PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films for TEM

8, 15, 35, 50, 100, and 200nm membrane thickness

Tomography Type
Silicon Nitride Support Film

The PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films for TEM have been developed as an addition to our extensive range of TEM support films to further enable nanotechnology applications and extend molecular biology research. These superior products are made by state-of-the-art semiconductor and patented MEMS fabrication techniques using resilient, low-stress inorganic and amorphous silicon nitride thin films supported by a sturdy silicon frame. PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films are available in six window sizes combined with either 8, 15, 35, 50, 100, or 200nm thin membrane thickness on an EM industry standard 3mm diameter round frame, making them the most desirable and useful silicon nitride support films in the current marketplace.
Silicon Nitride Support Films have the advantages of being chemically and mechanically robust and can withstand temperature changes up to 1000°C. They are extremely stable and suitable to conduct a variety of nanotechnology experiments with particles or cells mounted directly on the support films.

The PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films are indispensable tools for virtually all fields of nanotechnology research. They enable direct deposition and in situ observations of dynamic reactions over a wide temperature range. The support film can be used as a passive support film but can also play a role as an active participant in experiments.

Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Substrates have been added for nanotechnology and biotechnology applications. The ultra-low-stress 15nm, 50nm, and 200nm membranes have been Atomic Layer-Deposited (ALD) to create these surfaces: go to Hydrophobic / Hydrophilic Support Films.

Iron nanoparticles dispersed on a Silicon Nitride support film and oxidized at 350°C while supported on the PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films.
The image shows the product of the oxidization process: hollow iron oxide nanoparticles.
Haitao Liu, Dept. of Chemistry, UC Berkeley, California.

PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films are manufactured using state-of-the-art semiconductor and MEMS manufacturing techniques. The amorphous Silicon Nitride Support Film is grown on a silicon wafer to the desired membrane thickness of 8, 15, 35, 50, 100, or 200nm. The specimen viewing area is created by etching away a window in the silicon substrate, leaving a perfectly smooth, resilient and chemically robust silicon nitride film. The frame is manufactured as a 3mm silicon disc with smooth EasyGrip™ edges for easy manipulation by tweezers and will fit perfectly in standard TEM holders. Standard thickness of the silicon frame is 200µm which will fit most TEM holders. A special version with a 50µm thickness and a 0.25 x 0.25mm window is available for special TEM holders which only accommodate thinner supports. Easy handling capabilities and smoothness of the edges are design advantages over other brands of silicon nitride support films. The PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films are manufactured like grids and are completely free from debris particles. The mechanical and chemical stability allow for cleaning of the Silicon Nitride Support Films with chemicals (solvents, acids and bases), glow discharge and plasma cleaning. It is recommended that ultrasonic cleaning not be used, as it can easily shatter the PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films.

Monte Carlo simulations showing less absorption and less scattering in 50nm Silicon Nitride Support Films; Advantage - PELCO®50nm film thickness gives superior imaging and analysis results.

Advantages of the PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films

•    Resilient, ultra-low-stress 8, 15, 35 or 50nm Silicon Nitride Support Film
      o    The relatively sturdy PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Film allows direct deposition of materials and/or manipulation of specimens
      o    Largest viewing area for 50nm film thickness
      o    8 and 15nm film thickness without pinholes for ultra high resolution TEM applications
•    Robust, low-stress 100nm or 200nm Silicon Nitride Support Film
      o    Stronger membrane for multiple handling
•    Special window for TEM tomography applications
      o    Large (0.5x1.5mm) windows designed primarily for high-tilt tomography applications allowing up to 75° tilt
•    Multiple window version
      o    2 separate 0.1 x 1.5mm windows on one single frame
      o    3 x 3 array gives 9 separate 0.1 x 0.1mm windows on one single frame
      o    25 apertures on a 0.5 x 0.5mm window, ideal for multiple samples
•    Multiple microscopy techniques capability
      o    The mechanical stability allows for multiple microscopy techniques like TEM, SEM, EDX, XPS and AFM on the same silicon nitride support film.
•    Films are resistant to solvents, acids and bases
      o    Specimen can be studied, synthesized or manipulated under acidic or basic conditions
•    PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films are ideal for high temperature experiments
      o    Films withstand temperatures up to 1000°C
•    PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films provide more accurate analysis of specimens containing carbon, and reduce contamination
      o    Carbon-free background for TEM imaging and analysis
•    Films can be easily cleaned
      o    The mechanical and chemical stability allow the PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films to be easily cleaned using glow discharge or plasma cleaning techniques
•    Ultra-flat background support film
      o    Ideal substrate for deposition of nanoparticles and thin films
      o    Perfect for SEM imaging due to the absence of background structure
•    Clean manufacturing avoids debris particles on support films
      o    PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films have no broken edges and are free from debris. Furthermore they are packaged under class 100 (US Fed Standard 209E) clean room conditions
•    Frame thickness of 200 and 50µm
      o    200µm for standard TEM grid holders
      o    50µm for special TEM grid holders
•    Industry standard 3mm diameter round frame
      o    Fits exactly in standard TEM holders and provides EasyGrip™ edges for handling. Also provides a more sturdy silicon frame.
•    All PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films from the same batch have identical properties
      o    Ideal for large series of comparison studies
•    Also available with Hydrophilic/Hydrophobic modified surfaces and as Holey Membranes.

EasyGrip™ Edge

(a) (b) Single slice electron tomogram of a single synapse in (a) where synaptic vesicles and microtubules can be clearly discerned. (c) Three-dimensional model of the tomographic data in (b) created by the use of the IMOD suite of programs. Prof. M. Stowell, et. al., MCDB, CU-Boulder, Colorado.

MSDS (367KB PDF)