Metallurgical Microscopes
The Metallurgical Microscope consists essentially of an optical system and an illumination system. The optical system, includes the eyepiece lens, relay system and the objective lens.
Typical applications are grain sizing, inclusion counts, layer thickness assessment and phase determination. Some models have special facilities such as darkfield and DIC which produce improved observation techniques for some classes of specimen.
All models have polarised light ability, a range of filters and a camera port for photography and image analysis; some upright models have both incident and transmitted light for more transparent materials.
There are three main types of metallurgical microscope:
- Upright Microscopes – where the objectives are above the specimen – this is the most commonly used type
- Inverted Microscopes - where the objectives are beneath the specimen, permitting larger specimens to be observed
- Semiconductor (upright and inverted) where the stage is especially large to accommodate whole wafers
The Illuminating System consists of a high intensity light source, condenser lenses, an aperture diaphragm, and a plane glass reflector. The Illuminating System may also include coloured or polarising filters. Green filters are often used to improve detail and polarising filters, to produce surface glare and to improve grain boundary definition.
The aperture diaphragm is used to control the amount of light entering the objective lens, and the field diaphragm is used to minimise internal glare within the microscope and to enhance contrast of various constituents in the specimen. The quality of objective lenses used in the microscope is perhaps the most critical in influencing image quality. Objective lenses should be properly matched to the eyepiece lens to obtain optimum quality images.
Magnifying power of both objective and eyepiece lenses is engraved on the lens mount. Total magnification of a microscope may be determined by finding the product of the eyepiece and objective lens magnification. For example: A 5X power eyepiece used in conjunction with an 40X objective lens gives a magnification of 200X. Maximum magnification of optical microscopes is limited to about 2000X. Higher magnification does not reveal greater detail and is called “empty magnification”. Contrary to popular opinion, high magnifying power does not necessarily reveal fine details. It is the numerical aperture, or light gathering ability of a lens which largely determines the ability to resolve fine detail.
Semiconductor Upright Microscopes
Kemet offer a wide range of high quality upright semiconductor microscopes for the examination of wafers from a range of major manufacturers. Semiconductor microscopes are characterised by having exceptionally large stages and ‘throat’ depth to accommodate whole wafers and the illumination system being mounted above the specimen stage so that light is directed through the objectives onto the wafer and then reflected back to the eyepieces.
The range includes very economically priced, robust, basic yet competent models equipped with 4 plan achromatic objectives. We also offer more advanced models with incident darkfield and DIC illumination which are excellent for viewing specimens with fine changes in relief especially grains and inclusions. All Semiconductor Upright Microscopes include polarised light and filters as standard.
Other common features include:
- Trinocular Heads ready for attaching cameras and image analysis
- Pair 10x widefield eyepieces (optional 15X available)
- Pair rubber eyeguards
- Adjustable interpupiliary Distance to comfortably accommodate every user
- Diopter adjustment making each microscope suitable for spectacle and on spectacle wearers alike
- Lever for the insertion of analysers/polarisers and for directing the image to the camera port
- Fully populated rotating filter wheels or filter slider bars
- Irises
- Adjustable lamp positions (not needed for LED).
- Adjustable intensity control
- LED and halogen illumination options with necessarily extremely bright lamps for darkfield equipped microscopes
- Plan achromatic infinity corrected objectives
- DIC option on some microscopes
- Metallurgical specimen holders with mechanical stages and drop side controls. Superfast free clutch system.
Metallurgical Inverted Microscopes
Kemet offer a wide range of high quality inverted metallurgical microscopes from a range of major manufacturers. Inverted microscopes are characterised by the illumination system being mounted beneath the specimen stage so that light is directed through the objectives onto the specimen and then reflected back to the eyepieces.
This permits almost any size of specimen to be placed onto the stage.
The range includes very economically priced, robust, basic yet competent models equipped with 4 plan achromatic objectives. We also offer more advanced models with incident darkfield illumination which are excellent for viewing specimens with fine changes in relief especially grains and inclusions.
All our microscopes include polarised light and filters as standard.
Other common features include:
- Trinocular Heads or binocular heads with a camera side port - ready for attaching cameras and image analysis
- Pair 10x widefield eyepieces (optional 15X available)
- Pair rubber eyeguards
- Adjustable interpupiliary Distance to comfortably accommodate every user
- Diopter adjustment making each microscope suitable for spectacle and on spectacle wearers alike
- Lever for the insertion of analysers/polarisers and for directing the image to the camera port
- Fully populated rotating filter wheels or filter slider bars
- Irises
- Adjustable lamp positions (not needed for LED).
- Adjustable intensity control
- LED and halogen illumination options with necessarily extremely bright lamps for darkfield equipped microscopes
- Plan achromatic infinity corrected objectives
- DIC option on some microscopes
- Metallurgical specimen holders with mechanical stages and drop side controls.
Metallurgical Upright Microscopes
Kemet offer a wide range of high quality upright metallurgical microscopes from a range of major manufacturers. Upright microscopes are characterised by the illumination system being mounted above the specimen stage so that light is directed through the objectives onto the specimen and then reflected back to the eyepieces.
These types of instruments are also commonly known as upright compound and upright materials microscopes.
The range includes very economically priced, robust, basic yet competent models equipped with 4 plan achromatic objectives. We also offer more advanced models with incident darkfield illumination which are excellent for viewing specimens with fine changes in relief especially grains and inclusions.
Upright microscopes can be offered on two types of stand, the conventional microscope stand and a pillar stand, the latter bringing superb flexibilty allowing much a greater of specimen sizes.
All our microscopes include polarised light and filters as standard.
Other common features include:
- Trinocular Heads ready for attaching cameras and image analysis
- Pair 10x widefield eyepieces (optional 15X available)
- Pair rubber eyeguards
- Adjustable interpupiliary Distance to comfortably accommodate every user
- Diopter adjustment making each microscope suitable for spectacle and on spectacle wearers alike
- Lever for the insertion of analysers/polarisers and for directing the image to the camera port
- Fully populated rotating filter wheels or filter slider bars
- Irises
- Adjustable lamp positions (not needed for LED).
- Adjustable intensity control
- LED and halogen illumination options with necessarily extremely bright lamps for darkfield equipped microscopes
- Plan achromatic infinity corrected objectives
- DIC option on some microscopes
- Metallurgical specimen holders with mechanical stages and drop side controls.
- Some models can have transmitted light as well as incident light for complete versatility
