FEI Introduces Three New Transmission Electron Microscopy Systems for Semiconductor and Scientific Research

FEI today introduced three new systems that tailor the power of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to specific application and industry needs. The new systems launched today provide efficient and effective application-specific workflows for semiconductor manufacturing and scientific research. They include the new Metrios™ TEM for advanced semiconductor manufacturing metrology, Talos™ TEM that provides high-speed imaging and analysis for materials and life sciences applications, and the Titan™ Themis™ TEM for enhanced atomic-scale measurements of material properties.

“With these three systems we have now introduced an unprecedented total of six new TEMs in the past year,” said Benjamin Loh, FEI’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. “All six have been designed and built to provide an application-specific workflow that delivers contextual information of immediate value to users in science and industrial market segments, including: materials science, chemicals, life sciences, and semiconductor manufacturing. Our goal is to completely change the world of TEM so our customers can change their world as well.”

The Metrios system is the first TEM dedicated to providing the fast, precise measurements that semiconductor manufacturers need to develop and control their wafer fabrication processes. Extensive automation of the basic TEM operation and measurement procedures minimizes requirements for specialized operator training. Its advanced automated metrology delivers greater precision than manual methods. The Metrios TEM is designed to provide customers with improved throughput and lower cost-per-sample than other TEMs.

The Talos TEM combines high-resolution, high-throughput TEM imaging with fast, precise and quantitative energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) analysis to deliver advanced analytical performance with class-leading value. The new TEM is available with FEI’s highest brightness electron source and latest EDX detector technology to provide high-efficiency detection of low concentration and light elements, along with FEI’s exclusive 3D EDS tomography. Excellent performance at lower accelerating voltages permits the use of lower beam energies to reduce sample damage on delicate materials. The Talos platform is completely digital, allowing for remote operation, and it also enables the addition of application-specific detectors or sample holders for dynamic experiments. With enhanced automation and ease-of-use, the Talos is especially well-suited for the individual investigator as well as multi-user laboratory environments.

The Titan Themis TEM extends FEI’s leadership position in aberration-corrected, atomic-scale imaging and analysis. Researchers use the high resolution of aberration-corrected TEM to understand relationships between a material’s larger-scale physical properties and its atomic-scale composition and structure. The Titan Themis platform enables direct measurements of properties, such as magnetic fields, on the nanometer-length scale and electric fields even down to the atomic scale. Automation of the complete TEM workflow, from sample navigation and alignment through final data acquisition, enhances the repeatability and reproducibility of results to enable more confident conclusions with less time and effort.

Visit FEI at the Microscopy & Microanalysis Conference, August 4-8, 2013, taking place in Indianapolis, IN, USA.