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Carl Zeiss
SMT Ships World’s First ORION™ Helium Ion Microscope to U.S.
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Other Topics: Nanotechnology Safety,
Biomarkers, Bioscience
Subsidiary
BUSINESS WIRE
July 17, 2007
Peabody, MA -- Carl Zeiss SMT Inc., a leading global provider
of electron- and ion-beam imaging and analysis equipment and
solutions for nanotechnology applications, today announced
that it has successfully shipped its first ORION™ Helium ion
microscope to the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD. The microscope, which
has already achieved site acceptance, uses proprietary new
technology developed by ALIS Corporation, a Peabody (MA) based
start-up company acquired by Carl Zeiss SMT in 2006. |
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“We
are extremely pleased to have achieved this remarkable
milestone in history: initiating a new era in microscopy by
shipping the world’s first commercial helium ion microscope,”
said Dirk Stenkamp, member of the Carl Zeiss SMT executive
board. “The fact that this instrument has been shipped to a
selected customer before its official market introduction
later this year clearly reveals the demand for this
breakthrough technology. We are especially pleased that the
first ORION™ microscope is destined for the NIST laboratories
where research at the limits of physics is carried out on a
daily basis.”
The ORION™ microscope is being delivered to the Precision
Engineering Division of the NIST Manufacturing Engineering
Laboratory and will be installed in the Advanced Measurement
Laboratory (AML). The AML, one of the most technically
advanced laboratory facilities in the world, features
stringent environmental controls to allow researchers to
conduct exacting measurements and develop standards for a wide
range of fields, such as nanotechnology, nanomanufacturing,
semiconductor electronics, and biotechnology.
According to Carl Zeiss SMT, this new breed of microscope is
expected to provide images of unrivalled ultra-high resolution
surface and material contrast, unachievable with
state-of-the-art technologies of today. The ORION™ scanning
ion microscope uses a beam of Helium ions, rather than
electrons typically used in scanning electron microscopes (SEM),
to generate the signals to be measured and imaged. Since
Helium ions can be focused into a substantially smaller probe
size and reveal a much stronger sample interaction compared to
electrons, the ORION™ system can generate higher resolution
images with greatly improved material contrast.
Bill Ward, principal inventor of the Helium ion microscope,
founder of ALIS Corporation and Chief Technologist at Carl
Zeiss SMT Inc., said, “This breakthrough in physics comes just
in time. Today’s scientists are facing problems they can’t
solve because they can’t see what they need to see. In
addition, traditional procedures for sample preparation are
slow, tedious and imprecise. Fortunately, the ORION™
microscope addresses these issues and will enable further
scientific advancements in a large number of fields, such as
semiconductor process control, life science applications and
materials analysis.”
About Carl Zeiss SMT AG
Carl Zeiss SMT utilizes its globally leading know-how in
light, electron and ion-optical technologies to offer its
customers in the manufacturing industry and R&D a broad
portfolio of products, services and application solutions. The
market-leading systems and solutions from Carl Zeiss SMT are
used in mutually strengthening fields of application in
nanotechnology such as semiconductor technology, materials
research and the life sciences. The global customer community
is constantly growing.
As the innovation leader for lithography optics, as well as
optical and particle-beam based inspection, analysis and
measuring systems, Carl Zeiss SMT opens up new avenues for its
customers in industrial manufacturing environments, quality
assurance and industrial and university R&D. Together with its
subsidiaries in Germany, England, France and the USA, the
international group of companies has approximately 2,400
employees.
In fiscal year 2005/06, Carl Zeiss SMT AG generated revenues
of over EUR 860 million. Carl Zeiss SMT AG is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Carl Zeiss AG. |
