FEI Company
(Nasdaq:FEIC), a leading scientific instrumentation company providing electron
microscope systems for nanoscale applications across many industries, announced
today the availability of its new Nova(TM) NanoSEM 50 Series of ultra-high resolution
scanning electron microscopes (UHR SEMs). It is designed to provide industry-leading,
nanometer-scale resolution and ultra-precise analysis on the widest range of
samples. Initial shipments are planned for the fourth quarter of this year.
"This newest generation of the well-established Nova NanoSEM offers a
unique combination of capabilities unequalled by any other UHR SEM," said
George Scholes, FEI's Research Division vice president and general manager.
"In one instrument, you get imaging down to the nanometer level, high beam
current for fast and precise analysis, and low vacuum capability to extend the
range of sample types and minimize preparation requirements. Customers no longer
have to choose between ultra-high resolution (at high and low kV) and analytical
performance. The Nova NanoSEM makes no compromise--it delivers both in one system."
In low vacuum, the Nova NanoSEM can examine highly insulating samples, up to
nearly the same resolution that can be achieved in high vacuum, with little
or no preparation, eliminating artifacts and saving time.
The Nova NanoSEM 50 Series builds on the success of previous Nova NanoSEM instruments,
and adds technological innovations from FEI's other industry-leading product
families:
- It inherits its proven beam deceleration and low vacuum capabilities
(including the Helix detector for unequalled high-contrast, low-noise
imaging) from previous-generation Nova NanoSEMs.
- Its integrated sample & chamber cleaning solutions, critical for low
kV
high-resolution imaging, and its advanced and intuitive sample
navigation and user interface, debuted on the Quanta(TM) and
Magellan(TM) SEMs.
- And its universal large chamber, 16-bit scan engine and latest scanning
strategies, as well as the high-precision stage, were first deployed in
the Nova and Helios(TM) NanoLab DualBeam(TM) systems.
- The Nova NanoSEM 50 Series introduces a new suite of detectors,
retractable and in-lens, for optimized secondary electron (SE),
backscattered electron (BSE), and scanning transmission electron
microscopy (STEM) signal collection and filtering.
The Nova NanoSEM 450 is ideally suited for advanced material science applications.
Its 110 mm stage with up to 75-degree motorized tilt accepts a wide range of
sample sizes and configurations, and permits electron back-scattered diffraction
(EBSD) analysis without pre-tilted holders.
The Nova NanoSEM 650 offers a high-precision 150 mm piezo-electric stage for
fast, precise navigation, providing 100-percent coverage of six-inch wafers
or masks, and substatial coverage of eight-inch samples. Fast beam blanking,
integrated 16-bit pattern generator, and a variety of beam chemistries for e-beam
deposition, make it ideal for prototyping and lithography applications. Both
instruments provide 1 nm resolution at 15 kV, 1.4 nm at 1 kV, and beam currents
up to 200 nA.