A blog on the repair, operation and calibration of surface analysis systems and components including electron spectrometers, sputter ion guns and vacuum related hardware. Click on the Index tab below to see a list of all posts. Visit our website at http://www.rbdinstruments.com
Most of the set screws used on older PHI optics are the Bristol set screw type. The main advantage to this drive system is that almost all of the turning force is applied at right angles to the fastener spline face, which reduces the possibility of stripping the fastener. For this reason Bristol set screw are often used in softer, non-ferrous metals. Compared to an Allen drive, Bristol set screws are less likely to strip for the same amount of torque. Bristol set screws come with 4 flutes on the smaller sizes and 6 flutes on larger sizes.
When working on optics such as ion sources, analyzers, specimen stages and so on it is not uncommon to strip the set screws when removing them. A trick that can help prevent striping is to use a small amount of isopropanol as a lubricant before removing the set screws.
Some sources for replacement Bristol set screws are –
Note that these set screws are not cleaned for UHV and so you will need to run them through a cleaning process before using them for UHV optics applications.
bristol-wrench
When using Bristol set screws you need to use Bristol spline drivers. A source for Bristol spline drivers is –
Note that Bristol Wrench no longer sells individual spline wrenches, only in sets of 10. Good news is that you can get individual Bristol spline wrenches from McMaster Carr –
On April 8th 2014 Microsoft has stopped providing XP support and the result is that PCs still using XP are vulnerable to security threats. As a result, many companies are moving to Windows 7 or 8. Most companies are using 7 as it has been a stable Microsoft operating system that many people are comfortable with. Windows 8 is a programming abomination (I’m just saying), although Microsoft is making it more like 7 as updates become available.
So, now that XP support has ended, what are your options for the PC that you use for your PHI surface analysis system? If you have an existing RBD AugerScan or AugerMap software upgrade product and our RBD 147 PC interface unit, then you can follow the instructions in this post to port your hardware and software over to a new Windows 7 PC. If you are running Physical Electronics (PHI) software and have XP please contact us more information about our PC upgrades for older PHI X-ray photoelectron (XPS) and Auger (AES) surface analysis systems and subsystems.
Move from XP to 7 procedure:
Print out each of the hardware and multiplier properties dialog boxes in the AugerScan program. The easiest way to do that is to copy/paste each screen into Paint and then print them. Or, you can copy/paste them into Word so that you have all of the settings in one document. You will need to enter these settings into the new PC so that all the hardware control and calibrations stay the same as on your present PC.
If you have RBD’s AugerMap program, print out each of the dialog boxes under System – Properties. You will need to enter these settings into the new PC.
Go to the software download page at the RBD website – https://www.rbdinstruments.com/products/system-pc-upgrades.html .On this page you can download the Win 7 driver and update files. Please read the information and follow the instructions EXACTLY. The Win 7 drivers also work for Win 8.
Note the version number of your software in the Help – About dialog box for AugerScan and AugerMap. If you have the latest release software but can’t find your CDs, you can download the executables from the bottom of the download page. If your AugerScan or AugerMap version is different than the latest release on the RBD downloads page and you can’t find a copy of your program, please contact us before proceeding to get a copy of your specific AugerScan or AugerMap program sent to you.
Install the Win 7 PCI driver onto your new PC.
Move the RBD PCI interface card over from your old PC to your new PC. When you turn on your new PC the drivers should load automatically. If not, direct Windows to the RBD 7 driver files.
Install AugerScan and AugerMap onto your new PC.
Run AugerScan and AugerMap and load in all of the hardware and multiplier properties values from your old PC.
Finally, if your new PC has only PCIe expansion slots and no PCI slots, RBD now provides PCIe interface cards for our 147 unit. Most newer PCs no longer have PCI expansion slots but do have PCIe expansion slots. Note that the PCIe interface card requires different drivers than the PCI interface card. For a limited time we will take in your old RBD PCI card and give you a $100.00 trade-in credit towards the purchase of a new PCIe interface card. Contact us for more information.
This post explains some tests and calibrations for the 20-805 analyzer control which is used on older Physical Electronics (PHI) ESCA, XPS and AES surface analysis systems. The 20-805 analyzer control is typically used to control the 15-255G and 25-260 double pass cylindrical mirror analyzers.
20-805 Analog AES Input Test Procedure
This section explains the procedure for testing whether or not the 0 to 10 volt drive signal from the PC137A or RBD147 interface unit is working properly.
Equipment needed: DVM and BNC adaptor cable
The 20-805 has a gain of 200:1 and the analyzer scale factor is 1.7. This means that the ratio between eV detected and the DC voltage applied to the outer cylinder of the analyzer is 1.7 to 1. For example, to measure a 1000eV electron, 588.823 DC volts must be applied to the outer cylinder.
To calculate what the Analog or Input voltage should be for a particular eV, use the following formula:
Analog or Input voltage = eV divided by 1.7 divided by 200.
Example: 2000 eV divided by 1.7 = 1776.47 divided by 200 = 5.8823 volts on the Analog or Input cable.
Procedure:
Turn the power off on the 20-805 analyzer control.
Remove the Analog Input cable and connect it to a DVM.
Set up an elastic peak alignment with a lower limit of 100 and an upper limit of 100. (This will put the sweep voltage at a single fixed value).
Acquire the alignment and measure the voltage on the Analog or Input cable. The voltage should be about .294 volts DC.
Set up an elastic peak alignment with a lower limit of 2000 and an upper limit of 2000.
Acquire the alignment and measure the voltage on the Analog or Input cable. The voltage should be about 5.88 volts DC.
If the Analog or Input voltage is correct, then the D/A on the PC 137A or RBD147 is working properly.
20-805 Pass Energy Supply Test
The 20-805 Pass Energy Supplies provide the proper voltages to the PHI double pass CMA when used in the XPS mode.
To test:
Short out the Analog Input on the back of the 20-805 with a bnc shorting plug. This will ensure that the high voltage output is zero.
Set the pass energy switch on the 20-805 to 100.
Measure between the HV and IC connectors on the back of the 20-805. The voltage there should track the Pass Energy switch on the front panel with-in .5 volts.
Check that the HV to IC voltage matches the front panel for all pass energy settings.
Measure between the IC and OC connectors on the back of the 20-805. The voltage there should track the Pass Energy divided by 1.7 on the front panel with-in .5 volts.
Check that the IC to OC voltage matches the front panel for all passed energy settings.
Pass Energy Setting
HV to IC voltage
IC to OC voltage
10
10
5.88
25
25
14.7
50
50
29.4
100
100
58.8
200
200
117.64
If the voltages are not correct, check the 20-805 Pass Energy Supply capacitors and TIP53 transistors.
The 20-805 gain is 200:1. You can use AugerScan to send out specific voltages on the D/A output (analog input) cable –
1) With the RBD147 on, run AugerScan.
2) Select “Diagnostics” from the “System” menu.
3) At the bottom of the dialog box, make sure the option for “Hexidecimal” is checked.
4) In the Address field for RBD147, enter 10
5) Individually enter the following in the Data field, and hit the Write button for each while checking the 20-805 control voltage:
Read this entire procedure before starting the calibration.
Load a sample of copper foil into the system and set the beam voltage on the 11-010 electron gun control to 2kV.
Position the sample to the focal point of the analyzer using the AES Align routine. At this point it does not need to be exactly at 2kV, just make sure that the peak is maximized.
Sputter the sample clean. Note: If you do not have a sputter ion gun on your system, then scrape the sample with a razor blade or exacto knife before you load it into the system to remove the surface carbon and oxygen.
After the sample is clean, re-acquire the elastic peak and re-check that the peak is at maximum counts and beast shape. Do not worry if it is not at 2kV crossover, that will be adjusted later.
From this point on, DO NOT MOVE THE SAMPLE!
Acquire an alignment from 900 to 960 eV and differentiate the data. The peak should be at 920 differentiated. If not, adjust the scale factor in the AugerScan Hardware Configuration menu a little bit and re-acquire the alignment and check the position. A large scale factor number will move the peak down in eV.
elastic-peak
Re-peat and adjust the scale factor as necessary until the differentiated copper peak is at 920eV.
Change the alignment settings to 2kV default and re-acquire the elastic peak. But, DO NOT MOVE THE SAMPLE! If the peak is not at 2kV, then adjust P1 in the 11-010 to move the peak so that it is at 2kV. Caution! There is high voltage present in the 11-010, do not perform this adjustment unless you are qualified to work on high voltage. Refer servicing to qualified personnel.
beam-voltage-adjustment-potentiometer
Location of P1 in the 11-010 Electron Gun Control is shown above.
Once you have the 11-010 adjusted to 2kV, change the beam voltage to 3kV and acquire a survey from 30eV to 1030eV, 1 eV per step, 50 ms per point, and 3 sweeps.
When complete, the survey should look like the date below after it is differentiated:
