Bruker Introduces the e-Flash XS, a New and Unique EBSD Detector for Entry-Level Scanning Electron Microscopes

BERLIN, Germany – June 17, 2020 – Today, Bruker introduces the e-Flash XS, a new electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) detector which, for the first time ever, enables the characterization of the microstructure of crystalline materials in tabletop and other small, entry-level scanning electron microscopes (SEM). Due to its innovative, patent-pending design, the e-Flash XS is the smallest and lightest EBSD detector currently available, yet with excellent performance. This makes the e-Flash XS detector ideal for routine EBSD analysis in applications that do not require the use of high-end field emission SEMs (FE-SEM).

Designed for maximum reliability, ease of use and EBSD pattern quality, the e-Flash XS is powered by a state-of-the-art CMOS camera with 720x540 pixels native resolution and the capability to use it in binning modes from 2x2 up to 6x6 pixels. Coupled with an innovative optical system for maximum light transmission and a high-performance, user-replaceable phosphor screen, the camera can acquire patterns at a speed of up to 525 frames/second even at moderate electron probe currents. Its USB3.0 interface for power supply and data transfer makes e-Flash XS a truly plug-and-play instrument. When not in use, the in-SEM portion of the EBSD detector can easily be removed by the user for external storage to eliminate any risk of the SEM sample stage colliding with the detector.

The new e-Flash XS EBSD detector is offered in combination with a specifically designed XFlash^® EDS detector, both fully integrated under Bruker’s ESPRIT 2 software suite to create the new QUANTAX ED-XS, a very powerful and affordable EDS and EBSD combination package for materials characterization in entry level SEMs. QUANTAX ED-XS provides the full functionality for qualitative and quantitative EDS and EBSD analysis as is available with Bruker’s standard EDS and EBSD accessories for high-end SEMs. The intuitive and powerful ESPRIT 2 user interface enables very efficient workflows for combined EDS and EBSD data acquisition, processing and evaluation, as well as a multitude of options for data representation. Specialists and less experienced users alike will benefit from one-click access to advanced tools and integrated automation features. With an unmatched indexing speed of up to 60,000 orientations per second, ESPRIT 2 also allows offline re-evaluation of EBSD data sets within seconds.

“We are excited to have developed the most reliable and most affordable EBSD detector on the market, without compromising on performance.” commented Dr. Daniel Goran, Senior Product Manager EBSD at Bruker’s Nano Analytics division. He continued: “With the introduction of the new e-Flash XS, we believe Bruker can make a significant contribution to accelerating the pace of progress in science and technology by enabling the large community of tabletop and entry-level SEM users in research and industry to benefit from the power of EBSD analysis, a technique that in the past was reserved to more expensive high-end SEM.”