SPI Supplies^® Brand Silicon Chip Sample Substrates

A versatile mirror-reflective support for both SEM as well as SPM applications

Introduction:

Silicon Chip (die) Specimen Substrates offered by SPI Supplies are cut from electronics industry grade <100> wafers, highly polished, and in essence ready for use in production electronics applications. We don't really intend that these substrates should be used for production electronics applications. In terms of their smoothness, they are comparable to what one would see for a glass cover slip, except of course, they are conductive whereas a glass cover slip is not. We don't really intend that these substrates should be used for production electronics applications since they have not been packaged in a form that would be suitable for that application, but they are packaged in a way that is ideal for analytical applications in the typical SEM and SPM laboratory. In terms of inertness, the silicon substrates are not going to be effected by anything to which they are likely to be exposed, especially in a life science laboratory environment.

There are many applications for the SPI Supplies^® brand of silicon chip specimen substrates, for example:

Materials Science:
Use when colloidal size nanoparticles are being studied at high resolution as in a FESEM. The silicon has the smoothness of a glass cover slip yet has the needed conductivity for high resolution SEM examination. Because the silicon substrate is somewhat conductive, one can lessen the need for metal coating, which can easily cover up features that might otherwise be resolved. Should metallization still be needed, perhaps for contrast considerations, we recommend using the OPC line of osmium metal coaters offered through SPI Supplies.

Environmental samples:
Certain types of insulation samples when one is looking for topographical information only since the SPI Supplies brand of these substrates present a structureless and featureless surface and with no possibility for confusion between sample and substrate structure.

Life science samples:
This is an ideal substrate for the growing and/or mounting of cells since the surface smoothness is comparable to that found on a glass cover slip or microscope slide. And because it is silicon and not glass, one need not worry about their important specimens suffering the fate of "glass corrosion".

Description and specifications:
The SPI Supplies brand of silicon chip substrates are opaque and exhibit low electrical resistivity, essentially rendering them "conductive" in the SEM where micro amps are involved in terms of currents. They are chemically inert and can be further cleaning prior to use without concern about chemical etching effects occurring. They can also be heated without changes occurring to temperatures far higher than glass, making certain heating experiments possible that would otherwise be impossible with glass.

Another feature of the silicon chip substrates is that they can be processed and critical point dried exactly as if one were using glass cover slips. And because of the inertness of silicon, they can also be autoclaved. Another option for sterilization of the chips is exposure in an oxygen plasma etcher for a few minutes using pure oxygen.

Handling:
If one does not have a cover slip holder that can accommodate 5 mm square or 5x7 mm rectangular dimensions, before spending the money for a custom made holder, try out the SPI-Dry™ Microporous Specimen Capsules. The silicon chips should process and dry quite well with that approach.

Sizes available:
5x5 mm squares and 5x7 mm rectangles

Thickness:
525 痠 (other thicknesses available on special request and for a higher cost)

Orientation:
<100>

Packaging:
An entire 100 mm (4") wafer is pre-cut to a depth that individual squares (e.g. chips) can easily be broken off when needed for use. Occasionally one or two of the chips might not break off cleanly so the number guaranteed per wafer is slightly less than the theoretical number. Most customers do claim they get the theoretical number.

Available Products:

Pre-Cut chip substrates:

	SPI#	Each wafer	10+ wafers	In Stock
5mm x 5 mm pre-cut (diced) wafer Guaranteed yield: 270 chips	4136SC-AB	$75.00	67.50	Yes
5mm x 7 mm pre-cut (diced) wafer Guaranteed yield: 187 chips	4137SC-AB	85.00	76.50	Yes

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SPI Supplies® Brand Silicon Chip Sample Substrates

Introduction:

Available Products:

SPI Supplies^® Brand Silicon Chip Sample Substrates