Physics World / SmarAct

Complementary nanoscale methods can extract different structural and material information from the same specimen, but combining them demands precise positioning and access. Alexandra Glück examines flexible multi-axis sample manipulation across electron microscopy, spectroscopy, diffraction, probing, nanoindentation and tomography. SmarAct’s customizable SEM platform illustrates approaches to alignment, measurement geometry and transitions between techniques, including in-situ experiments. The emphasis is on how adaptable manipulation enables complementary measurements to build a fuller account of a specimen’s structure and properties. An interactive discussion follows.