At TMC, we often get inquiries about what exactly a tool base is and when one might require it for their instrument. A tool base, in essence, is vibration cancellation solutions custom-designed to support any vibration-sensitive instrument that wouldn’t typically fit on our traditional platforms. People involved in high-resolution imaging, semiconductor wafer inspection, or nanolithography…
At TMC, we often get inquiries about what exactly a tool base is and when one might require it for their instrument. A tool base, in essence, is vibration cancellation solutions custom-designed to support any vibration-sensitive instrument that wouldn’t typically fit on our traditional platforms.
People involved in high-resolution imaging, semiconductor wafer inspection, or nanolithography are generally familiar with our stasis active vibration cancellation system. This state-of-the-art technology is a significant part of TMC’s vibration cancellation solutions, including the Stasis IX family products.
Taking the Sembase as an example, it’s an active vibration cancellation base for scanning electron microscopes (SEMs), incorporating Stasis technology and offering an unmatched degree of floor vibration attenuation, providing SEMs a stiff, solid, and stable foundation.
So, when does a tool base become crucial? Certain tools, such as transmission electron microscopes, nanoprovers, precision machine and diamond turning tools, automated 3D surface metrology, STEMs, and e-beam lithography, to name a few, are either slightly or significantly larger and heavier than SEMs. These instruments are usually installed on lab floors with vibration levels exceeding their acceptable limits, potentially hindering their performance.
That’s where Toolbase comes in. It’s a Stasis-based solution, tailor-made to support any vibration-sensitive instrument (weighing under two and a half tons) on a lab floor, providing robust vibration cancellation.
For larger tools or installations on raised floors, we recommend discussing Quiet Islands, another category of our solutions designed to minimize vibrations effectively. By integrating Stasis technology, decades of experience, and an adept engineering team, TMC strives to offer vibration control solutions catering to the specific needs of scientific, research, and technology applications.
Video TranscriptExpand ↓
Hi there. My name is West Wigglesworth, product manager at TMC sitting here at our global headquarters just north of Boston. As product manager, I often get asked, what is a tool base? And when would I use one to support my instrument? Well, To answer that, let me take a step back. Many people who use electron beam tools for high resolution imaging semiconductor wafer inspection, or nano lithography, for example, are familiar with TMC's stasis active vibration cancellation system. Well, this unique high performance advanced technology is integrated into many other TMC vibration cancellation solutions, namely our Stasis IX family products. I x as an integrated cancellation. Sembase, a hard mount active fibration cancellation base for scanning electron microscopes is one of these. It is designed to support just about any commercial set. Focused ion beam or fib or small tools that combine ion and electron beams known as dual beam tools. Sembase integrates Stasis technology and therefore puts simply more than any other commercial off the shelf solution. It attenuates four vibration aggressively down to below one hertz, while providing their sound with a stiff, solid, stable foundation. Where does tool base come into play? You're still wondering? Well, there are a lot of tools which are not commercial sems, of course, tools we use to advance, science, research, and technology. As well as our understanding of all things at the nanoscale and smaller. Tools that are slightly or in some cases sig significantly larger and heavier than the largest cent. Such instruments are often installed on a web floor with vibration levels exceeding what is acceptable for the instrument to perform at the high level you would expect. With the unique Stasis technology and its unmatched performance, combined with our forty plus years of experience, an engineering team ready for any challenge and a world class production facility all under one roof. TMC can offer toolbase, a subset of solutions within the Stasis family. Toolbase is not one product. It is a stasis based solution, which can be custom designed to support any vibration sensitive instrument on a lab floor which will not otherwise fit incentives. Okay. Well, not any instrument. If it's approaching two and a half tons or five thousand pounds, give us a call or send me an email. Let's talk about it. Any instrument under that, even tools that are smaller in your average sim. Tool base will be a great option there. Some examples are transmission electron microscopes. Nanoprovers, precision machine and diamond turning tools, automated three d surface metrology. STEMs, and e beam lithography. So if you have one of these in your lab or are in the market There's a good chance that it is or will be limited or disrupted by the vibration created by folks walking down the hall, cars and trains nearby, or construction project down the road. And you will want to consider tool base. Oh, and by the way, for a larger tool and or installation mix in raised floors. You'll want to talk to me about quiet islands. Okay. Well, that's all I have time for at the moment. Thanks for listening, and hope to see you soon.
