FEI has launched the Nova NanoSEM 50 series of ultra-high-resolution scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) for advanced material science, prototyping and lithography applications.
The series offers imaging down to the nanometre level, high beam current for fast and precise analysis, and low-vacuum capability to extend the range of sample types and minimise preparation requirements.
In low vacuum, the Nova NanoSEM can examine highly insulating samples up to nearly the same resolution that can be achieved in high vacuum, with little or no preparation, eliminating artifacts and saving time.
The Nova NanoSEM 50 series inherits features from previous Nova NanoSEM instruments, including proven beam deceleration and low-vacuum capabilities (including the Helix detector for high-contrast, low-noise imaging).
The Nova NanoSEM 50 series' integrated sample and chamber cleaning solutions - critical for low kV high-resolution imaging - and its advanced and intuitive sample navigation and user interface debuted on the Quanta and Magellan SEMs.
Its universal large-chamber, 16-bit scan engine and scanning strategies, as well as the high-precision stage, were first deployed in the Nova and Helios Nanolab Dualbeam systems.
The Nova NanoSEM 50 series introduces a new suite of detectors, retractable and in-lens, for optimised secondary electron (SE) backscattered electron (BSE), and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) signal collection and filtering.
The Nova NanoSEM 450 is ideally suited for advanced material science applications.
Its 110mm stage with up to 75-deg motorised tilt accepts a range of sample sizes and configurations, and permits electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis without pre-tilted holders.
The Nova NanoSEM 650 offers a high-precision 150mm piezo-electric stage for fast-precise navigation, providing 100 per cent coverage of 6in wafers or masks, and substantial coverage of 8in samples.
Fast beam blanking, integrated 16-bit pattern generator, and a variety of beam chemistries for e-beam deposition make it ideal for prototyping and lithography applications.
Both instruments provide 1nm resolution at 15 kV, 1.4nm at 1 kV, and beam currents up to 200nA.
