Work smaller. Work smarter. Work faster.
FEI systems and work processes are applied relentlessly in the search for vastly lighter, stronger and safer materials; more efficient fuels and fuel cell technologies; and a wide range of better, more efficient products used in myriad ways by consumers. In the forefront of nanoscale research, FEI works with university and institute scientists engaged in basic and applied research for materials science, process control and structural research applications.
The company's tools and processes for nanotech research provide specialists with the ability to measure physical, chemical, mechanical and electrical properties. Quantum leaps forward are possible when scientists can image, characterize, analyze and manipulate objects with nanoscale dimensions. By making the invisible visible, and by providing cutting-edge data collection and analytical techniques, FEI systems provide researchers with the ability to work smaller, work smarter and to work with more flexibility.
For researchers at universities and institutes, FEI application processes deliver tremendous value through faster time to discovery and shorter collection and analysis cycles.
Applications
Research applications typically performed with FEI systems and tools include the following:
3D NanoCharacterization
The latest SEM, DualBeam, aberration-corrected and monochromated S/TEM imaging and spectroscopic capabilities already give outstanding performance, but nanocharacterization moves to an altogether new level with 3D techniques. DualBeam technology combines electron and ion beam processing and imaging that affords 3D visualization down to the nanoscale, while S/TEM tomography goes beyond the state-of-the art with 3D reconstruction at the nanoscale and the possibility to go down to the atomic level. And it doesn’t stop there. Analytical techniques such as electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), x-ray microanalysis (EDS) and energy filtered TEM (EFTEM) can all be extended to three dimensions, giving a world of new information on the inter-relationships between heterogeneous media.
3D Nanoprototyping
Nanoprotyping is a fast, simple way to design, fabricate and test small-scale structures and devices using either an electron beam or focused ion beam to modify the specimen, and involves site-specific milling, lithography or chemical vapor deposition at the nanoscale. The combination of world-leading optics, high-precision beam patterning, accurate stage movements and the widest range of gas injector processes available add up to the delivery of high-quality 3D nanoprototyped structures. User-friendly protocols and software, built on a wealth of experience, help to give rapid, repeatable results, even for the most challenging substrates.
in situ NanoProcesses
The electron microscope has truly evolved into a lab in a chamber. ESEM, DualBeam and ETEM technologies allow the introduction of gases and a variety of stages for heating and cooling (plus micromanipulators and injectors), this potentially allows a host of in situ processes to be investigated, including those at the atomic level. This opens the way to the development of a more fundamental understanding of chemical and physical phenomena, helping us to visualize and correlate the structure, property and function of materials as they undergo processes such as catalysis, oxidation, reduction, polymerization, deformation, thermally induced phase transformations and much, much more.