ZEISS Xradia Ultra Family

Nanoscale X-ray Imaging – Explore at the Speed of Science

Synchrotron X-ray nanotomography enables non-destructive 3D imaging at the nanoscale but you have to apply for very limited beamtime.

What if you didn’t have to wait for synchrotron time anymore? Imagine if you had synchrotron capabilities in your own lab. With the ZEISS Xradia Ultra family, you have 3D non-destructive X-ray microscopes (XRM) at hand that deliver nano-scaled resolution with synchrotron-like quality.

Choose between two models: both ZEISS Xradia 810 Ultra and ZEISS Xradia 800 Ultra are tailored to gain optimum image quality for your most frequently-used applications. Your demanding research deserves nothing less than the best image quality and system reliability: Xradia Ultra architecture uses advanced X-ray optics technology adapted from the synchrotron into a laboratory instrument. Achieve synchrotron-level nanotomography results in your laboratory on your schedule. Speed up your science in materials research, life sciences, natural resources and industrial applications using nanoscale 3D X-ray imaging.

Benefit from:

Imaging your samples non-destructively in their native environment. Preserve your sample for other modalities using correlative workflows or uniquely perform 3D in situ experiments.
Gaining more information and resolving finest details with truly nanoscale 3D X-ray imaging - at a spatial resolution down to 50 nm and voxel sizes down to 16 nm.
Investigating microstructural evolution with in situ experiments in 3D and 4D.
Characterizing your specimens comprehensively: quantify measured nanostructures and use the resulting data for modelling input.
Exploring all kinds of sample types alongside each other, such as hard and soft materials, and enhancing image quality with absorption and Zernike phase contrast.
Pre-screen your samples before you go to the synchrotron to make the most from your beamtime allocation.

Highlights

Supercharge Your Research with Non-destructive Nanoscale Imaging

Harness unique non-destructive imaging to observe nanoscale phenomena in their native environments in 3D.
Benefit from the only instrument that fills the gap between sub-micron resolution XRMs (such as ZEISS Xradia Versa) and higher resolution, but destructive 3D imaging e.g., FIB-SEMs.
Use integrated in situ solutions to perform leading non-destructive 3D / 4D X-ray imaging in your laboratory, with a resolution down to 50 nm and a voxel size of 16 nm.
Accelerate your research by adding these unique capabilities to your analytical portfolio.

ZEISS Xradia Ultra optics have a synchrotron pedigree that lets you benefit from nanoscale imaging, superior contrast and lab accessibility.

2D reconstructed slice of a pine needle

Zernike phase contrast (ZPC) mode

Absorption contrast

Ausgeblendete alte Version

2D reconstructed slice of a pine needle

Zernike phase contrast (ZPC) mode

absorption contrast

Achieve Superior Contrast and Image Quality

Observe defects in 3D without destroying your sample or altering the data with slicing artifacts.
Reveal details with highest contrast and image quality using absorption and Zernike phase contrast. Combine data from both modes to reveal features that one single contrast could never have achieved.
Both Xradia 810 Ultra and Xradia 800 Ultra are geared towards optimum image quality for your most frequently-used applications. Which version is best for you depends on the material type for which you want optimal contrast, throughput and material penetration.
Benefit from nanoscale X-ray imaging with synchrotron-like capabilities when using Xradia Ultra.

Extend the Boundaries of Your Lab

Gain a new level of understanding with synchrotron-like capabilities. Remove barriers to access at synchrotrons facilities. Obtain equivalent nanoscale 3D insights on your schedule in your own lab.
Perform 4D and in situ studies never possible before with lab-based imaging.
Carry out in situ mechanical, thermal, electrochemical and environmental testing.
Use correlative workflows and connect to other modalities (e.g., ZEISS Xradia Versa, ZEISS Crossbeam, analytics). Serve a broad range of imaging facility users with a streamlined user interface, including a dedicated Python API.

3D printed nanolattice structure, imaged in Zernike phase contrast before in situ compression experiments. Sample courtesy: R. Schweiger, KIT, DE.

Technology

Resolve Nanoscale Features Using X-rays in a Unique Set-up

Microscopists aiming to achieve 3D non-destructive, nanometer resolution to characterize their specimens comprehensively require optics that deliver:

3D tomographic datasets at nano-scaled resolutions
enhanced image quality
focusing efficiency
best signal in limited experimental time
visualization of features in low-absorbing specimens.

The development of X-ray microscopes that could realize the techniques’ potential for high resolution imaging has historically been hindered by the difficulty of fabricating suitably robust and efficient X-ray optics. ZEISS Xradia Ultra employs advanced optics adapted from synchrotron research to enable you to fully leverage the non-destructive nature of X-rays and accomplish 3D imaging at the nanoscale in your laboratory.

Enjoy the benefits of synchrotron-adapted architecture by using:

reflective capillary condensers to match source properties and image at maximum flux density
Fresnel zone plate objectives where patented nanofabrication techniques provide the highest resolution and focusing efficiency optics for your research
phase ring for Zernike phase contrast to visualize details in low-absorbing specimens
high contrast and efficiency detectors based on scintillators, optically coupled to a CCD detector to give you the best signal in your limited experimental time
and, as the specimen is rotated, collect images over a range of projection angles and then reconstruct into a 3D tomographic dataset.

Resolve Nanoscale Features Using X-rays in a Unique Set-up

Beampath

Application Examples

ZEISS Xradia Ultra Family

Energy Materials

Lithium ion battery cathode pore network and simulated diffusion through carbon binder domain.

Solid oxide fuel cell anode components segmented with voids seen in center electrolyte.

Engineering Materials

Zinc particle undergoing oxidation at elevated temperature in situ using the Norcada Heating Stage. Imaged with ZEISS Xradia 810 Ultra, particle size 3 µm.

In situ compressive indentation failure in a SiC:BN composite fiber.

Polymer and Soft Materials

Elastomer at different stages of compression during an in situ load stage experiment. (left: uncompressed, center: compressed, right: decompressed)

Polymer mask fibers with segmented NaCl particles to quantify filtering effectiveness.

Life Sciences

Human hair virtual cross-sectional image with pores (black), and pigment melanosomes (white) visible within the interior. Exterior cuticle layers visible at left.

Elastic lamellae (orange) and interlamellar regions visualized in unstained rat artery wall tissue.

Electronics

Copper microbump and interconnect visualization and defect inspection.

10 nm process microprocessor metal layer.

Geosciences

Segmentation of shale rock into component phases.

Micropillar of micritic carbonate microporosity, extracted using a multiscale workflow from petrographic thin section.

Accessories

In Situ Experiments at the Nanoscale

Bridge the In Situ Testing Gap

Materials research seeks to investigate properties that emerge under non-ambient conditions or external stimuli. When your goal is to observe microstructural changes and to link these to the material’s performance, in situ testing methods allow you to do exactly that. Equally important is to image those changes live and to investigate sample volumes that are representative for bulk properties.

Xradia Ultra is uniquely suited to in situ experiments and imaging at the nanoscale: it lets you image 3D structures nondestructively in the lab on sample sizes that represent bulk properties but have resolutions corresponding to the nanoscale phenomena.

Approximate imaging resolution for in situ testing, categorized by sample thickness and transparency. ZEISS Xradia Ultra fills in the gap between the nanometer resolution of SEM/TEM (restricted to surface imaging or extremely thin samples) and micrometer-scale tomography.

Observe Your Specimens In Situ in Their Native Environment

Understand how deformation events and failure relate to local nanoscale features. By complementing existing mechanical testing methods, you can gain insights into behavior across multiple length scales. ZEISS Xradia Ultra Load Stage enables in situ nanomechanical testing – compression, tension, indentation – in a unique way, using non-destructive 3D imaging. This lets you study the evolution of interior structures in 3D, under load, down to 50 nm resolution.

Perform In Situ Heating Experiments

Investigate nanoscale material changes such as degradation processes, thermal expansion, and phase transitions at elevated temperatures. The Norcada Heating Stage for ZEISS Xradia Ultra enables non-destructive nanoscale 3D imaging at elevated sample temperatures. MEMS heater technology provides sample heating in air up to 500 °C. Its flexible design allows for sample heating or sample voltage biasing with the same unit.

ZEISS Crossbeam laser

Benefit from the LaserFIB for Fast and Easy Sample Preparation

Rapidly access your regions of interest (ROIs), even if they are deeply buried, or easily produce pillar-shaped samples for tests with ZEISS Xradia Ultra or at the synchrotron. Use the LaserFIB that combines a ZEISS Crossbeam FIB-SEM with an ultra-short pulsed femtosecond (fs) laser to enable correlative workflows across multiple length scales. Find your ROIs using, e.g., previously acquired 3D X-ray microscopy datasets and target them for further analysis using the Cut-to-ROI workflow. Use the fs laser to cut through millimeters of material and produce samples for analysis with Xradia Ultra. Then, leverage the FIB-SEM capabilities for nano- and micrometer-scale milling, tomography, imaging, and advanced analytics.

Software

Create Efficient Workflows with a User-Friendly Software

Boost your productivity with ZEISS’s innovative Scout-and-Scan™ Control System – streamline sample and scan setup. The workflow-based user interface guides you through the process of aligning the sample, scouting for regions of interest, and setting up 3D scans. Recipes allow you to set up multiple scans of the same sample to image various regions of interest, or to combine different imaging modes. The easy-to-use system is ideal for a central lab-type setting where users may have a wide variety of experience levels. Advanced users gain full control of the microscope for custom imaging tasks or integration into in situ experiments using an integrated Python API.

Set. Load. Scout, Scan. Run. It's that simple. Find out how the graphical user interface guides you through the creation of your workflow effortlessly.

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. Available exclusively through ZEISS, ORS Dragonfly Pro offers an intuitive, complete, and customizable toolkit for visualization and analysis of large 3D grayscale data. Dragonfly Pro allows for navigation, annotation, creation of media files, including video production, of your 3D data. Perform image processing, segmentation, and object analysis to quantify your results.

Tailor the tools that are optimal to your workflow: choose plug-ins that allow you to control registration, map differences, and customize appearance. Solid Oxide Fuel Cell, imaged on Xradia Ultra.

ausgeblendet auf Ultra-Pages

Gilt nur für Versa-Pages

Tailor the tools that are optimal to your workflow: choose plug-ins that allow you to control registration, map differences, and customize appearance.