Thermo Launches Instrument for Rapid and Accurate Chemical Characterization of Surfaces

Thermo Electron Corporation announces the launch of its groundbreaking Materials Characterization instrument, K-Alpha.

Utilizing the fast growing technique of X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), K-Alpha can quantitatively determine the surface chemical composition of the top few nanometers of solid materials. Insulators, semiconductors and metals can all be analyzed in a user-friendly, reliable and automated fashion. This revolutionary new system is specifically targeted for high-throughput sample analysis and incorporates ingenious data processing algorithms offering full automation from acquisition to data interpretation and reporting. This novel instrument will be showcased on Thermo’s booth #1516 at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2006, Festival Hall at Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois, July 30-August 3.

The innovative new electron optics deliver high sensitivity, permitting insight into the most complex surface chemistries in both traditional materials and emerging biotech, nanotech and pharmaceutical industries. K-Alpha's small spot capability, combined with its high sensitivity, enables rapid, chemical-state image acquisition. An integral ion source provides a high-resolution depth profiling capability, thus facilitating true 3-dimensional analysis.

The compact footprint and built-in system calibration features deliver a level of robustness and a low cost of ownership now synonymous with analytical products from Thermo.