ZEISS GeminiSEM

For the Highest Demands in Imaging and Analytics from Any Sample

The GeminiSEM family stands for effortless imaging with sub-nanometer resolution and high detection efficiency, even in variable pressure mode. Rely on surface sensitive imaging and analytics and profit from the highest sample flexibility. Choose a flexible and reliable field emission scanning elctron microscope (FESEM) for your research in materials science or life sciences, your industrial lab or in an imaging facility.

With the GeminiSEM family you will always get excellent images and reliable analyses from any real-world sample.

GeminiSEM 500 brings you more signal and more detail, especially at very low voltages. Its variable pressure mode makes you feel like you’re working in high vacuum.
GeminiSEM 450 is your specialist for speed and surface sensitivity. Profit from ease-of-use by design and flexibility for imaging and analytics.
GeminiSEM 300 lets you experience high resolution and high contrast even on extremely large fields of view. Especially, but not solely, liked by novice users at high or low vacuum.

The Family

Image any of your samples effortlessly at sub-nanometer resolution and high detection efficiency. Rely on surface sensitive analysis. Capitalize on variable pressure. Profit from the highest sample flexibility.

More Signal and More Detail

GeminiSEM 500 brings you more signal and more detail, especially at very low voltages for any sample. Acquire crisp images fast and with minimum sample damage.

Acquire crisp images fast and with minimum sample damage thanks to significantly increased Inlens detection signal.
Resolve nanoscale details with high resolution and contrast at low voltages and profit from perfect image quality, without requiring sample bias.
At 500 V you can resolve 1.0 nm with perfect image quality, without requiring beam deceleration.
Apply beam deceleration, Tandem decel, and achieve even up to 0.8 nm at 1 kV.
The new variable pressure mode, NanoVP, makes you feel like you’re working in high vacuum.

Speed and Surface Sensitivity for Both Imaging and Analytics

GeminiSEM 450 is your specialist for speed and surface sensitivity in imaging and analytics. Achieve spatial resolution during EDS or EBSD experiments easy and fast.

Take advantage of high resolution and surface sensitivity for your EDS or EBSD analysis, especially when working with low voltages.
Image large areas of your sample fast and with excellent quality
Profit from the optical design: you do not lose time in complicated realignments as you work.
Investigate non-conductive, or magnetic or any kind of sample: Work in high vacuum or variable pressure - no need for compromise either, whether on the speed or the quality of your images and analyses.

Imaging Flexibility

GeminiSEM 300 lets you experience high resolution and high contrast even on extremely large fields of view. Especially, but not solely, liked by for novice users at high or low vacuum

Image large fields of view with excellent image quality and fast-time-to-image.
Count on efficient detection, excellent resolution and distortion-free, large area images.
Profit from the novel optical design’s high gun resolution mode that is tailored to low voltage imaging even for challenging samples, such as beam-sensitive or magnetic materials.
Characterize your sample comprehensively: obtain unique low voltage, material contrast with the energy selective backscatter detector.
Utilize the NanoVP mode: Image non-conductive specimens at high resolution with excellent surface sensitivity with the Inlens SE detector at higher pressures.

Essential Specifications	ZEISS GeminiSEM 500	ZEISS GeminiSEM 450	ZEISS GeminiSEM 300
	Thermal field emission type, stability better than 0.2 %/h
Acceleration Voltage		0.02 - 30 kV
Probe Current	3 pA - 20 nA	3 pA - 40 nA	3 pA - 20 nA
Probe Current	(100 nA configuration also available)	(100 nA or 300 nA configuration also available)	(100 nA configuration also available)
Store Resolution		Up to 32k × 24k pixels
Magnification	50 – 2,000,000	12 – 2,000,000	12 – 2,000,000
Detectors available in basic configuration		Inlens Secondary Electron detector
		Everhart Thornley Secondary Electron detector
		High efficiency VPSE detector (included in variable pressure option)
Selected Options		Inlens Energy selected Backscatter detector (EsB)
	-	Angular selective backscattered detector	Angular selective backscattered detector
		Annular STEM detector (aSTEM 4)
		EDS Detector (energy dispersive spectroscopy)
		EBSD Detector (electron backscatter diffraction) Investigation of crystalline orientation
		NanoVP
		Local Charge Compensation
		Additional stage options available on request

The Technology Behind ZEISS GeminiSEM

Gemini Electron Optics

Gemini Basics
Schematic cross section of Gemini optical column.

The Gemini optical column consists a beam booster, Inlens detectors and a Gemini objective

The Gemini optical column consists a beam booster, Inlens detectors and a Gemini objective

Gemini 1 - What You Always Wanted to Know about the Basics

Field emission SEMs are designed for high resolution imaging. Key to the performance of a field emission SEM is its electron optical column. Gemini is tailored for excellent resolution on any sample, especially at low accelerating voltages, for complete and efficient detection, and ease-of-use.

Gemini optics is characterized by three main components:

The Gemini objective lens design combines electrostatic and magnetic fields to maximize optical performance while reducing field influences at the sample to a minimum. This enables excellent imaging, even on challenging samples such as magnetic materials.

Gemini beam booster technology, an integrated beam deceleration, guarantees small probe sizes and high signal-to-noise ratios.

The Gemini Inlens detection concept ensures efficient signal detection by detecting secondary (SE) and backscattered (BSE) electrons in parallel minimizing time-to-image.

For your applications benefit from:

Long-term stability of the SEM alignment and the effortless way it adjusts all system parameters such as probe current and acceleration voltage.

Achieve distortion-free, high resolution imaging with the help of the near magnetic-field free optics.

Get information solely from the top-most layer of your samples with the Inlens SE detector that produces images out of the truly surface sensitive SE 1 electrons true.

Obtain true material contrast at very low voltages with the detection concept of the Inlens EsB detector.
Gemini 1 and its Novelties
Novel optical design of Gemini column with Nano-twin lens and high resolution gun mode.

GeminiSEM 300 and GeminiSEM 500. High resolution gun mode, Tandem decel and Nano-twin lens as part of the novel optical design (highlighted). Nano-twin lens only available in GeminiSEM 500 (highlighted in red).

GeminiSEM 300 and GeminiSEM 500.
High resolution gun mode, Tandem decel and Nano-twin lens as part of the novel optical design (highlighted). Nano-twin lens only available in GeminiSEM 500 (highlighted in red).

Gemini 1 Novelties – the Development Goes on

Today’s SEM applications demand high resolution imaging at low landing energy as a standard.

It is essential for:

Beam sensitive samples

Non-conductive materials

Gaining true sample surface information without undesirable background signal from deeper sample layers

The novel Gemini optics are optimized for resolutions at low and very low voltages and for contrast enhancement. Technological characteristics are the high gun resolution mode, GeminiSEM 500’s Nano-twin lens and the optional Tandem decel.

The high gun resolution mode results in:

Minimized chromatic aberration thanks to of a reduction of primary energy width by 30%

Allows even smaller probe sizes

The Nano-twin lens delivers:

Better resolution at low and ultra-low voltages by optimizing the geometry and the electrostatic and magnetic field distributions

An enhanced Inlens detector signal under low voltage imaging conditions

Tandem decel lets you maximize high resolution imaging on suitable samples:

Tandem decel, a two-step deceleration mode, combines the beam booster technology with a high negative bias voltage that is applied to the sample: the electrons of the primary electron beam are decelerated, thus the landing energy is effectively reduced.

Use this to further improve resolution below 1 kV and boost the detection efficiency of backscattered diode detectors

Tandem decel optional sample biasing up to 5 kV further improves the excellent imaging capabilities at low voltages
Gemini 2
ZEISS GeminiSEM 450:

Gemini 2 column with double condenser, two Inlens detectors and NanoVP or local charge compensation

ZEISS GeminiSEM 450:
Gemini 2 column with double condenser, two Inlens detectors and NanoVP or local charge compensation

Capitalize on Gemini 2 Optics

A comprehensive characterization of any sample calls for performance in imaging and in analytics. Plus, today’s users expect the set up and handling of the instrument to be easy. The Gemini 2 optics answers these demands:

GeminiSEM 450 comes with Gemini 2 optics featuring a double condenser

Adjust the beam current continuously while the spot size stays optimized simultaneously

Switch seamlessly between high resolution imaging – at low beam currents – and analytical modes – at high beam currents

You save time and effort because there’s no need to realign the beam after changing imaging parameters

Stay flexible: use the highest beam current density for high resolution imaging and analysis at both low and high beam current, independently of which beam energy you select

Your specimen won’t exposed to a magnetic field: achieve a distortion-free EBSD patterns and high resolution imaging over a large field of view

Tilt the specimen without influencing the electron optical performance. Image even magnetic samples easily

Choose a charge reduction mode that suits your sample best: local charge compensation, variable pressure in the chamber or NanoVP
Variable Pressure
NanoVP:

Differential pumping aperture with insulating o-ring underneath the Gemini objective lens in the SEM chamber.

NanoVP: differential pumping aperture with insulating o-ring underneath the Gemini objective lens in the SEM chamber.

NanoVP – Get More Detail and Stay Flexible in Variable Pressure Mode

NanoVP technology offers the best way to reduce charging on non-conductive samples without compromising Inlens detection capabilities and resolution.

Reduce charging on non-conductive samples.

NanoVP technology reduces beam broadening and thus enables both imaging of high resolution details and true in-lens detection up to 150 Pa.

Hence, Inlens SE and EsB detectors can be used, even simultaneously, in VP mode for high resolution surface and materials contrast imaging.

Pressure can even be elevated up to 500 Pa using chamber VPSE detection for your most challenging samples.

Applications

Materials Science

Precursor material for functional surface, gold nanoparticles on polystyrene sphere, imaged: GeminiSEM 500 at 3 kV

Precursor material for functional surface, gold nanoparticles on polystyrene sphere,
imaged with GeminiSEM 500 at 3 kV.

Left: Inlens SE image, surface topography.
Right: EsB image, material contrast.
Sample: courtesy of N. Vogel, University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany.

Etched silicon nanostructures at 50 V, no sample biasing. Imaged with GeminiSEM 500
Sample: courtesy of A. Charai, Aix Marseille University, France.

Etched silicon nanostructures at 50 V, no sample biasing. Imaged with GeminiSEM 500

Sample: courtesy of A. Charai, Aix Marseille University, France.

Silica-supported Cobalt catalyst is characterized by means of high resolution imaging and EDS analysis at 25 kV using GeminiSEM 450 and Oxford Instruments Ultim Max 170 EDS detector.

Silica-supported Cobalt catalyst

Characterized by means of high resolution imaging and EDS analysis at 25 kV using GeminiSEM 450 and Oxford Ultimax 170 EDS detector. Cobalt nanoparticles of about 10 nm in size embedded in mesoporous silica are shown in high resolution, imaged with aSTEM detector overlayed with the EDS map. In the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, the 10 nm supported Co catalyst proved to be the most active and selective catalyst for hydrocarbon formation.

Metal foams like this open cell nickel foam are widely used as cathode substrate in batteries or super-capacitors.

Metal foams like this open cell nickel foam are widely used as cathode substrate in batteries or super-capacitors.

This highly topographic foam is characterized with large depth of focus (DOF) using the Inlens SE detector in a GeminiSEM 450 at 8 kV.

Fractured surface of a NdFeB magnet

Fractured surface of a NdFeB magnet

Overlay of the SE image at the top with a color-coded elemental map (pink: Neodymium, turquoise: Praseodymium, yellow: Iron, blue: Oxygen, gray: SEM image), collected with GeminiSEM 450 at 15 kV and Oxford Ultimax 170 EDS detector. (SE topography image above.)

$Investigation of the fractured surface of an NdFeB magnet (demagnetized) with GeminiSEM 450.$

Investigation of the fractured surface of an NdFeB magnet (demagnetized) with GeminiSEM 450.

$Investigation of the fractured surface of an NdFeB magnet (demagnetized) with GeminiSEM 450.$

Investigation of the fractured surface of an NdFeB magnet (demagnetized) with GeminiSEM 450

Image acquired using the annular Backscattered Detector (aBSD) in GeminiSEM 450 at 3 kV without bias, taking advantage of the 6-segmented aBSD detector having angle selective BSE detection. The BSEs with a high scattering angle contain compositional surface information and are detected by the inner ring of the aBSD detector. This results in images with high material contrast.

Lithium ion battery cathode shows no beam damage of sensitive binder material at 500 V

Lithium ion battery cathode shows no beam damage of sensitive binder material at 500 V

Sample: courtesy of T. Bernthaler, Materials Research Institute Aalen, Germany.

Lithium ion battery cathode. EDS compositional mapping shows main constituents of the different oxides

Lithium ion battery cathode. EDS compositional mapping shows main constituents of the different oxides

Sample: courtesy of T. Bernthaler, Materials Research Institute Aalen, Germany.
Life Sciences

Moth wing, Inlens SE detector, at 50 V, in high vacuum

Moth wing, Inlens SE detector, at 50 V, in high vacuum

No charging effect if ultra-low voltage like 50 V is applied.

Brain section, large field of view, imaged using 3View® in combination with GeminiSEM 300.

Brain section, large field of view

Imaged using 3View® in combination with GeminiSEM 300

Cilia, imaged with the BSD detector in GeminiSEM 450

Cilia, imaged with the BSD detector in GeminiSEM 450

Centrins are special proteins in the cilia of eurkaryotes. The centrin-rich region of the basal apparatus is clearly visible (arrow). The new BSD detector used here illustrates the smallest differences in heavy contrast.
Sample: courtesy of P. Purschke, University of Osnabrück. Germany.

Brain section, imaged without Tandem decel results in low contrast.

Brain section

Imaged without Tandem decel results in low contrast

Brain section, applying Tandem decel increases contrast

Brain section, applying Tandem decel increases contrast

T4-Phage, negative stained, imaged with a STEM detector

T4-Phage, negative stained, imaged with a STEM detector
Semiconductor / Electronics

Data storage, hard disk read head.
Left: Inlens SE detector. Right: Inlens EsB detector.

Data storage, hard disk read head

Left: Inlens SE detector. Right: Inlens EsB detector.

FinFET transistor, top view, 22 nm technology, 3 kV, pure BSE imaging using EsB, high material contrast.

FinFET transistor, top view, 22 nm technology

3 kV, pure BSE imaging using EsB, high material contrast.
Industry

The magnetic grains of a hard disk platter, a magnetic data storage medium, are only a few nanometers in scale, which affects the bit density and thus the data capacity of the hard disk.

The magnetic grains of a hard disk platter, a magnetic data storage medium, are only a few nanometers in scale, which affects the bit density and thus the data capacity of the hard disk.

The different gray levels of the grains are the effect of channeling contrast that provides information on how the nanocrystals are differently oriented. Image taken with the aBSD detector at 20 kV in GeminiSEM 450.

Metal foams like this open cell nickel foam are widely used as cathode substrate in batteries or super-capacitors.

Metal foams like this open cell nickel foam are widely used as cathode substrate in batteries or super-capacitors.

This highly topographic foam is characterized with large depth of focus (DOF) using the Inlens SE detector in a GeminiSEM 450 at 8 kV.

NanoVP, VPSE Detector, 150Pa, 3kV. Fibrous polymer microstructures

NanoVP, VPSE Detector, 150Pa, 3kV. Fibrous polymer microstructures

Sample: courtesy of H. Braun, Leibniz-Institute of Polymer Research Dresden.

Accessories

ZEISS Atlas 5 – Master Your Multi-scale Challenge

Atlas 5 makes your life easier: create comprehensive multi-scale, multi-modal images with a sample-centric correlative environment. Atlas 5 is the powerful yet intuitive hardware and software package that extends the capacity of your scanning electron microscope.

3D Surface Modelling – 3DSM

Your scanning electron microscope measures and analyzes all kinds of samples in 2D: to analyze the surfaces of samples in 3D, use 3DSM, the optional sotware package from ZEISS. Get topographical information by reconstructing a complete 3D model of your sample’s surface using the signals of the aBSD or the AsB detector.

Visualization and Analysis Software

ZEISS recommends Dragonfly Pro from Object Research Systems (ORS)

An advanced analysis and visualization software solution for your 3D data acquired by a variety of technologies including X-ray, FIB-SEM, SEM and helium ion microscopy.
Formerly Visual SI Advanced, Dragonfly Pro delivers high-definition visualization techniques and industry-leading graphics. Dragonfly Pro supports customization through easy to use Python scripting. Users now have total control of their 3D data post-processing environment and workflows.

Mouse lung tissue, block-face images, acquired with Focal Charge Compensation

Enhance Your GeminiSEM 300 / 450 To Eliminate Charging Effects

Turn your ZEISS GeminiSEM 300 or GeminiSEM 450 into a super-quick high resolution 3D imaging system with 3View® technology from Gatan, Inc. 3View® is an ultramicrotome inside the SEM chamber that lets you acquire high resolution 3D data from resin-embedded cell and tissue samples—in the shortest possible time and the most convenient way. The sample is continuously cut and imaged so you can produce thousands of serial images in a single day. Unique ZEISS Gemini column technology makes the GeminiSEMs ideally suited to support this application. Now you can also enhance your GeminiSEM with Focal Charge Compensation to eliminate charging effects. ZEISS has released this gas injection system in collaboration with the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging. With Focal Charge Compensation, the result is spectacular image quality. When performing 3D nanohistology, electron microscopic investigation of tissue samples such as liver, kidney and lung by block-face imaging is extremely valuable for pathological research. By using Focal Charge Compensation to eliminate charging, these charge-prone tissue samples can be imaged with high resolution and speed in three dimensions.