FEI, Hillsboro, OR, has introduced its new Helios NanoLab 450 F1 DualBeam system designed to provide faster, better images of their most advanced device architectures. A new STEM (scanning transmission electron microscope) detector delivers improved contrast between materials, and the new flip stage and rotating nanomanipulator support advanced preparation techniques for complex device architectures, such as finFETs and three-dimensional (3D) memory structures.

Dual beam instruments combine an SEM (scanning electron microscope) for imaging and a FIB (focused ion beam) for milling and deposition. Dual beams also provide STEM imaging capability by adding a detector for collecting transmitted electrons below the sample. An increasingly important application of dual beam instruments is the preparation of the ultra thin samples required for TEM analysis.

The Helios NanoLab 450 F1 is the most recent addition to FEI’s line of DualBeam systems. The FlipStage 3 quickly flips the sample between thinning and STEM viewing positions, and a new rotation axis permits viewing from either side of the section. The EasyLift nanomanipulator provides precise motorized sample manipulation, including rotation, to support automated "lift-out" and advanced preparation procedures, such as inverted thinning.