FEI expands Titan G2 series of microscopes

'We have created a microscope that can deliver atomic resolution elemental maps in minutes and adds new capabilities in addressing our customers' applications in materials science, chemistry and nanotechnology,' said Trisha Rice, vice-president and general manager of of FEI's research business unit.

Dr Paul Kotula of Sandia National Laboratories, one of FEI's customers, said: 'Our institute chose the FEI Titan G2 80-200 due to its innovative combination of the latest in probe correction technology and large solid-angle, windowless, silicon-drift X-ray detectors.

'We estimate that we will gain a factor of 50 to 100 in terms of analytical sensitivity, speed and spatial resolution combined, over our existing FEG analytical electron microscope.

'Once the domain only of electron energy loss spectrometry, atomic resolution microanalysis with X-rays gives us access to more of the periodic table and the possibility to use existing quantification methods to routinely analyse many materials at the highest resolution and sensitivity needed,' he added.

Sandia National Laboratory will soon receive its Titan G2 80-200 with Chemistem technology - the first such system to be installed in North America.

Rice continued: 'This new microscope benefits from all the innovations of the Titan G2 series, including the X-FEG high-brightness gun and the next-generation DCOR probe corrector, achieving spatial resolution of 0.8 angstroms in SEM and 0.9 angstroms in TEM, while still maintaining a large, more flexible working space in the sample area, enabling applications requiring high-specimen tilt angles.

'For example, this large tilt range, when combined with Chemistem technology's symmetrically distributed 4-SDD detector architecture, permits EDX tomography.

'Thus, for the first time ever, 3D elemental composition can be obtained with standard FIB-prepared lamella samples mounted in standard holders in an SEM/TEM,' she added.