【English ver.】

【Chinese ver.】

Japan’s largest rosin processor

The solid resin known as rosin is familiar to all baseball pitchers, who use rosin bags to prevent the ball from slipping out of their grip. However, the utility of rosin is hardly limited to the ballfield; the substance has found applications in an enormous variety of fields, with industrial uses including agents to prevent paper from smearing, inks used in printing, adhesives and cohesives, and electronic devices. We like to think that it is rosin—this naturally-occurring form of resin—that lies at the very foundation of Arakawa Chemical Industries, Ltd., a supplier of intermediate materials with a legacy of continual technological innovation dating back more than 140 years. Our three core business units are Paper Chemicals, Coating Chemicals, and Adhesive Materials, and we also have interests in functional materials and fine chemicals.

Handling incoming analysis requests—from whichever division needs our help

I’m a member of the R & D Promotion Department, where our mission is to provide analysis, intellectual property, information, and other services to all divisions; thus, our role within Arakawa slices horizontally across the company’s organization chart. More specifically, I am currently affiliated with the Analysis Group, where—in addition to handling analytical investigations requested by Arakawa divisions and affiliated firms—I also work on the research and development of new analytical methods. Our motivation for installing Hitachi High-Tech’s VS-1550 system for coherence scanning interferometry (CSI) was to use the instrument as a characterization tool to support our efforts to develop coating agents for various optical films used in liquid-crystal displays and other technologies.

Key strengths of the VS-1550: High spatial resolution—yet incredibly easy to use

Our number-one reason for choosing the VS-1550 was the fact that the instrument is incredibly easy to use. In particular, our operating efficiency has increased tremendously thanks to the batch-processing features of the analysis software, which allow us to crunch huge amounts of data in a single step. Another key advantage of the VS-1550 is its ability to resolve height differentials on the order of just a few nanometers even during observations of wide sample regions. For example, when we need to measure tiny defects on the surface of a coating, the instrument can make measurements that cover an extremely large region of the sample—while still resolving defects of just a few tens of nanometers in depth. This makes it incredibly easy to characterize the shape and prevalence of defects, giving us a powerful tool to facilitate our R&D work. On top of that, the fact that there is no preprocessing required—we simply mount the sample in place and make the measurement—makes the process easier than we could have possibly imagined. We also appreciate the short measurement times—for one-shot measurements, we can make observations in just a few seconds, which has accelerated the pace of our sample-characterization efforts.

Grateful for the full-fledged support framework

Another reason we chose a Hitachi High-Tech instrument is that their application-support team is extremely knowledgeable regarding coating-film measurements. In fact, we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the members of that team. Our day-to-day work requires us to make measurements of all sorts of samples, and we often find ourselves unsure of how to go about acquiring a certain type of data; in those situations, we are very grateful to be able to send a quick email or make a quick phone call and get a speedy reply.

【English ver.】

【Chinese ver.】

Printing technology as a platform for exploring new technological domains

At Nissha, we’re combining our core printing technologies—which we’ve been perfecting ever since the founding of our company—with a variety of novel technological components to broaden the horizons of our business. Today our business consists of four units: Publication and Commercial Printing, Industrial Materials, Devices, and Medical Technologies. With our firm grounding in five core technology sectors—printing, coatings, lamination, molding, and patterning—we are continually incorporating new techniques and materials to broaden our horizons and advance our mission.

Adopting CSI for evaluation and analysis of film-touch sensors

In the Evaluation Engineering Group, one of our responsibilities is to evaluate and analyze film-touch sensors, a key product offering from Nissha’s Devices business. Film-touch sensors are used in a wide variety of products from smartphones and tablets to hand-held gaming consoles, industrial instruments, and automobiles. We also provide products such as force sensors, which measure the magnitude of applied pressure, and gas sensors used to detect gaseous states. Reliability testing and failure analysis for these products constitute the primary mission of our group. Traditionally, the analysis of transparent films has been performed primarily via sensory evaluation, but such approaches are problematic: different human operators may yield significantly different results, and the state of test samples may vary with the passage of time.

Enabling non-destructive analysis and nanometer-scale measurements

We chose to adopt the method of coherence scanning interferometry (CSI) for two reasons: the ability to perform non-destructive analysis, and the ability to yield quantitative results without relying on sensory evaluation. Hitachi High-Tech’s VS-1550 CSI system allows us to observe defects and other phenomena arising in cross-sectional layers of transparent films, and to do so non-destructively. Moreover, the ability to make observations using multiple fields of view, together with the ability to make high-precision measurements of nanometer-scale surface roughness—including protrusions and indentations in transparent films—allow us to capture phenomena spanning the full gamut of length scales, from microscopic to macroscopic. As an added bonus, new numerical-modeling capabilities give us more fine-grained control over things like limit samples for raw-material substances.

Quick and easy operation improves operating efficiency

For one thing, the ability to make non-destructive measurements eliminates the time-consuming and cumbersome process of cutting the products we analyze for preparing samples. Moreover, the detection of interference fringes—which consumed enormous amounts of time on our previous instruments—now takes less than a minute, even just a few seconds in some cases. Together, these two improvements have tremendously improved the efficiency of our day-to-day operations. As for maintenance, thanks to periodic checks we are able to make accurate measurements at all times—and we’re especially grateful that Hitachi High-Tech’s representatives and engineers are always available for a friendly consultation, so that even our minor questions and concerns get resolved right away. Going forward, we’re hoping to look into the microscope (SEM-AFM) linkage that Hitachi High-Tech has been working on, which we hope will improve our analytical capabilities even further.

【English ver.】

【Chinese ver.】

Precision equipment manufacturer with world leading market share of bearings

NTN Corporation is a precision equipment manufacturer with particular focus on production and sales of bearings, drive shafts, and precision equipment products. Our company has a world leading market share of bearings used for automobiles, high-temperature/speed rotating jet engines, high-speed railway vehicles exceeding 300km/h servicing across the world as well as other rotating parts of various machines including rockets, cars, and medical devices to support the lives of people.
In 2018, NTN Corporation celebrated the 100th anniversary of its foundation. In view of the next century, our company is expanding its businesses domain covering natural energy industry such as wind or hydro power generation, or robotics business facilitating manpower-saving and efficiency in manufacturing.

Preventing the inflow of migratable phthalates

We have introduced HM1000A as EU RoHS Directive was revised and four types of phthalates were newly added to restricted substances in July 22, 2019. Phthalates are a type of “plasticizers” to soften plastic or rubber, but its migratable property to other contacting substances makes the handling difficult.

In the past, phthalate beyond customer standard was detected in the seal of our bearing which was supposedly switched to phthalate-free product. Our investigation revealed that the phthalate is migrated via PVC string for banding the seals together. Fortunately, this was before customer prohibition date, thereby causing no critical issue. However, if this occurs again, we must conduct product recall along with a risk of compensation, incurring severe economic damage and loss of social credibility.

The most important thing is to prevent the inflow of environmentally regulated products. Through acceptance sampling analysis with HM1000A, we have enhanced the management of environmentally hazardous substances.
Before introduction, inspection of phthalates by external institutions took approximately two weeks. Now, we can provide customers with evidence in a timely manner, which we believe improves customer satisfaction as well as our business value.

Advanced operability and cost effectiveness of HM1000A

When selecting models, we have put emphasis on operability and cost. HM1000A enables more efficient inspections as it takes only 10 minutes per sample and preprocessing is not required.
To inspect phthalates, the sample is heated to vaporization and its mass needs to be analyzed. We have selected HM1000A with its advanced operability and lower cost as it uses atmospheric nitrogen, while the models using helium requires greater cost and more complex management.

We appreciate attentive and complete follow-up by Hitachi High-Tech Corporation. Not only supporting us in installing the equipment, but when we must define analytical methods of phthalates, they introduced us to the company engaged with innovative project, and what we learned is now reflected in our management system.

Country-wide initiatives to address global-level environmental regulation

Environmental regulation will be tightened globally, and regulated substances are expected to increase. No single private business alone can deal with this issue. Critical component is to build a platform where all companies communicate, exchange opinions, and share ideas for country-wide initiatives. We expect Hitachi High-Tech Corporation to play a central role as a leading analytical instrument manufacturer, leveraging its broad network of company users facing similar issues.

【English ver.】

【Chinese ver.】

Emphasis on environmental protection leveraging plastic molding technology

Nissei Eco Co., Ltd. is a global manufacturer specialized in plastic molding. Our company develops wide range of products in the fields such as automobiles, construction machinery, agricultural machinery, medical, housing equipment, and telecommunication with advanced plasticizing technology. Monthly production of its best-selling DIP moldings is market-leading 35t, including various electronic components such as insulation cover, dust cap, PVC tube, and corrugated tube.
The principle is to offer truly safe and secure products worldwide with particular focus on environmental protection in accordance with our company credo “Commitment to environment”.
Our company has acquired Environmental Management System ISO 14001, and defined the rule for RoHS2 in line with this standard.

Significant damage from losing long-established credibility

Phthalate acid added in RoHS2 is a major plasticizer and previously it was inspected by external institutions due to its high possibility of contamination by homogeneous material. This has caused delays and bottlenecks to meet customer needs, and raw material suppliers were tackling this problem. This time, we have decided the introduction of HM1000A due to the necessity of enhanced internal inspection system in order to offer safe products.

The biggest challenge was the migratable property of phthalate esters. Regulatory value of RoHS2 is extremely strict so that easily exceeded even by touching with hands contacted plastic products in everyday life. If our products used for automobiles are contaminated by phthalate esters, multimillion level of product recall can occur. Not only massive compensation, but our company may suffer significant damage from losing long-established credibility.

Easy operation and quick result of HM1000A

At the first stage of introduction, we had to work on with uncertainty by listening to various manufacturers and discussing what is required for 100% safe management system. Though gas chromatograph was considered when selecting equipment, we have identified its disadvantages that expert knowledge is necessary, and an inspection takes specific amount of time.
HM1000A, on the other hand, demonstrated its operability with little effort and high-speed measurement in just 10 minute per time as well as extremely low running cost. Also, early delivery and quick result after introduction were powerful benefits for our company in urgent need.
Previously, problem isolation was difficult when contamination occurred. Pre-shipment inspection now enables us to narrow down the target lot to identify the cause. We appreciate current environment where we can immediately search the target lot and make a quick decision on “OK” or “Not good” in response to customer inquiries.

Offering true safety adds value to our products

We have launched customer service to attach the inspection result of RoHS2 as inspection report. By measuring and informing about our in-house material, we earn high evaluation by our customers. For suppliers, another screening test is conducted upon acceptance. Inspection equipment requires large-scale investment, but quality control is the core of business operation. We believe that achieving reliability generates significant promotional effect. The value for our business is immeasurable in that accepting/shipping truly safe products while continuously meeting market needs can create added value to our products.

Performing root cause analysis of faults in polymer-based products, etc.

Our company specializes in evaluation of polymer materials such as plastics. For example, we perform root cause analysis of faults such as products requested from customers by performing a set of comprehensive analyses such as analysis of mechanical properties such as tensile tests and bending tests, composition analysis such as of components, and structural observation of microscopic regions.
Among these, my division performs physical evaluation of material properties of microscopic regions from the microscale to the nanoscale, for example, by performing evaluation of the distribution of particle diameters and pores, or molecular mobility (ease of moving) of bulk polymers.

Discovery of new applications to expand the services of our company

When we were asked by a customer “whether we could explain the cause when surface protection tape could not be peeled off cleanly but left residual adhesive”, we were able to explain the cause by using a Hitachi AFM that our company already owned, and this was the first trigger for introducing the AFM5300E. When the temperature dependence of the surface protection tape was measured using the frictional force measurement mode, it was found that extremely mobile components existed on the surface of tape where the residual adhesive occurred. Although AFM is often generally used for viewing surface morphology, it was found to be able to evaluate the molecular mobility of polymer surface and usable for root cause analysis of faults. Furthermore, I was involved in AFM research at my university before joining the company, and I found that I could utilize my knowledge from that time to develop evaluation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic character by chemically modifying the AFM probe. This kind of evaluation of surface properties using SPM was proposed to customers as one of the services of our company from around 5 years ago. Although it initially did not gain much penetration, the awareness grew gradually, and the second unit that we introduced in 2015 as a result was the AFM5300E.
The deciding factor for introduction was the environmental control of the AFM5300E. It continues to have the functions from the past, but also includes new functions from Hitachi to meet the new demands of our company, such as atmospheric non-exposure measurement for analyzing batteries in particular and humidity control.

Utilization of various functions

Recently, force curve mapping measurement has become possible with the AFM5300E. In the evaluation of polymer alloy which has a sea-island structure, the local elasticity distribution can be evaluated by force curve mapping. Furthermore, since the AFM5300E can also change the temperature, it is possible to observe how the elasticity of the surface changes with temperature. I think that this is an extremely useful indicator.
In fact, evaluation of surface properties with SPM is positioned at our company as the last stronghold when no differences are observed from other methods. For example, I think there are often some properties that are different even though no differences can be observed by performing various analyses such as IR, and this is often resolved by using this kind of evaluation method. Our company proposes and performs analysis methods to handle the problems facing our customers. These analysis results are sometimes applied such as to improve manufacturing processes by the customers to achieve commercialization, and I feel this is very rewarding.

Expectations for further functions in the future

I think that the temperature sweep has strong advantages and the temperature sweep function of Hitachi is extremely useful, and hope that technical development will continue. Although elasticity can currently be measured as temperature changes, I expect the development of a function that allows automation of evaluation while the temperature changes.

Note: The video introduces examples of actual measurement and examples of evaluation using observed images. Please view these together.

【English ver.】

【Chinese ver.】

We want to use our knowledge of chemistry to create useful tools for the life sciences

My personal specialty is synthetic organic chemistry, and I do research in the field of chemical biology. Our laboratory develops experimental methods in which light is used to manipulate interactions among molecules that mediate information-related processes within or between cells in living organisms; our goal is to contribute to advances in basic research in the life sciences. More specifically, we make use of caged compounds. These are compounds that work by attaching optically sensitive protective groups to a biologically active molecule, thus “trapping” or “caging” the molecule and temporarily suppressing its biological activity—but allowing that activity to be restored momentarily via light irradiation. In other words, we attach optical switches to molecules to allow them to be turned on with light. To date, a number of caged compounds have been developed for practical use, but they tend to suffer from various drawbacks—such as low generality, inefficient optical response, slow reaction speed, and toxicity—and we are conducting research projects with a variety of collaborators in the hope of solving these problems. We start by chatting with our collaborators to understand their needs and propose compounds to address them, and then we design and synthesize new compounds with the necessary functionality, test whether or not they actually function as desired in cell cultures, and finally provide them to our collaborators for use in their research.

Our new tools are helpful for sustaining student morale

For LC-MS, in the past we used shared facilities at our university, but the operating procedures were complicated, and maintenance was a hassle—on top of which, my own techniques for using the equipment were probably a little rough around the edges—and the result was that, to be perfectly honest, people avoided making measurements whenever possible. On other hand, at this point it’s been just about a year since we installed the Chromaster 5610, and we’ve yet to encounter a single problem—we’re grateful that the machine is so straightforward to use. The undergraduates and graduate students in our lab use it as well, and they can generally get started making measurements after just two or three tutorial sessions. They are always figuring out how to use the newest features—at this point they’re probably more knowledgeable than I am. From what I’ve heard, the fact that students can check their results themselves seems to be a key factor in sustaining their motivation. Most of the caged compounds we’ve developed include bromine atoms, which exhibit a characteristic MS peak. Recently, one of our graduate students was able to use MS and NMR in tandem to determine the structure of a compound with greater accuracy, which meant the student could transition immediately to testing the compound in cell cultures.

Our new tools are helpful for sustaining student morale

For LC-MS, in the past we used shared facilities at our university, but the operating procedures were complicated, and maintenance was a hassle—on top of which, my own techniques for using the equipment were probably a little rough around the edges—and the result was that, to be perfectly honest, people avoided making measurements whenever possible. On other hand, at this point it’s been just about a year since we installed the Chromaster 5610, and we’ve yet to encounter a single problem—we’re grateful that the machine is so straightforward to use. The undergraduates and graduate students in our lab use it as well, and they can generally get started making measurements after just two or three tutorial sessions. They are always figuring out how to use the newest features—at this point they’re probably more knowledgeable than I am. From what I’ve heard, the fact that students can check their results themselves seems to be a key factor in sustaining their motivation. Most of the caged compounds we’ve developed include bromine atoms, which exhibit a characteristic MS peak. Recently, one of our graduate students was able to use MS and NMR in tandem to determine the structure of a compound with greater accuracy, which meant the student could transition immediately to testing the compound in cell cultures.

A sales representative we can trust

In our lab, we started by installing the HPLC and the autosampler, then added the MS and gradually expanded the range of our instrumentation. I think that high degree of expansion potential was a key factor motivating my decision to go with Hitachi. Another huge factor was that our sales representative turned out to be somebody we could really trust. Of course, the more instruments we have the better, but we have to consider our equipment budget, lab space, operating costs, and many other factors. Not only does our sales representative get back to us quickly whenever we have questions, but from the very beginning I had the sense that what we were hearing was the unvarnished truth, which makes me feel that I can trust our discussions.

Friendly competition with rivals produces better platform technologies

The fact that I have been able to make progress in my current field of research is due in large part to Roger Y. Tsien, my beloved mentor during my study abroad. Dr. Tsien was instrumental in spreading awareness of the usefulness of green fluorescent protein, for which he shared the 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry with Dr. Osamu Shimomura.
I think it’s beautiful when tools that make the impossible possible are constructed on the basis of chemical knowledge and intuition. Research in the life sciences spans a huge range, from the molecules that comprise cells all the way up to the complexities of human biology. Basic research encompasses both efforts to determine the fundamental frameworks underlying biological phenomena—the origins of life, the workings of the brain, the immune system—and work aspiring to triumph over disease, for example by elucidating the mechanisms of cancer. Even researchers pursuing different subjects in different fields often turn out to need the same platform technologies. Our mission is to create technologies that change the very ways in which research—in many different areas of the life sciences—is done. We hope that, as other researchers use the methods we develop in our lab, they will add their own clever new tricks and expand the range of applicability.
We often deliver lectures to researchers in similar fields on experimental methods that we’ve developed using equipment installed in our labs. Even though researchers in other labs might technically be considered competitors, this sort of thing happens all the time among people working on technology development, and it often serves as a stimulus to develop new molecules beyond anything we could have imagined ourselves—which of course just motivates us to push our research even further.

【English ver.】

【Chinese ver.】

Toward comprehensive analysis of natural resources

Our specialty is the chemistry of naturally occurring substances, and at present we are searching for compounds in naturally occurring substances—both land-based and marine substances—that exhibit biological activity, such as antibiotic or anti-cancer properties. The range of substances we analyze is extremely broad—from soil samples, to marine organisms, plants, and mushrooms (fungi)—and in the past our main problem was figuring out how to determine, relatively easily and at the earliest possible stage, whether or not a given substance will produce useful new compounds. However, for comprehensive analyses using liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer (LC-MS) techniques, measurements always require a certain amount of time, and conventional LC-MS instruments were rather delicate—so much so that, whenever we tried to analyze an unpurified sample, something or other would go wrong almost immediately, and we eventually had to abandon that approach.

A solid, durable instrument—that boasts easy maintenance

For precisely these reasons, the efficiency of our research has ticked up dramatically since we installed Hitachi’s Chromaster^® 5610 mass detector, which allows us to analyze culture solutions as is, prior to component separation. Another advantage of this instrument is that its maintenance is so simple that it doesn’t even require tools. I’m delighted to see that my graduate students are able to use the instrument to conduct experimental analyses with ease. In fact, we don’t even clean the instrument all that frequently, but somehow it never seems to lose sensitivity. Thanks to our ability to carry out day-to-day maintenance operations ourselves, we haven’t had a single issue with the instrument in since we installed it around a year ago.
Back when the concept of the Chromaster^®5610 was first explained to me, I had the sense that it would be extremely easy to use in our research. That intuition was completely confirmed the first time we had a chance to use the actual machine in practice. I’m very impressed by how thoroughly Hitachi has incorporated feedback and requests from researchers into the design of this instrument.

A trusted partner for analyzing compounds

Compared to the hardware, the software has some room for improvement, and we’re looking forward to an upgraded version that incorporates feedback from users. We’re also grateful for the various ways in which Hitachi works with us to support our research—customer support is always timely and thorough, and fluorescent fingerprints are a useful way to visualize the characteristics of culture solutions.
The goal of our research is to discover compounds exhibiting biological activity—such as antibiotic or anti-cancer properties—in natural resources, and to make these compounds available to the wider world. Of course, in the meantime, the reality is that the natural world continues to boast a wealth of resources that remain unexplored. Our next step is to organize the information we have acquired in the form of a database of compounds, and we’re hopeful that the Chromaster^®5610 will help us to share our findings with many researchers in this field, spurring the progress of research through the sharing of information.

【English ver.】

【Chinese ver.】

Room-temperature bonding: a technique for bonding two substances without the use of heat or adhesive agents

Research in my laboratory focuses on one particular form of room-temperature bonding technology: the method of atomic-diffusion bonding. In this technique, we form extremely thin metal films on the surfaces of the bodies to be bonded, then use surface energy and crystal lattice rearrangement to bond wafers and substrates.
The advantages of this technique—which include the ability to bond wafers of any materials, and the freedom to choose the material and thickness of the metal films—have already spurred practical applications to smartphones and other electronic devices. Also, because the method does not make use of heat, pressure, or adhesives—which tend to cause distortion—it is expected to offer advantages for a wide variety of applications, including bonding of wafers containing electronic circuits with low tolerance for heat, bonding of wafers with mismatched thermal expansion coefficients, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), power devices, and high-brightness LEDs.

Observing the smoothness of surfaces to be bonded—with nanometer-scale resolution

Room-temperature bonding requires atomic-level smoothness of the surfaces to be bonded. However, compared to ceramics, metal surfaces exhibit much greater roughness and are more difficult to polish. Because AFM can only make measurements of relatively small sample regions, it can only be used to obtain rough characterization of a sample as a whole, complicating the validation process. We considered laser microscopy as one candidate for a metrology technique capable of observing larger-area sample regions, but observations did not go well due to interference. Then a Hitachi representative introduced us to coherence scanning interferometry (CSI). We brought in a sample and were able to observe a large sample region—500×300 microns—with nanometer-level resolution of height differentials; even polishing traces were clearly discernible. We decided we needed the instrument right then and there.

The advantages of crisp, clear images—obtained rapidly

The most important advantage of the CSI system is the ability to capture one-shot images of wide-area sample regions. The ability to capture the images we want to observe—much more rapidly than in probe microscopy—has been extremely helpful to us in advancing our research. The fact that we can see polishing traces allows us to determine whether smoothing failures are due to polishing agents or to the base material—with nanometer-level precision. Having those images makes it easier to discuss situations with polishing-agent vendors. The CSI system is a shared facility at the Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, with which I am affiliated, and at this point many laboratories that heard rave reviews use it.
More recently we have installed an AFM system, which allows us to switch these two systems depending on regions to be observed and yield seamless overall observations. In this case Hitachi’s suggestion was the perfect solution for the needs of our researchers, and we have high hopes for any Hitachi recommendations in the future.

【English ver.】

【Chinese ver.】

Taking on the challenge of developing new approaches to diagnosing and treating diseases

Our laboratory’s primary expertise is in pharmaceutical chemistry and chemical biology. At the moment, we’re particularly focused on developing new cancer drugs that target the survival environment for cancer cells. These drugs act not only on cancer cells themselves, but also address cellular adaptivity reactions in the survival environment specific to cancer cells, attempting to obstruct these as an indirect means of weakening cancer cells themselves. This differs from past approaches to treatment pharmacology, and we think it can lead to cancer treatments with fewer side effects.
We also study the creation of various types of functional molecules—from boron carrier molecules used in boron neutron capture treatments to fluorescent probe molecules that may help to diagnose diseases by detecting specific substances within living organisms—and we are hopeful that this work will spur advances in medicine and the life sciences.

Past problems with the operating environment for measurement instruments

Creating molecular compounds with desired functions is a multi-stage procedure that requires many repetitions of various processes: design, synthesis via chemical reaction, confirmation of the resulting compounds, refining, and characterization in actual reactions. In the past, we used TLC (thin-film chromatography) for tasks such as verifying synthesized compounds, but a problem in this method is that it is not very well-suited to studies of hydrophilic compounds, which we handle frequently. For observing reactions and making quantitative measurements of hydrophilic compounds, LC-MS (liquid chromatograph / mass spectrometer) is more appropriate, but in the past we only had access to our university’s shared-use LC-MS facility, which meant that we couldn’t simply use the instrument whenever we wanted, and when we did use it we would need to wait a long time to get results back.

Getting detailed information right then and there is a major advantage

We finally decided that we needed to improve our equipment installation to advance our research more effectively, and that was when we learned that there was a compact and easy-to-use LC-MS instrument known as the Chromaster^®5610. We installed it around a year ago.
Like many university laboratories, our floor space is limited, so the Chromaster^®5610 is perfect for our needs—it occupies about as much space as a conventional HPLC (high performance liquid chromatograph) machine and fits in our small laboratory space, but is nonetheless equipped with a MS. The primary users are around 20 students affiliated with our laboratory—from 4th-year undergraduates to graduate students—and we appreciate that the operation and maintenance of the instrument are so easy. We use the machine not only as an LC-MS instrument but also just as an MS, with applications including reaction monitoring for hydrophilic compounds, ultra-fine-scale reaction tracking, studying conditions for HPLC sampling, identifying compounds, and analyzing and quantifying rough products.
The fact that we can get detailed information and results for reactions right then, right there is a major advantage for studying synthesis of compounds. With students growing more and more ambitious in their research, at this point the Chromaster^®5610 gets the most use of all the instruments in our laboratory. I definitely feel that installing the instrument was the right decision, and going forward we intend to use the Chromaster^®5610 as much as possible to advance our research goals.

【English ver.】

【Chinese ver.】

Developing manufacturing processes that use microwaves—on a plant-wide scale

Our company was founded in 2007 as a venture spinoff from Osaka University; our mission is to provide microwave-based methods for making things on a plant-wide scale. In the past, conventional wisdom around the world held that manufacturing processes making use of microwaves are difficult to scale up to large sizes. We shattered this intuition in March 2014 by opening the world’s first large-scale microwave chemical plant—with annual production capacity of 3200t—at Suminoe, Osaka; this furnished real-world proof that microwaves could be used in a wide range of fields, from organic and inorganic synthesis to pharmaceutical production. Another example is graphene, a topic of current interest for which many different types of companies have growing development needs.

Using the instrument in quality testing for a new material of intense interest: graphene

Graphene is a new material whose excellent properties—extremely high electrical conductivity, transparency to visual light, extraordinary lightness and strength—make it promising for a wide range of applications, from devices to structural materials. In the past, the difficulty of mass production had been a stumbling block, but we established a method for producing graphene at volumes on the order of 10 g by applying our microwave chemical synthesis technology. Today we’re able to provide samples of adjustable thickness and weight in response to requests from our corporate clients.
Hitachi’s AFM5500M has been a crucial, irreplaceable tool for testing the quality of these samples. The AFM we were using previously, a university shared-use facility, was difficult to use—just configuring the settings took several hours. But with the AFM5500M things like cantilever switching and optical-axis adjustment are optimized automatically, so we can just focus on the measurements themselves. This is the greatest advantage of the instrument.

We’re hopeful that SÆMic solutions will enable more thorough analysis

Since we installed the AFM5500M, graphene height measurements have become dramatically faster, and the instrument’s automation features ensure that anyone can acquire data under identical conditions. Even if you make a mistake while using the instrument, all you have to do is follow the instructions on the screen to obtain error-free measurements. This makes the instrument extremely easy to use.
In the solutions stage of our work involving SÆMic with the SU8000 series and the AFM5500M, we perform two different types of measurements on the samples we synthesize: SEM imaging to characterize the morphology of the sample as a whole and analyze element distributions, and AFM measurements for close-up observations of Z-axis height or physical properties such as electrical conductivity. We’ve only just installed the new instrument, but we are hopeful that combining the two types of measurement will allow us to analyze our samples in even greater depth.

【English ver.】

【Chinese ver.】

Make accurate measurements with a single click of the mouse—even if you’re not an expert

Our company is continually creating new technologies—rooted in our core strengths of interface science—targeting a wide range of applications. The impetus for us to adopt Real Tune II was the need to make nanoscale measurements spurred by the development of our Dia Lumie translucent projector screen. However, operating an AFM turned out to be quite difficult—as we had heard might be the case—and, after seeing some hands-on examples and participating demonstrations from various vendors, we concluded that AFM was not a technology we could ever hope to master, and we almost changed our mind regarding our decision to install the instrument.
This was the point at which the folks at Hitachi explained to us that there do exist instruments that are easier to use, and we arranged—still only half expecting anything to come of it—to observe a demonstration. The only word I can think of to describe our reaction the first time we laid hands on the Real Tune II would be shocked! As we clicked the Auto button on the console and watched the instrument proceed to make the measurement by itself, we started to think, “This is actually something we can use.”

The ease of using the instrument creates an ever-expanding breadth of applications

Originally, we used the instrument to observe the dispersion and condensation of nano-diamonds, but since then the range of things we do with the tool just seems to keep growing—from cross-sectional surfaces of hairs, to processed fibers, new materials, and data on films that can’t be observed via SEM. The reason we can use the system for such a broad spectrum of applications is that it automatically adjusts the measurement settings appropriately for each sample, making it extremely easy to use. We’ve also become quite familiar with the menus and windows. As far as resolution is concerned, it obtains images of the same quality as TEM images, which is more than adequate performance for our needs. Another key advantage is the ability to use the instrument in ambient conditions, allowing us to make measurements of samples close to their natural state.
We use SIS Mode to make measurements in cases requiring greater accuracy. Our company manufactures things like cosmetics, so it’s really convenient that we can make accurate measurements of samples with high water content.

Excellent customer support allows us to use the instrument with confidence

Before we installed this instrument, our company lacked AFM experience, so when we first started seeing images we didn’t even know if they had been measured correctly. At that point it was very reassuring that we could email our images to Hitachi support and receive helpful expert advice—such as “the probe might be experiencing friction.” We’re grateful for the extensive support framework that makes it easy to ask questions whenever there’s something—even something minor—that we don’t understand.

【English ver.】

【Chinese ver.】

The ease of controlling environmental conditions was the decisive selling point for us

We’re a company that conducts morphological observations, surface analysis, composition analysis, and other types of measurements on a wide variety of organic and polymer materials. In particular, my group is currently responsible for scanning probe microscope techniques for surface analysis.
We installed the AFM5300E in 2010, and one of the major reasons we chose this instrument was the simple and easy environmental controls it offered. For companies like ours that accept requests for outsourced analytical work on a contractual basis, the fact that the AFM5300E allows analysis under all types of environmental conditions makes it extremely convenient, and in the 7 years since we acquired the instrument we’ve used it to characterize the physical properties of a huge variety of samples.

The fact that the customer support system allows us to ask our questions directly is very reassuring.

We’ve found the customer support system to be quite reliable.
For the most part, the AFM5300E is an instrument that rarely malfunctions—but we’re still grateful for the speedy and thoughtful response we’ve received in cases where we caused our own problems by using the instrument incorrectly. The fact that we can ask questions directly by e-mail or phone whenever we aren’t sure about something—that was one of the major reasons we decided to go with this model.
I previously learned the basics of AFM measurements from lectures at a Hitachi-organized seminar, and I still remember being struck by how thoroughly the presenters understood their subject. Ever since, I’ve continued to be impressed by the presentations at seminars and advanced courses pointing out an ever-broadening range of applications. Hitachi offers seminars and practical-training courses quite frequently, and we’re always encouraging our younger staff members to participate to broaden their skills. Of course, the only way to learn to use the instruments is actually to use them in practice, but Hitachi’s educational opportunities are excellent opportunities to entrench one’s understanding of the theoretical side of things.

SIS mode offers a whole new level of stability—even for samples that are difficult to measure

An attractive feature of SIS mode is that it allows stable, reliable measurements even for soft, sticky samples—and for extremely hard samples as well. For example, we’ve been able to study the surfaces of soft samples like dielectric polymers at high resolution with good accuracy. Also, for analyzing hybrid materials involving mixtures of components of varying hardnesses, conventional instruments always had problems with reproducibility, but SIS mode allows stable measurements every time. This is incredibly helpful.
For the clients who trust us to handle their contract analysis work, the absolute number-one requirement is reliable data. The fact that SIS mode always allows us to acquire stable data is a huge advantage. Another nice feature is that, because the probe tip is not dragged along the surface in SIS mode, the tip suffers only extremely minimal damage, helping to keep operating costs under control.

【English ver.】

【Chinese ver.】

GEOMATECH is well-known as a pioneer in the thin-film industry. In addition to manufacturing FPD substrates and components for optical devices, GEOMATEC leverages the technological strengths underlying their high-quality products to provide contract-based metrology services using a variety of analytical instruments. We asked Tomokazu Ikeda, a member of the Analytical Control Group in GEOMATECH’s Technology Dept. No. 2, to describe how his team arrived at their recent decision to install a coherence scanning interferometry (CSI) system from Hitachi—and what it’s like to work with the instrument.

Decisive advantage for introduction: An instrument as easy to use as an optical microscope

In the past we have used AFM to measure the three-dimensional morphology of sample surfaces, but more and more needs are arising for measurements that extend over wider sample areas. Initially we considered introducing a laser microscopy system, but we could not find one that satisfied our requirements for height resolution and data reproducibility. Also, we are branching out into patterning via fine-grained processing, and so we needed an instrument that could measure the full spectrum of samples, from flat surfaces to objects with high aspect ratios; we chose a CSI system for its ability to satisfy all of these conditions.

Contract-based measurements of layered cross-sectional samples reveal the full power of the instrument

It’s really wonderful to be able to measure nanometer-scale features in sample surface heights, with an instrument that feels like using an optical microscope. We are also very happy with the instrument’s ability to make rapid measurements of the cross sections of layered transparent bodies without needing to prepare cross-sectional samples. It seems we are the only firm in Japan that can accept requests for layered cross-sectional measurements, and lately we have been seeing an increasing number of orders. Also, for measurements of multilayered film assemblies, our customers have been delighted to learn that we can capture individual images in just a few minutes.

Post-installation follow-up service delivers peace of mind

Hitachi’s phone-based technical support is really solid, and knowing it’s there gives us great peace of mind when using the instrument. Obviously the service is great for getting assistance with features that we don’t use frequently, but we’ve also received valuable advice for situations in which data fluctuations complicate our analysis, and this has really helped us in carrying out our day-to-day operations.

High hopes for linkage solutions in the near future

From time to time, we encounter situations in which it would be helpful to acquire physical-property images covering the same sample regions in which we measure surface morphology. We use a variety of analytical instruments, including CSI, AFM, and SEM, and it would be great if there were solutions for interlinking these technologies. We have high hopes for future solutions from Hitachi that will allow us to delight our customers by providing a more thorough spectrum of contract-based measurement services.