In situ laser heating in an environmental scanning electron microscope

The environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) offers improved capabilities for coupling a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an in situ laser device compared with conventional SEMs. Such coupling generally enables, for example, the observation of laser glazing effects or high-temperature behaviour as well as thermal shock behaviour of materials and devices. In an ESEM, decomposition caused by high-temperature gas reactions can additionally be studied while monitoring the gaseous environment online with a mass spectrometer attached to the specimen chamber. In this work, we demonstrate the capabilities of an in situ laser system suitable for heating specimen in an in situ deformation stage, thus enabling the further study of the mechanical properties of materials far beyond temperatures accomplished by thermal heating stages.