Elemental Analysis
In many applications e.g. the strength of steel or the light output of LED's, it is important to use raw materials with the right composition. Variation in amounts of O, N, H, C and S can have substantial influence on the properties of the product. Using an elemental analyser these elements can be quantitatively determined in solid materials and liquids.
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Inductively Coupled Plasma- Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)
Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) is a very sensitive analytical technique with a high linear dynamic range (ultra-trace to main components). It is capable of analysis of all elements from Li to U and can be applied to solutions, solids and gasses. In ICP-MS sampled material is transferred by an argon flow to an inductively coupled plasma in which an effective temperature of 8000 K results in atomisation and ionisation of the material. Subsequently, the ions are extracted into a mass spectrometer, with which the elemental composition of the material is determined.
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Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES)
Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) is one of the most common techniques for elemental analysis. Its high specificity, multi-element capability and good detection limits result in the use of the technique in a large variety of applications. All kinds of dissolved samples can be analyzed, varying from solutions containing high salt concentrations to diluted acids. When calibrated against standards the technique provides a quantitative analysis of the original sample.
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Glass note
Glass is a valued base material for many products, ranging from optical fibres to light bulbs. The reason for this universal usage can be found in its outstanding physical-chemical properties. MiPlaza Materials Analysis supports glass development, production and recycling with a wide variety of analytical tools and a substantial expertise in glass.
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Permeability of polymer sheet materials
Numerous applications of polymers are critically dependent on the rate at which various molecular species permeate. MiPlaza Materials Analysis has developed an experimental set-up to measure the water vapor transmission rate of thin polymer sheets in a simple and effective way. Using different detectors, the permeability of polymer sheets for many other gases and vapours can be measured as well.
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Spectroscopic Ellipsometry
Ellipsometry is a powerful analytical tool in the characterisation of thin films in many applications, including semiconductors, dielectrics, metals and polymers. It is a non-contact, non-destructive optical technique, which measures the polarization change of reflected light after interaction with a layer. This change in polarisation is related to thin film properties like thickness and refractive index.
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Thermal Analysis (TA)
When a material is heated its structural and chemical composition can undergo changes such as fusion, melting, crystallization, oxidation, decomposition, reaction, transition, expansion and sintering. Using Thermal Analysis such changes can be monitored in every atmosphere of interest. The obtained information is very useful in both quality control and problem solving.
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Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES)
is one of the most common techniques for elemental analysis. Its high specificity, multi-element capability and good detection limits result in the use of the technique in a large variety of applications. All kinds of dissolved samples can be analyzed, varying from solutions containing high salt concentrations to diluted acids.
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Inductively Coupled Plasma- Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)
is a very sensitive analytical technique with a high linear dynamic range (ultra-trace to main components). It is capable of analysis of all elements from Li to U and can be applied to solutions, solids and gasses. 
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X- Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF)
is a well-established analytical technique for the determination of the elemental composition of solid materials in bulk or thin film form. Its speed, reliability and accuracy make it extremely useful for process development/control and process optimization.
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Ion Chromatography (IC)
is an HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) tecnhnique that involves the separation of ions in an aqueous solution using a special ion-exchange column. Both inorganic and organic ions can be analysed. The technique delivers a quick, quantitative and sensitive overview of groups of ions.
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Laser Ablation ICP-MS
Using a laser small amounts of material are removed from a sample. By an inert gas flow this material is transported to an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), in which an effective temperature of 7000 K results in atomization and ionization of the sampled material. Subsequently, the ions are extracted into a quadrupole mass spectrometer, with which the elemental composition of the material is determined.
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Infrared Spectroscopic Imaging
Chemical imaging is a powerful technique that yields spatially resolved chemical information about a surface. This allows for identifying small particles, layered structures and other inhomogeneous materials. The technique combines a Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) instrument with a microscope. A two-dimensional array of detectors allows for parallel acquisition of a large number of IR spectra, yielding short measurement times. The resulting chemical images display the spatial distribution of intensities of preselected IR frequencies.
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High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)
High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) enables the dissection of complex mixtures into individual constituents. The combination with mass spectrometry (MS) allows to characterize complex mixtures of a variety of compounds in a single analysis..
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Gas Chromatography -Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)
"Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry is a versatile tool to separate, quantify and identify unknown (volatile) organic compounds and permanent gases. By combining sensitivity and a high resolving power, complex mixtures can be analyzed. The information obtained can be used for detection of impurities, contamination control and improvement of, for example, semiconductor manufacturing processes."
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Infrared spectroscopy (IR)
Infrared (IR) spectroscopy is used to obtain information on the molecular structure of virtual all type of samples in any physical state (solid, liquid or gas). The technique is wide spread and is applied in the polymer, pharmaceutical, medical and chemical industry. The infrared spectrum is related to the vibrations of molecules and is unique for each compound, like a fingerprint for a person. Using an IR microscope samples with dimensions down to 10 µm can be measured with little or no sample preparation.
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Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
NMR spectroscopy is a flexible non-destructive analytical technique that gives access to numerous chemical and physical properties of materials. Sampled material is placed in a magnetic field and subjected to a broad spectrum of radio frequency waves (10 – 900 MHz). From this spectrum narrow lines are absorbed by atomic nuclei. These absorption bands are recorded as signals in the NMR spectrum. A well-known application of NMR is Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which is used for medical diagnostics.Typical applications in material sciences are quantitation and molecular characterization of main chemical components and/or contaminants. More sophisticated applications are complete molecular structure elucidation, assessment of (polymerization) reaction kinetics, and determination of diffusion constants.
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Raman Spectroscopy
Material analysis in complete devices can be difficult to perform, as direct contact with the material of interest may not be possible. In such a situation, Raman spectroscopy is a realistic option. This technique is based on the fact that energy lost during the scattering of laser light contains chemical information about the irradiated material. Because water and glass result in little inelastic scatter, analysis can be performed in aqueous solutions or through glass windows. The latter characteristic makes the technique very suitable for on-line, non-destructive analysis.
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Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM)
Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) provides information on the nanometer scale. Using a very sharp tip, height profiles can be measured with a resolution better than 1 nm. Measurements can be performed in an inert atmosphere, at elevated temperatures and even in liquids such as water. Beyond height information, SPM offers the possibility to study mechanical properties as well as electrical and magnetic behaviour of materials. Attaching functional groups to the sharp tip even allows imaging of chemical and biological interactions on a nanometer scale.
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X-ray Diffraction (XRD)
X-rays are electromagnetic waves with a wavelength in the range of interatomic distances (0.1-10 Å).This match of length scales makes them suitable for the study of crystalline materials. For single-phase materials the crystal structure can be obtained directly using X-Ray diffraction (XRD). With the help of a database of known structures XRD can be used for phase identification. Also crystal size, strain and preferred orientation of polycrystalline materials can be measured.The related technique of X-ray reflection enables accurate determination of film thickness.
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Particle size characterization
Particle size is an important parameter for many industrial processes. The chemical, optical and mechanical properties, the mixing behavior and the bio-distribution of many raw materials and end-products are affected by the size and shape (distribution) of the particles they consist of. Therefore, monitoring particle dimensions is an important step in product optimization. MiPlaza offers a full portfolio of particle size measurement techniques, covering a range of more than six orders of magnitude.
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Mechanical testing
Mechanical testing incorporates the measurement of the material's mechanical response to an applied force or displacement. Our large portfolio of testing facilities enables determination of many mechanical properties. Depending on the information required, dedicated tests can be performed. Numerous projects in- and outside Philips are supplied with mechanical data that are used as input for modeling activities, materials selection, problem solving, and virtual prototyping.
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Materialography by optical microscopy
The properties of materials such as plastics, glass, ceramics and metals as well as interconnects of these materials are important for their correct functionality. Optical microscopy is a powerful technique to study properties like structure, grain size and layer thickness. Generally such studies are performed in cross-section. Correct cross-section sample preparation is the key factor to obtain valuable information on these materials.
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Focused Ion Beam (FIB)
A Focused Ion Beam (FIB) makes use of Ga-ions to remove material with a very high spatial precision. In this way cross-sections can be made on a specific location. The resulting samples can either be studied directly in the FIB or they can be transferred to a SEM or TEM for more detailed analysis. When both Ga-ions and certain gases are applied, it is also possible to deposit material. Therefore, the FIB can be used as a multifunctional tool in a broad range of applications.
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Rutherford Backscattering
RBS is a well-established technique in thin film characterisation in which a beam of high energy (2 MeV) helium ions is directed at a sample.The helium ions elastically scattered by nuclei in the sample are detected. The higher the mass of an atom that is hit by a helium ion, the higher the energy of the ion will be after backscattering (comparable to collisions between billiard balls). This results in mass discrimination. By counting the helium ions as a function of energy, the number of atoms of each element present can be determined.
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Scanning Auger Microscopy (SAM/AES)
Scanning Auger Microscopy (SAM or Auger Electron Spectroscopy, AES) is an analytical technique that is used to determine the elemental composition of the top few nanometers of all kinds of solid, electrically conductive materials.
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Scanning Electron Microscopy /
Electron Probe X-ray Microanalysis (SEM/EPMA)
Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is a well-known and very popular imaging technique, making use of the emission of electrons from a surface when irradiated by a scanning electron beam.The information in the images is based on either topography or composition.The X-rays that are emitted as a result of the electron irradiation provide quantitative information on the local chemical composition.
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Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry
Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) is a technique that is very suitable for molecular surface analysis, metal trace determination on surfaces, surface imaging and depth profiling. SIMS can be operated in static and dynamic mode. Static SIMS is a surface analysis technique, which is capable of giving detailed information about the chemical composition of the uppermost monolayer.
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Transmission Electron Microscopy
Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) is a well known technique for imaging solid materials at atomic resolution. Structural information can be acquired both by (high resolution) imaging as well as by electron diffraction. Additional detectors allow for elemental and chemical analysis down to this sub-nanometer scale.
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X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS/ESCA)
XPS (X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy) or ESCA (Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis) is based on the principle that X-rays hitting atoms generate photoelectrons. It is a typical example of a surface-sensitive technique. Only electrons that are generated in the top few atomic layers are detected. In this way quantitative information can be obtained about the elemental composition of the surface of all kinds of solid material (insulators, conductors, polymers). An important strength of XPS is that it provides both elemental and chemical information.
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X-ray inspection
fast and non-destructive imaging of non-translucent samples
Real time X-ray inspection is a commonly used technique for non-destructive investigations of non-translucent samples. The system contains a microfocus X-ray tube with a small focal spot, allowing for high-resolution imaging. A CCD camera in combination with dedicated software enables digital image acquisition and detailed structural analysis within a timeframe of only a few minutes.
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