Micro Soldering Unit MSU
A miniaturized, closed-loop soldering iron for the SEM — set a tip temperature and hold it, in air or in vacuum, for micro-scale joining.
Fifteen seconds to soldering heat#
The MSU adds a miniaturized soldering iron to an MM3A-EM micromanipulator — a heated micro-tip you can position with sub-micron precision and hold at temperature inside the microscope. An integrated heater and sensor work together so the tip reaches and maintains whatever set point you dial in on the included Temperature Control System, with 1 °C resolution and stability, and a sensor that drifts less than 0.05% at 200 °C after 1000 h of use.
Air or 10⁻⁷ mbar, same iron#
In air the tip runs up to 100 °C; under vacuum it reaches 200 °C, in vacuum-dependent times as short as 15 s to 100 °C and 60 s to 200 °C, cooling back to 100 °C in 150 s and to 45 °C in 450 s. It operates across the full range from 10⁻⁷ mbar to atmospheric pressure, so the same tool follows a sample from load-lock to imaging condition. Custom tips with a 0.5 mm shaft let you tailor the geometry to the joint. Your existing micromanipulator system can be quickly and easily upgraded for use with the MSU.
Gallery
The heated tip and its coiled heater winding, at 5 mm scale. 
The tip meets a rod — the moment of contact for a micro-scale joint. 
Approaching a wire loop for soldering, inside the chamber. 
The MSU mounted and ready, seen from inside the chamber.
Technical data
Temperature
- Range in air
- RT – 100 °C
- Range in vacuum
- RT – 200 °C
- Controller resolution
- 1 °C
- Controller stability
- 1 °C
- Sensor accuracy (absolute)
- 0.5%
- Sensor long-term stability
- Better than 0.05% at 200 °C after 1000 h
Heating & cooling (in vacuum, from RT)
- Heat-up to 100 °C
- 15 s
- Heat-up to 200 °C
- 60 s
- Cool-down from 200 °C to 100 °C
- 150 s
- Cool-down from 200 °C to 45 °C
- 450 s
Electrical & environment
- Analog output accuracy
- 0.5% (after offset correction)
- Pressure range
- 10⁻⁷ mbar – 1200 mbar
Advantages
Closed-loop heating
- Integrated heater and temperature sensor at the tip
- Holds a set temperature via the included Temperature Control System, stable to 1 °C
- Sensor drifts less than 0.05% at 200 °C after 1000 h
Fast to temperature
- Reaches 100 °C in 15 s and 200 °C in 60 s, in vacuum
- Cools from 200 °C to 100 °C in 150 s, to 45 °C in 450 s
- Operates from 10⁻⁷ mbar to atmospheric pressure
Plug-in design
- Accepts custom soldering tips with a 0.5 mm shaft
- Upgrades an existing MM3A-EM, quickly and easily
Talk to an application engineer
Tell us your sample and your microscope — we’ll walk you through the workflow and route you to the right regional team.