New Titan(TM) (S)TEM, With Resolution Below 0.7 Angstrom, Surpasses Previous
World Record Performance for Commercial Systems
HILLSBORO, Ore., April 18 /PRNewswire/ -- FEI today announced its new
scanning/transmission electron microscope (S/TEM), the Titan(TM)
80-300, dedicated to corrected microscopy. The new (S)TEM system is the
world's most advanced commercially-available microscope, yielding atomic-scale
imaging with resolution below 0.7 Angstrom. The Titan announcement comes just
one year after FEI became the first developer and manufacturer of commercial
electron microscopes to achieve sub-Angstrom resolution on FEI's
market-leading Tecnai(TM) microscope using a monochromator and an aberration
corrector.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050418/SFM050 )
Until now, aberration correction technologies in electron microscopes have
been treated as accessory components for (S)TEM systems that were not truly
optimized for this type of advanced technology. Thus, the integration of
these types of correctors for breaking the next resolution barrier and for
high usability has been met with limited success.
The all-new Titan 80-300 is designed as a dedicated and highly-upgradeable
aberration-corrected system that will enable corrector and monochromator
technology to enter into mainstream nanotechnology research and industrial
markets. The Titan (S)TEM system features unparalleled overall stability to
break the 1-Angstrom barrier. Results from FEI's Nanoport in The Netherlands
deliver Titan TEM information limits below 0.7 Angstrom and STEM resolution
just below 1.0 Angstrom, without the addition of aberration corrector upgrades
-- an achievement that has never before been demonstrated on a commercial
tool. Corrector upgrades can be added for higher resolution, extending the
point resolution down to the information limit for accurate interpretation of
atomic structures.
The Titan 80-300 has been rigorously evaluated by several leading
researchers and customers under Non-Disclosure Agreements. The system will be
fully available for demonstrations after Titan's official launch at the 2005
Microscopy and Microanalysis meeting, August 1-4, in Honolulu.
The upgradeable design of the Titan enables not only larger nanotechnology
and national research centers to afford dedicated aberration corrected TEM
technology, it opens the door to universities and companies with staged funds
to position themselves for the future. FEI has received several advance orders
for the new Titan (S)TEM ranging from the base Titan 80-300 to the Titan
80-300 with two aberration correctors and a monochromator. FEI's
award-winning and record breaking Tecnai G2 TEM will continue to be marketed
and supported for customers who do not need aberration-corrected resolution.
New developments and products for this proven platform will also be introduced
at the 2005 Microscopy and Microanalysis meeting.
"The Titan 80-300 is a significant platform for the nanotechnology era.
It provides our customers a solid foundation for continued innovation and
commercialization. FEI's continuing advances in ultra-high TEM resolution,
coupled with our market-leading focused ion beam (FIB) technologies, deliver
powerful and vital tools for researchers, developers and manufacturers who are
increasingly focused on nanoscale discovery and product commercialization,"
commented Vahe Sarkissian, FEI's chairman and chief executive officer. "As the
world's leader in providing Tools for Nanotech(TM), FEI will continue to
invest in the development of these key technologies and market platforms."
"The initial market response for this advanced technology has been very
strong," said George Scholes, general manager of FEI's (S)TEM business line.
"For wide commercialization of this technology we designed the base system
with a superior level of upgradeability so customers can add an aberration
corrector, on site at a later date. This will enable customers to obtain
resolution and capability they need today, knowing that they can expand the
system's resolution limits as their requirements change."
Advance orders for the new Titan(TM) (S)TEM have been in markets ranging
from advanced materials, energy, and semiconductors, to advanced
nanotechnology research centers in Europe and North America. FEI believes
that the Titan will also be a powerful addition to FEI's UltraView(TM) suite
of sample management tools that takes NanoElectronics customers rapidly from
wafers to atoms with sub-Angstrom resolution.
The introduction of the Titan is just one illustration of FEI's leadership
in electron microscopy and its ability to accelerate the resolution
revolution. In a November 2004 news release, FEI announced that it was
selected as the R&D partner for a program aiming to build the highest
resolution scanning/transmission electron microscope (S/TEM) in the world by
several regional U.S. laboratories that combined to form the TEAM project. It
is a multi-million dollar microscopy project that calls for a new microscope
that should enable extraordinary new scientific opportunities for direct
observation aimed at enabling analysis of individual nanostructures at an
unprecedented resolution of 0.5 Angstrom -- approximately one-third the size
of a carbon atom.
About FEI
FEI's Tools for Nanotech(TM), featuring focused ion- and electron-beam
technologies, deliver 3D characterization, analysis and modification
capabilities with resolution down to the sub-Angstrom level. With R&D centers
in North America and Europe and sales and service operations in more than 40
countries around the world, FEI is bringing the nanoscale within the grasp of
leading researchers and manufacturers and helping to turn some of the biggest
ideas of this century into reality. More information can be found on the FEI
website at: http://www.feicompany.com .
This news release contains forward-looking statements that include
statements about future product capability and advanced development program.
Factors that could affect these forward-looking statements include but are not
limited to, the inability of FEI, its suppliers or project partners to make
the technology advances required to achieve the capability described or
consummate the project described; changes to or cancellation of the project
described; problems arising during execution of the project or the product
development that delay it or cause results to vary from the anticipated
results; unforeseen technology challenges; and failure of a key supplier or
project partner delays in development funding or customer demand that in turn
results in the delayed development. Please also refer to our Form 10-K, Forms
10-Q and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for
additional information on these factors and other factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. FEI
assumes no duty to update forward-looking statements.
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