Inhaltsbereich
Improved Light Optics
This upgrade improves the sharpness of our sample image. A high intensity, fiber optic light source has been adapted to our system, replacing the incandescent light bulb provided by Cameca, thereby giving a brighter and more even sample illumination. We have incorporated a high resolution SONY monitor into our system which provides improved image quality as compared to the PAL image as seen on the workstation. A further advantage of this arrangement is that we have an electronically generated crosshair which allows more precise beam positioning on the sample. This also makes it possible to view the optical and analog digital images concurrently. In order to make both the ion and optical images 'normal' as compared to inverted images provided by the Cameca arrangement, we installed a dove prism in our light optic system. In order to keep the optical system from being inverted from the operation of the stage stepping motors it was necessary to modify the electronics within the track ball.
© gfz-potsdam- View of the fiber optic light source sitting on top of our secondary magnet. The optical fiber is attached to the port, using a specially built adapter, where the incandescent light bulb is usually positioned. Because the 150W light supply only needs to run at low power, we have been able to operate without changing the bulb for the past three-and-a-half years.
© gfz-potsdam- View of our SONY high resolution monitor which is connected to the BNC output from a Boeckler model VIA-30 adjustable cross-line generator (not visible, but located just below the monitor).
© gfz-potsdam- This picture shows the in-house designed and machined aluminum holder for the dove prism which can be purchased from Edwards Scientific. The holder with the prism slips into the tube below the ccd camera. This is a simple system for inverting the light optic image so that the image will agree with a normal photograph which people typically have with them in the lab. It should be noted that the dove prism which we use is uncoated, which results in a slight degradation in image sharpness.
