FEI's Automated 3D Crystallography Featured at PITTCON
FEI's EBS3 fully-automated electron backscattered diffraction solution delivers rapid serial sectioning and 3D crystal orientation reconstructions of materials
HILLSBORO, Ore. /March 13, 2006--FEI Company (Nasdaq: FEIC) will feature its EBS3 DualBeam(TM) solution for rapid serial sectioning and 3D crystallographic reconstructions of materials at this week's Pittcon conference in Orlando. The fully integrated solution, utilizes an FEI DualBeam (FIB/SEM) system with an EBSD detector and advanced automation software.
EBS3 is an optimized extension to Slice and View technology pioneered by FEI. While Slice and View generates serial images for 3D image reconstruction, EBS3 also provides crystallographic information, including serial EBSD orientation maps for quantitative 3D grain reconstruction, using the crystal orientation of each individual voxel within the volume of interest. The automated data collection procedure includes accurate (re)positioning between the milling location and the EBSD location to accommodate the geometry requirements for both operations.
EBS3 was developed in collaboration with Prof Dr Hamish Fraser at Ohio State University and with HKL Technology (Oxford Instruments) as a strategic partner. The basic concept of EBS3 was first introduced by FEI in April 2004. Product development focused on a depth resolution similar to the lateral resolution (hundreds of slices) and on automated, unattended use for 60 hours or more. The first beta customers included Ohio State University, Gent University (Belgium) and, recently, University of Manchester (UK).
"EBS3 users are now able to obtain a wealth of crystallographic information from a sample, including the orientation, position, size and shape of grains and phases within internal interfaces as well as grain boundary related data. A 3D view of these characteristics was previously an extremely difficult and time consuming endeavor," said Hamish Fraser of OSU. "This will enhance research for 3D FE (finite element) modeling, alloy development, grain boundary engineering, and validation of stereological corrections. It will also result in faster development cycles for new nano-enabled materials."
Pittcon attendees can learn more about EBS3 and FEI's entire range of solutions for NanoResearch and Industry, NanoElectronics and NanoBiology by visiting the FEI booth (2045) at the Orange Country Convention Center in Orlando. Conference exhibit hours are 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday, March 13 through Wednesday March 15, and 9:00 am - 3:00 pm on Thursday, March 16.
About FEI
FEI's Tools for Nanotech(TM), featuring focused ion- and electron-beam technologies, deliver 3D characterization, analysis and modification capabilities with resolution down to the sub-Ã…ngstrom level and provide innovative solutions for customers working in NanoBiology, NanoResearch and NanoElectronics. With R&D centers in North America and Europe, and sales and service operations in more than 50 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. More information can be found on the FEI website at: www.fei.com.
Contact:
Dan Zenka, APR
Global Public Relations
FEI Company
+1 503 726 2695
dzenka@feico.com
