<html><head><style type='text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><div style='font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000'>Dear Colleagues,<br><br>The Biological Science Imaging Resource at FSU is looking to buy a new vacuum coating system. It will primarily be used for making thin carbon for TEM, but we would also like it for rotary shadowing and sputter coating for SEM applications as well. Any advice on current systems would be appreciated. One warning I've had is that switching between SEM sputter coating and carbon evaporation may not be ideal, but I don't know how problematic it may be. I have listed a few systems we are considering below (as well as some comments on coating systems from 2012 at the bottom).<br><br>Cressington Systems:<br>328UHR Ultra High Resolution EM Coating System<br>208C High Vacuum Turbo Carbon Coater<br>208HR High Resolution Sputter Coater for FE-SEM<br>http://www.tedpella.com/cressington_html/Cressington-Introduction.htm<br><br>EMS Systems:<br>EMS150TES<br>http://www.emsdiasum.com/microscopy/products/equipment/turbo_evaporator.aspx<br><br>Edwards System:<br>HHV Auto306<br>http://www.hhvltd.com/html/p_auto306.html<br><br><br>Sincerely,<br>Duncan<br><pre><font size="3">__________________________________
Duncan Sousa, Ph. D.<br>BSIR Coordinator<br>Department of Biological Science
Florida State University
89 Chieftan Way, Rm 119
Tallahassee, Fl. 32306</font></pre><br><br><br><br>Answer 1<br><br>We bought the Cresington 208C carbon evaporator about a year ago.<br><br><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT138_com_zimbra_url"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.cressington.com/product_208c.html">http://www.cressington.com/product_208c.html</a></span><br><br>We are quite happy with the system. It is reliable and easy to operate. <br>We also bought the thickness monitor although we do not find it very <br>useful. We often trust better our traditional method of folding a piece <br>of filter paper to cash a white shadow that does not get cover by <br>carbon.<br><br>The glow discharge accessory is pretty convenient, fast and easy to <br>use. If budget allows I would recommend to purchase the system with the <br>dry vacuum pumping system comprised of the turbo pump and a Dry Scroll <br>Pump. It will make your system completely oil free and will prevent oil <br>mist contamination of your grids.<br><br>Answer 2<br><br>We also bought the Cressington carbon coater 208 recently and I can <br>fully support Joaquins statement. We have it also with the thickness <br>monitor but also think that it is not essential to have it. We don't <br>have the glow discharge from that company so I can not judge on that.<br><br>Answer 3<br><br>We have many happy customers using the EMS 150 Series of Coaters. It is <br>a very modern and flexible instrument for a good value. You can buy it <br>as a rotary- or turbo-pumped system, with carbon-rod and/or carbon-fiber <br>source. It is possible to upgrade it with Sputter-, Evaporation-, <br>Aperture-Cleaning- and Glow-Discharge inserts. It always uses the same <br>base system, vacuum and control unit, therefore it is very flexible and <br>favorable.<br><br>What would you like to coat? - For high-purity carbon, as used for <br>coating grids, the turbo-pumped, high-vacuum system is a must. We <br>recommend using a good two to four stage membrane pump as roughing pump. <br>It is clean, silent, basically maintenance-free, very reliable and cost <br>efficient. Coating just for conductivity is not a big issue and a rotary <br>pumped system can be used.<br><br></div></body></html>