
• Asbestos analysis (to VDI 3492 / ISO14966 standards)
• Mineral phase identification, liberation, and characterization

Left: Automatic particle detection Right: Particle size distribution

Mineral particle identification and characterization using Bruker AMICS
Left:BSE image   Middle:Identified particles   Right:Mineral classification

Automated fiber thickness measurement

Examine Wide Areas Automatically

Modules for fully-automated wide-area acquisition and stitching (including imaging and chemical analysis) mean you can get all the high-resolution data you need, even over large length scales.

Geological thin section stitched using 3x3 images to cover a 6x5 mm area

Quantitative Surface Metrology

Understand your material surfaces in detail with integrated, tilt-free 3D surface modeling and metrology. Measure surface parameters such as depth, angle, or roughness, including 3D surface textures described in ISO 25178.

3D Surface roughness of a worn metal surface

Cathodoluminescence Detector

The integrated cathodoluminescence detector can detect light emitted from a range of semiconductor, geological and pharmaceutical materials in response to electron beam irradiation. This can be a powerful tool in locating active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) in pharma samples or to undertake geological studies including crystal zonation and growth history.

 Sample: Coarse-grained Syenite with zonation in the alkali feldspar
Left: CL image  Middle: BSE image  Right: Mixed CL and BSE
Small variations in Ca and Na content create CL contrast, hardly visible in the BSE image

 SE, BSE and CL images of a pharmaceutical powder

Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM)

Electron transparent samples such as biological sections or nanoparticles can be imaged with high contrast and surprising ease compared to conventional SEM and TEM. For example, the TM4000 can be used for sample screening prior to full TEM examination, high-throughput imaging of pigments in polymers, or for graphene flake size analysis. 

Mouse kidney	Mouse liver

In-Situ Testing

There are numerous options and accessories to enable in-situ experiments in the TM4000. In situ stages for tilting, rotation, sample manipulation, electrical probing, tensile or compression testing, fatigue testing, nanoindentation, heating, cooling, etc

Example of tensile testing in the SEM, in this case of a leather sample.
Video showing a Deben tensile test option