1.25″, 1.5″ and 2″ internal diameters

Even in well-established procedures such as sample embedding, new developments are being made. Following a recently published development in sample preparation (see the 2020 article by Khatkhatay and Pichumani cited below, working with semiconductor flip-chip packaged devices), we have developed new silicone rubber molds for better performance, particularly in failure analysis.

These molds are designed for molding small samples, cross sections, or similar. In these types of samples the area of the sample makes up a small proportion of the surface area and polishing becomes limited by the large surface of embedding media. Also, with small samples it can be difficult to monitor the polishing progress. These molds drastically reduce the surface area of exposed resin while providing a much better view of thin, tall samples such as electronic circuit chips and boards.
The more economical volume of resin required and smaller surface area also results in a significant reduction in the consumption of polishing supplies.

The optimal sample size for these molds is 3/8″ (10mm) or less in thickness (for cross sections). The central portion of the mold accommodates the device during the resin pour and set up. The large blocks on either side exclude resin to funnel it into the central channel around the device and into the channel around the perimeter.
This reduces the surface area of the cast resin by up to 48%, with a dramatic reduction in the grinding and polishing time required to reach the feature of interest.

Resin volumes to fill molds (nominal): 8mL, 15 mL, 20 mL compares favorably with 20 mL, 30 mL, 50 mL for standard molds.
These molds are compatible with any of our Embedding Resins.

#813-180 2″ diameter EDFA Mold. Shown with cast sample at right	Top down view of sample cast in 1.5″ EDFA Mold #813-179.