XEI Scientific reports the patent awarded recently on their new method for production of oxygen radicals for use in the decontamination of electron microscopes and other high vacuum systems.
XEI Scientific Inc, manufacturer of the popular EVACTRON® De-Contaminator™ Plasma Cleaning System for electron microscopes and other vacuum chambers, was awarded a US patent on August 13, 2013, for an improved method and instrumentation for the production of oxygen radicals to be used in the cleaning of high vacuum instruments such as electron microscopes.
XEI is pleased to announce that the company has been granted a new US patent # US8507879B2 which describes a new oxidative cleaning method and system for electron microscopes and other high vacuum instrumentation using UV excitation in an oxygen radical source.
The new method and apparatus comprises a vacuum ultraviolet light source housed in an irradiation chamber where it photo dissociates oxygen to be used downstream to clean the chamber or samples in the absence of the UV light. XEI founder and patent holder, Ronald Vane, says this new patent is a result of XEI's on-going research into finding improved cleaning methods for electron microscopes and other high vacuum instruments. This patent research provides an optional path that supplements our work to improve XEI's Evactron® RF plasma cleaning systems.
XEI has sold more than 1800 Evactron systems worldwide solving contamination problems in many different environments using instrumentation such as electron microscopes, FIBs and other vacuum sample chambers. Please visit our web site for the latest details, http://www.evactron.com/.
About XEI Scientific, Inc.
XEI Scientific Inc. invented the Evactron De-Contaminator in 1999 as the first plasma cleaner to use a downstream cleaning process to remove carbon from electron microscopes. A proprietary plasma source uses air to produce oxygen radicals for oxidation of carbon compounds for removal by the pumps. Carbon-free-vacuum produces the highest quality images and analytical results from SEMs and other vacuum analytical instruments. XEI innovations include a unique RF plasma generator, a patented RF electrode, and easy start programmed plasma cleaning. All XEI products come with a 5 year warranty and are compliant with CE, NRTL, and Semi-S2 safety standards. XEI offers a variety of Evactron® decontamination systems to meet user needs and >1800 installations around the world.
For more information on products and services offered by XEI Scientific, Inc., see http://www.evactron.com/
This story is reprinted from material from XEI Scientific Inc, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.