The Ebner E High-Resolution 2D Material Metallographic Microscopy Transfer System is designed for the precise site-specific transfer of monolayer materials such as graphene, molybdenum sulfide and black phosphorus, as well as the fabrication of multilayer van der Waals heterostructures, enabling visual operation for low-dimensional material transfer. The transfer system consists of a microscopic system, a three-axis transfer stage, an integrated vacuum adsorption and heating sample stage and other components. The target substrate stage supports large-angle in-plane rotation, serving as a powerful tool for investigating heterostructure properties, spatial inversion symmetry breaking, and the effects of different stacking configurations of two-dimensional materials. Its highly stable and high-precision mechanical design paired with a high-quality microscopic imaging system allows the accurate transfer of micro-samples smaller than 5 micrometers.
Building on the excellent integrated transfer operations of the E1-T model, the E model features an upgraded optical system equipped with a Nikon metallographic microscope, which drastically boosts the resolution and clarity for observing monolayers, multilayers and various van der Waals heterostructures. It integrates full-process device fabrication operations including observation, transfer and image recording. The E1-M also offers a wide range of optional configurations, such as a high-temperature sample stage module, Raman testing module and fluorescence testing module. It comes with a damped optical vibration isolation platform and supports installation for use inside glove boxes.
I. Main Configuration*
| Substrate Loading Platform | 5-axis adjustable, with two translational axes along X and Y directions and a travel range of 20 mm; the travel range along the Z-axis is 10 mm; horizontal tilt angle adjustment range of ±2°; manual rotational adjustment around the Z-axis within ±90°; the sample stage supports heating up to a maximum temperature of 240 ℃ with a temperature control stability of 0.1 ℃, and is equipped with a vacuum adsorption function for samples
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| Slide moving stage | Five-axis adjustable design, with three axes of manual translation along XYZ directions and a travel range of 25 mm; samples are placed on a manual rotary stage with a table diameter of 100 mm. Its coarse rotation range covers 360°, and the fine rotation range is ±5°, with a positioning accuracy of 1 to 2°. The tilt angle of the slide along the Y-axis is adjustable within a range of ±15°. |
| microscope | Nikon microscope body with trinocular head; 2 pieces of 10× eyepieces, 4 objective lenses of 5×, 10×, 20× and 50× |
| Microscopic camera | 12-megapixel USB3.0 Ultra HD CMOS Microscope Camera; supporting dedicated operating software for the microscope camera |
High-stability Microscopy Observation Stand | The microscope supports a travel range of 50 mm along the X and Y axes, enabling large-range adjustment of the microscope's observation position after two-dimensional material lamination; the focusing travel range is 30 mm with a precision of 1 μm.
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| Control chassis |
Integrated system electrical control, controlling sample stage heating and adsorption, as well as adjusting the brightness of microscopic illumination |
| computer | Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB hard drive, 23.8-inch high-definition monitor |
| Optional functions | Upgraded bright and dark field, high-precision software temperature control module, motorized precision displacement module and controller, installation for glove box internal operating environment, supporting damped optical vibration isolation platform |
II. Standard Configuration
The E high-resolution two-dimensional material metallographic microscopic transfer system consists of four subsystems: substrate stage adjustment subsystem, slide moving platform adjustment subsystem, microscopic imaging subsystem, and circuit control subsystem.
The sample stage features five-axis adjustability: it supports translation along the XY axes with a travel range of 20 mm and a system resolution of 0.002 mm; manual rotation around the Z axis with a maximum angle of ±90°; a tilt stage for X and Y axes with a tilt angle of ±2°; and a Z-axis travel range of 10 mm with a precision of 2 μm.
The glass slide is adjustable along X, Y and Z axes with a travel range of 25 mm. The sample is loaded onto a manual rotary stage with a coarse rotation range of 360° and a fine rotation range of ±5°, delivering a positioning accuracy of 1~2°. The tilt angle of the glass slide along the Y axis is adjustable within a range of ±15° with an adjustment precision of approximately 0.1°, operated via a manual micrometer head.
The microscopic imaging system adopts a Nikon metallographic microscopic observation unit equipped with a trinocular tube, four objective lenses (5×, 10×, 20×, 50×) and two 10× eyepieces. It is fitted with a 12-megapixel USB3.0 ultra-high-definition CMOS microscopic camera, accompanied by dedicated camera operation software that supports functions including photo capture, video recording, sample dimension measurement, split-screen comparison and more.
Optional Functions Option 1:
Bright and Dark Field Upgrade
Comprehensive upgrades to the epi-illuminator and objective lenses enable high-resolution and high-sensitivity detection of specimen differences and defects.
It can be visually observed from the images that a dark-field image is obtained by completely inverting the contrast under bright-field illumination—areas that appear bright in bright-field imaging turn dark, while dark areas become bright. For samples such as nanowires, nanosheets, or specimens with defects, uneven or rough surfaces, dark-field imaging enables clear visualization of sample outlines as well as surface defects.
Optional Configuration 2: High-precision Software Temperature Control Module
High-precision software-controlled thermal stage with controllable heating rate and adjustable slow cooling rate, delivering distinctive experimental operating conditions! Its maximum heating temperature reaches 240°C. The adjustable heating rate ranges from a minimum of 0.01°C/s to a maximum of 1°C/s (for temperatures below 100°C), while the heating rate at high temperatures is no less than 0.2°C/s. Equipped with upper computer software that supports software connection, it enables segmented temperature control and computer-side regulation of heating rates, with temperature curves displayed on the user interface!
Optional Configuration 3: Electric Precision Displacement Module and Controller
The electric Z-axis is equipped with imported motors and controllers, featuring a travel range of 25 mm and a minimum travel precision of 0.1 μm. Multiple speed gears are available, with both continuous travel and single-step travel functions. It is applicable to slow heterojunction lamination, automatic lamination inside glove boxes, and other similar processes. Precisely regulating the Z-axis movement speed can reduce interlayer bubbles generated during the transfer and lamination of heterojunctions, and enable fine control of the Z-axis within glove boxes.
The electric rotation unit adopts imported motors and controllers, with a rotatable range of ±90° and a precision up to 0.01°. It supports both continuous rotation and single-step rotation functions. It is especially suitable for fabricating bilayer twisted graphene via stacking, as well as various twisted and misaligned heterojunction two-dimensional devices that require precise control over stacking orientation.
The MERST electric control software facilitates speed configuration and motion control of the electric stages. It also supports image rotation and transparency adjustment, greatly simplifying sample positioning and accurate transfer operations.
Optional Configuration 4: Installation for the operating environment inside the glove box
A transfer system can be installed inside a glovebox for the transfer of certain special materials with strict environmental requirements, such as perovskites.
Optional Configuration 5: Supporting Damped Optical Vibration Isolation
