FEI Company,
a leading provider of high-resolution imaging and analysis systems, today announced
the selection of its Titan(3(TM)) 80-300 scanning/transmission electron microscope
(S/TEM) by the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Japan's sole
independent administrative institution specializing in materials science.
NIMS is charged with carrying out fundamental research and generic/infrastructural
technology research and development in the field of materials science, and with
improving the level of materials science and technology. The NIMS system will
be one of the world's most powerful commercially available S/TEMs ever built.
Installation is planned for 2010 at the Tsukuba, Japan-based Advanced Nano-Characterization
Center.
The selection concludes an exhaustive and highly-competitive evaluation that
included products from the world's leading electron microscope manufacturers,
two of which are based in Japan. FEI attributed its success to the superior
technical performance of its advanced aberration correction and monochromator
technologies and stability of the Titan(3) enclosure. The Titan will enable
NIMS researchers to create images that not only resolve individual atom columns,
but also identify the atomic species in those columns.
"The Titan offers unique capabilities that are critical to achieving our
most advanced imaging goals," said Koji Kimoto, NIMS senior researcher.
"One of the most important applications for the new instrument will be
element-specific imaging of individual atomic columns in crystalline materials.
Performance in this application depends fundamentally on achieving the greatest
current in the smallest spot with the least energy spread, and maximizing stability
within the timeframe of the acquisition." Kimoto adds, "Stability
of the stage, scanning system, and beam energy were key evaluation criteria.
In the end, we are confident that the Titan will help us meet our research objectives."
"This was a thorough evaluation including the world's leading electron
microscope manufacturers," said Benjamin Loh, executive vice president
of FEI. "Although the selection was based primarily on technical performance,
we believe our own long history of local dedicated support and excellent service
was also an essential consideration. We look forward to working with NIMS to
deliver one of the world's most powerful, commercially-available S/TEM systems
ever."
The Titan's aberration correction enables more current in a smaller spot for
higher spatial resolution, better signal to noise ratios and acceptable acquisition
times. The system's monochromator allows the user to resolve very small differences
in the energy loss spectra used to identify the atoms. The Titan's X-FEG electron
source contributes to superior spatial and spectral performance. Together, these
are some of the Titan's advanced capabilities that help provide sub-A...ngstrAm,
atomic-scale spatial resolution in both STEM and TEM imaging and the highest
achievable energy resolution. The Titan(3) also includes an innovative enclosure
that significantly reduces environmental interference, providing greater stability
and eliminating the need for many expensive lab improvements.