The MAG*I*CAL™ Calibration Standard goes through a stringent quality control process during and after production which ensures that you will receive a high quality calibration standard. If you are having trouble making effective use of the MAG*I*CAL™, please go through the following steps and determine the cause.
Step 1: When the sample was sent, colours were visible (under an optional microscope) around the central perforation - 'white' (clear) nearest the hole, then yellow, orange, and increasingly deep shades of red. Are these colours still visible? If they are, the sample is probably undamaged.
Step 2: The central hole should be roughly circular or oblong. If this is so, the sample is probably undamaged. If the central perforation has angular, jagged edges, the sample has been damaged but the useful calibration area may still be intact.
Step 3: Have you looked at the MAG*I*CAL™ in the TEM? Did you carefully follow the instructions? Alignment is critical, and if you are not used to looking at the epoxy line where the two pieces of calibration material have been joined, then please note that the arrows point to the areas where the calibration-marks can be found. All you need is one! The extras are redundant. Move around the central perforation and find all four calibration-mark areas. You may need to adjust the sample tilt when you move over the epoxy line between the two pieces of calibration material. If none of the four areas is useful, the sample is damaged and should be returned.
Step 4: If the sample was damaged by handling, (e.g. poking tweezers through it, fracturing it while removing it from the container, dropping it and having pieces fracture off, etc.) the sample is not returnable.