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35nm membrane thickness / 25 apertures / 200µm frame thickness
21515-10 Silicon Nitride Support Film, 35nm, 70x70µm Aperture (25) on 0.5 x 0.5mm Window - pkg/10
Defining parameters for the PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films are:
- Film Thickness: Resilient, ultra-low-stress 8, 15, 35 or 50nm giving rise to minimum absorption to enable clear imaging; robust, low stress 200nm for better handling and use on multiple platforms;
- Window Sizes: 0.25 x 0.25mm, 0.5 x 0.5mm, 0.75 x 0.75mm, 1.0 x 1.0mm, 0.5 x 1.5mm and multiple window versions with 9 windows of 0.1 x 0.1mm in a 3 x 3 array or 2 windows of 0.1 x 1.5mm. Larger windows give a greater viewing area and for example, allow for the higher tilt angles required for tomography applications. The versions with the multiple windows allows for mounting multiple samples on separate windows;
- Window/Aperture Size for Ultra-Thin, 8nm Film: Window size is 0.5 x 0.5mm with 25 apertures of 60 x 60µm on a 200nm silicon nitride support mesh. Bar width 35µm, edge 30µm (go to Manufacturing Details).
- Window/Aperture Size for Resilient 35nm Film: Window size is 0.5 x 0.5mm with 25 apertures of 70 x 70µm on a 200nm support mesh. Bar width 25µm, edge 25µm (go to Manufacturing Details).
- Frame Thickness: Silicon support structure is 200µm standard. This allows for fitting in all standard TEM holders and gives a sturdy support frame. 50µm is also available for special TEM holders. Surface Roughness: The RMS (Rq) is 0.65 +/- 0.06nm which gives a mean roughness (Ra) of 0.45 +/- 0.02nm;
- Frame Diameter: EM standard 3mm diameter disc, fully compatible with TEM holders and with EasyGrip™ edges for improved handling;
- Packaging: The PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films are packaged under cleanroom conditions in the PELCO® #160 TEM Grid Storage Box. Each box holds 10 support films.
- All of our products have <100> orientation with respect to the surface.
MSDS (367KB PDF)
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8, 15, 35, 50, and 200nm membrane thickness
Assortment Pack available with various membranes
Tomography Type SiN Support Film
The PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films for TEM (also called Si3N4 TEM membranes) 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 four window sizes combined with either 8, 15, 35, 50nm, 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.
Iron nanoparticles dispersed on a SiN support film and oxidized at 350°C while supported on the PELCO® SiN 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, 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
single window or multiple windows
9 ea. 0.1 x 0.1mm apertures
2 ea. 0.1 x 1.5mm Apertures
Ultra Thin 8nm
EasyGrip™ Edge
Resilient, ultra-low-stress 8, 15, 35 or 50nm Silicon Nitride Support Film
The relatively sturdy PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Film allows direct deposition of materials and/or manipulation of specimens
EasyGrip™ Edge
Largest viewing area for 50nm film thickness
8 and 15nm film thickness without pinholes for ultra high resolution TEM applications
Robust, low-stress 200nm Silicon Nitride Support Film
Stronger membrane for multiple handling
Special window for TEM tomography applications
Large (0.5x1.5mm) windows designed primarily for high-tilt tomography applications allowing up to 75° tilt
Multiple window version
2 separate 0.1 x 1.5mm windows on one single frame
3 x 3 array gives 9 separate 0.1 x 0.1mm windows on one single frame
25 apertures on a 0.5 x 0.5mm window, ideal for multiple samples
Multiple microscopy techniques capability
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
Specimen can be studied, synthesized or manipulated under acidic or basic conditions
PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films are ideal for high temperature experiments
Films withstand temperatures up to 1000°C
PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films provide more accurate analysis of specimens containing carbon, and reduce contamination
Carbon-free background for TEM imaging and analysis
Films can be easily cleaned
The mechanical and chemical stability allow the PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films to be easily cleaned using glow discharge of plasma cleaning techniques
Ultra-flat background support film
Ideal substrate for deposition of nanoparticles and thin films
Perfect for SEM imaging due to the absence of background structure
Clean manufacturing avoids debris particles on support films
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
200µm for standard TEM grid holders
50µm for special TEM grid holders
Industry standard 3mm diameter round frame
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
Ideal for large series of comparison studies
Also available with Hydrophilic/Hydrophobic modified surfaces and as Holey Membranes.
Applications Fields
- Cell biology: attached cells can be grown in their environment on the support film and subsequently analyzed
- Analysis of colloids, aerosols, nanoparticles
- Self-assembled mono-layers
- Polymer research
- Thin film research (directly deposited on the Silicon Nitride Support Film)
- Materials science
- Properties of nano-structures for semiconductor devices
- Semiconductor: characterization of thin films
- Catalyst development
(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.
