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FEI Company announced today that
scientists at the company's nanotechnology centre have broken the one
Angstrom image resolution barrier with a 200kV transmission electron
microscope (TEM). FEI believes that this is the
first time images can be directly viewed with a resolution of less than
one Angstrom using commercially available technologies. One Angstrom is
one-tenth of a nanometer in size, and a nanometer is one billionth of a
meter. One Angstrom is also approximately one-third the size of a
carbon atom and is a key dimension for atomic level research.
With the ability to attain direct artifact-free images of
atoms, the doors have been opened for researchers working in
nanotechnology development to explore materials at the highest
resolution ever. The sub-Angstrom resolution was achieved using FEI's Tecnai F20 ST transmission electron
microscope, using technologies which improve image resolution
with advanced electron optics capabilities developed by FEI and by its partner, CEOS
Company. This enables novel TEM techniques such as 3D reconstruction
with tomography, scanning probe applications, or in situ observation of
specimen responses to variations in temperature, stress or chemical
environment, all with sub-Angstrom resolutions.
Experts in nanotechnology have hailed the FEI achievement. "The successful
use of an electron beam monochromator to improve the resolution of a
Cs-corrected electron microscope marks a major milestone for the field
of electron microscopy," stated Dr. Michael O'Keefe of the National
Center of Electron Microscopy in Berkeley, California. "Theory has long
predicted that a monochromator would be able to push the resolution of
the super-twin lens beyond the 1.4A resolution demonstrated with Cs-
correction alone. However, the difficulties involved in implementation
of a monochromator without compromising the imaging qualities of the
electron beam are well-known. FEI deserves to be congratulated
for this outstanding achievement."
Prof. Dr. Hannes Lichte of the Faculty of Mathematics and
Natural Sciences, Institute of Structure Physics at Dresden University
in Germany, commented, "For the first time, the authors convincingly
show that in a Cs-corrected TEM by additional reduction of energy
spread using a gun monochromator, they extend the total information
limit to significantly better than 0.1nm. As evident from their
diffractograms, they are not far off the theoretical limit of about
0.07nm in at least some direction. Congratulations!"
"FEI remains the world leader in high resolution imaging and
an important enabler for the world's growing nanotechnology industry,"
said Vahe Sarkissian, FEI's chairman, president and
chief executive officer. "In every market we serve, we are delivering
the tools needed to research and develop new products and devices. Our
tools will continue to serve nano-driven markets as new products are
commercialized and high volume manufacturing requires process control
and diagnostics at the nanoscale."
Dr. Max Haider, co-founder and Managing Director of CEOS,
said, "A long-time ongoing dream, to achieve sub-Angstrom resolution,
has now been attained with a 200 kV TEM equipped with a Cs-corrector
(developed by CEOS) and a monochromator (developed by FEI). This success is the result
of the combination of advanced components into one instrument, to
attain an unprecedented level of resolution." CEOS (Corrected Electron
Optical Systems) Company of Heidelberg, Germany, is concentrating on
the development of advanced correction systems for high-resolution
electron microscopy.
"We are proud of this milestone which sets the stage for even
greater breakthroughs," said Dr. Rob Fastenau, senior vice president of
FEI's Electron Optics Division.
"This achievement is directly related to our proven commitment to
advanced electron microscopy. FEI was the first to combine TEM
with Cs-correctors in the late 90's, and FEI was the first in 2000 with
proven monochromator technology. Today, FEI is the first to combine these
advanced technologies in an-easy-to-use system that breaks the Angstrom
barrier."
Posted 31st March 2004