XEI Scientific Inc, maker of the popular EVACTRON® De-Contaminator Plasma Cleaning System for electron microscopes and other vacuum chambers, announces their new SoftClean^TM specimen cleaning chamber to be used with the Evactron De-Contaminator for electron microscopy.

Imaging in Electron Microscopy is often degraded by hydrocarbons carried into the microscope chamber on specimens and specimen mounts. The SoftClean, when used with an Evactron® De-Contaminator and a vacuum pump, can pre-clean samples with high hydrocarbon contamination levels from the sample surface by a downstream ashing process before introduction into the microscope chamber. The SoftClean chamber can be also used as a stand-alone storage system, preserving clean specimens.

The SoftClean/Evactron De-Contaminator combination is not a 'plasma cleaner' in the usual sense. Samples are cleaned by a downstream RF plasma process that breaks down hydrocarbons into CO₂, CO & H₂O. Unlike 'plasma cleaners' that sputter with energetic ion species and can damage specimens by heat and ion bombardment, the delicate downstream process chemically ashes hydrocarbons and pumps them free of the chamber.

The SoftClean system has chamber dimensions of 8.5" (216 mm) diameter x 5.5" (140 mm) height. There are four KF40 and 1 KF 16 vacuum mounting flanges with a manual shut-off valve for the vacuum port. Adaptor flanges for TEM sample holders are available. There is a venting port and a plated aluminum lid with a 5.5" OD glass view port. The unit weighs just twelve pounds (6kg) and comes with a five year warranty.

XEI continues to increase support for its clients worldwide. New partners have been appointed in the US and for countries in Europe, China and Latin America. Please visit the company's website for the latest details, www.evactron.com.