Oxford Nanoscience announces continuing success in the sale of its 3DAP thtree-dimensional atom probes into Japan
Five of these high value research instruments have been delivered over a 15 month period, and a sixth is due for delivery in November 2004.
3DAP is said to be unique in nanoscale materials analysis through its ability to visualise the exact arrangement of atoms in conductive material samples and to simultaneously chemically identify them.
This is achieved by evaporating the sample atom by atom and layer by layer, enabling the structure below the surface also to be revealed.
Sales of 3DAP have been to a variety of organisations in Japan: the National Institute of Materials Science (purchased two instruments), the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (Criepi), Tokyo Institute of Technology (Titech), Tohoku University, and Nippon Steel.
Oxford Nanoscience managing director Richard Davies said: "3DAP has really come of age over the last few years. "Now a fully commercially available product which has recently benefitted from a new, patented position sensitive detector, 3DAP is no longer restricted to a small number of high class university research groups.
"Industry is realising that the measurements 3DAP can offer simply cannot be obtained by any other technique.
"To generate such a high user base in such a short space of time in Japan is an added boost for us. "Japan's reputation for excellence in materials science is well established".
Applications for 3DAP in Japan include investigations of high strength aluminium alloys and in particular aluminium oxide cluster formation and investigations of decay in weld material used in cooling circuits in nuclear reactors.
Work done by Nippon Steel using 3DAP investigating the very fine precipitates formed in nitriding steels won the Best Poster accolade at the recent 49th International Field Emission Symposium held at Graz in Austria.
