PictureSnapApp sample holder images

[Probeman]

This topic is for those who would like to share high resolution images of their SEM/TEM/other sample holders. I'll start by sharing an image and the calibration file for our FEI Quanta pin stub holder. See attached files below (remember to login to see attachments).

Note that I scribed a triangle on the holder surface for ease in calibration.  In our lab the convention is to always use three calibration points to correct for sample rotation (though in actual practice, with PictureSnap and PictureSnapApp one generally begins with a simple two point diagonal calibration just to get the stage roughly calibrated before switching to the three point calibration!).  Therefore we always start with a location at the top of the triangle (12 o'clock) for the first calibration point, then a second calibration point on the 2nd triangle corner in the lower right (going clock-wise). 

Once the image is calibrated using two points, we can navigate to the third calibration point in the lower left and switch to three calibration points and get the image calibrated exactly.

But it should be noted only two points are required and any features on the sample can be utilized for the calibration points, so long as they can be found in the instrument's imaging system.

[Probeman]

It's so easy to perform these sample image calibrations that everyone should just do it themselves, but just for fun I attach images and calibration files for our 6 hole and 2 + 2 thin section sample holders from our Cameca.

If you do download these files to use with the PictureSnap feature in Probe for EPMA or in our new PictureSnapApp, you probably want to "touch up" the stage calibration but they should be really close for general navigation... however, please note that since we scribed some scratched lines on our sample holders to make it easier to calibrate the image, if you do update the stage calibration using these images, you'll probably have to choose some other "landmarks" to calibrate to, because these scribe marks won't be available on your sample mounts.

Edit by John: another thought:  since the scratch marks we made on the sample holder are about 500 um higher in Z than the sample surfaces themselves, after getting the X/Y calibration done, we simply found the approximate Z stage position for the samples themselves and then just pasted that Z value in for all three point calibrations, and then clicked the Calibrate Image button again.

Of course if you're working on an actual sample that you scanned or took a picture of, you'd utilize the actual Z values for that sample and then small changes in sample height/tilt are automatically compensated for.

[Harshal9192]

Hello everyone,
As a relatively new user of the PictureSnap app, I just wanted to say how impressed I am it's truly an amazing tool and a huge time saver. Most of my samples are highly heterogeneous, so locating targets manually would be very time consuming.

I'm now preparing for W-EPMA analysis, and I've attached a photo of the sample holder I'll be using. Since I'm working in my collaborator's lab and won't have much time to manually record stage coordinates, I'm using the tool in "text input" mode.

If anyone has a .acq file for a similar holder and is willing to share, it would be a huge help. The picture of the holder is attached below.

Alternatively, if someone could provide the stage limits for the JXA-8900, that would also be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Best regards
Harshal

[Probeman]

I'm now preparing for W-EPMA analysis, and I've attached a photo of the sample holder I'll be using. Since I'm working in my collaborator's lab and won't have much time to manually record stage coordinates, I'm using the tool in "text input" mode.

Something I have done previously is to use a slide scanner to take a high resolution picture of each thin section. Load each slide image into PictureSnapApp on our SEM, calibrate using two points, then drive the stage to roughly where the 3rd point will be, then calibrate using three points and then record my areas of interest on the SEM.

https://smf.probesoftware.com/index.php?topic=1090.msg7249#msg7249

Then when we move over to the EPMA, we load the scanned slides into the probe sample holder, then copy the PictureSnapApp folder containing the images and annotated ACQ files for the slided from the SEM over to the EPMA. Then we locate the previous calibration points and update them for the EPMA stage positions, and then you're ready to go to find your areas of interest from the SEM!

To make locating the calibration points on the EPMA easier, try to orient the thin sections in your SEM in the same way, that you will, when you mount them in the EPMA sample holder...