Titan scanning transmission electron microscope (S/Tem), the world's most powerful commercially-available microscope, has earned four prestigious awards for its design, performance and innovation
Awards include the coveted iF Design Award bestowed by the International Design Forum (iF) in Hannover, Germany, and the Innovative Product of the Year Award presented by the Oregon Tech Awards in the United States.
The Titan S/Tem was also selected by editorial boards as one of the Top Products of 2005 by Solid State Technology magazine and one of the Greatest Hits of 2005 by Micro magazine.
Known throughout the world as one of the most prestigious distinctions for manufacturers, the iF Product Design Award is presented in recognition of superior product design.
Like the Idea (industrial design excellence awards) in the United States, the iF awards represent the best product design in Europe.
Winning products are selected from more than 2000 entrants in more than 30 countries and are judged on several levels, including design quality, material compatibility, innovation, environmental consideration, convenience, stability and durability.
"We are extremely honoured to receive these recognitions from the industry," said George Scholes, FEI's vice president who led the Titan development team.
"The Titan's sub-angstrom resolution, high stability, reliability and overall ease-of-use have set a new standard for aberration-corrected S/Tem imaging, and customer reaction to the Titan has been very favourable.
"Its performance and flexibility are designed to meet the ultra-high resolution requirements for our customers working in nanoresearch and industry, and nanoelectronics for many years to come.
"The new platform also holds promise for the growing number of advanced application in nanobiology and pharmaceutical development".
The Titan microscope enables deep sub-angstrom resolution making way for the highest performance available in both transmission electron microscopy (Tem) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (Stem) modes.
The import of ultra-high resolution imaging continues to grow as advanced research work continues deep into the nanoscale, semiconductor manufacturers push beyond the 45nm node for design and manufacturing, and government regulatory agencies around the world see a growing need to characterise the smallest of nano-particles.
The first Titan S/Tems were installed in the second half of 2005.
Additional installations are currently underway around the world and FEI is increasing production to keep up with demand.
The iF Design Awards, which were established in 1954, are supervised by the International Design Forum (iF) in Hannover, Germany.
iF has acquired an international reputation as a leading industrial design institution.
iF is committed to supporting the cause of industrial design and raising awareness among industrial decision-makers on the crucial impact that design can have on successful product marketing.
FEI's Tools for Nanotech, featuring focused ion- and electron-beam technologies, deliver 3D characterisation, analysis and modification capabilities with resolution down to the sub-angstrom level.
With R+D centres 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.
