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PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films for TEM

Clean, Debris Free with Exact 3mm TEM Frame and EasyGrip™ Edges

Product Overview & Manufacturing Details


Si Nitride Support Films
PELCO® Silicon Nitride
Support Films for TEM		 Si Nitride Support Films
Assortment Pack of (10) PELCO® Silicon Nitride
Support Films		 Hydrophobic/Hydrophilic Support Films
Hydrophobic/Hydrophilic
Silicon Nitride Support Films
Silicon Aperture Frames (without support films)
Silicon Aperture Frames
(without support films)		 Silicon Nitride Coated 3mm Disks (blanks)
Silicon Nitride Coated
and Si 3mm Discs		 Holey Silicon Nitride Support Films
PELCO® Holey Silicon Nitride Support Films for TEM
x-ray window square
Silicon Nitride
X-Ray Windows		 Silicon Nitride Membrane for CLEM
Silicon Nitride
Grids for CLEM		 6
Ultra-Flat SiNx
Coated Wafers


PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films for TEM

8, 15, 35, 50, 100, and 200nm membrane thickness



Silicon Nitride Support Film
Tomography Type
Silicon Nitride Support Film		 The PELCO® Silicon Nitride Support Films for TEM 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 six window sizes combined with either 8, 15, 35, 50, 100, 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.

Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Substrates have been added for nanotechnology and biotechnology applications. The ultra-low-stress 15nm, 50nm, and 200nm membranes have been Atomic Layer-Deposited (ALD) to create these surfaces: go to Hydrophobic / Hydrophilic Support Films.

Product Overview & Manufacturing Details

Product Overview of Ultra-Thin 8 and 35nm Membranes
Iron nanoparticles dispersed on a Silicon Nitride Support Film

Iron nanoparticles dispersed on a Silicon Nitride support film and oxidized at 350°C while supported on the PELCO® Silicon Nitride 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, 100, 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.


Silicon Nitride 50nm Monte Carlo simulations Silicon Nitride 100nm Monte Carlo simulations
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
  • 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
    • Largest viewing area for 50nm film thickness
    • 8 and 15nm film thickness without pinholes for ultra high resolution TEM applications

  • Robust, low-stress 100nm or 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 or 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.
 EasyGrip single window
single window or multiple windows
EasyGrip multiple windows
9 ea. 0.1 x 0.1mm apertures

2 ea. 0.1 x 1.5mm Apertures
Ultrathin 8nm
Ultra Thin 8nm

EasyGrip Edge MicrographSilicon Nitride Support Film with EasyGrip Edge
EasyGrip™ Edge

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
Single slice electron tomogram of a single synapse
a		 synaptic vesicles and microtubules can be clearly discerned
b		 Three-dimensional model of the tomographic data
c

(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.

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 100nm and 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.
  • All of our products have <100> orientation with respect to the surface.