Researchers from TU Wien, Austria, and the University of Vienna have recently unraveled the complex structure of the Al2O3 surface, a puzzle that had eluded precise determination for over half a century.
Continue reading
Oxford Instruments Asylum Research (Santa Barbara, Calif.) announced that its next-generation Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), Vero, has received three prestigious awards.
Continue reading
Imagine a camera so powerful it could take freeze-frame photographs of a moving electron—an object traveling so fast it could circle the Earth many times in a matter of a second. Researchers at the University of Arizona have developed the world’s fastest electron microscope that can do just that.
Continue reading
Oxford Instruments plc, United Kingdom, a leading provider of high technology products and services to industry and scientific research communities, completed the acquisition of FemtoTools AG, Switzerland. The acquisition was first announced on 11 June 2024, and has been completed following the satisfactory conclusion of closing conditions.
FemtoTools specializes in measuring and imaging the properties (primarily the hardness and stiffness) of materials for research and semiconductor applications at very high resolution via a technique called nanoindentation. It joins Oxford Instruments’ Imaging & Analysis division, where its products will be sold in conjunction with the Group’s existing range of materials analysis tools, including electron microscope micro-analyzers and Raman microscopes.
Richard Tyson, chief executive officer, Oxford Instruments plc, said: “We are delighted to have completed the acquisition of FemtoTools. We welcome our new colleagues and look forward to working with them to integrate nanoindentation – a new technique to Oxford Instruments – into our extensive portfolio of materials analysis capabilities.”
Christian Lang, managing director, Materials Analysis, Oxford Instruments plc, said: “We’re so pleased that the FemtoTools team have chosen to join Oxford Instruments. We’ve had a number of very positive meetings since the announcement and are already making plans for our future together.
“I’m looking forward to integrating FemtoTools’ brilliant technology into our wider product range, and to working with this talented group of people.”
Felix Beyeler, co-founder of FemtoTools, said: “The team and I are very excited for the journey ahead as part of Oxford Instruments. Working together will enable us to extend the reach of our technology and provide even richer analysis to our combined customer base. We’re also looking forward to learning from the hugely experienced Oxford Instruments team.”
For more information:
Oxford Instruments plc
https://www.oxinst.com
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory joined with Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., to identify collaborative areas in technology and research as a springboard for new joint microelectronics projects, taking a multidisciplinary approach to studying everything from materials and devices to software and manufacturing techniques.
Continue reading
Shimadzu Corp. has finalized a business partnership agreement with TESCAN GROUP, a leading manufacturer of scanning electron microscopes (SEM) in the Czech Republic. TESCAN’s SEM will be added to Shimadzu’s core analytical measurement product lineup. The product will be launched in Japan this fall, creating synergies with existing analytical and measurement.
Continue reading
The University of Sydney’s School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering has introduced a new way to decode the atomic relationships within materials. Their new microscopy method has allowed researchers to detect tiny changes in the atomic-level architecture of crystalline materials—like advanced steels for ship hulls and custom silicon for electronics. The technique could advance our ability to understand the fundamental origins of material properties and behavior.
Continue reading
NEOTech, Chatsworth, Calif., a leading provider of electronic manufacturing services, design engineering, and supply chain solutions in the high-tech industrial, medical device, and aerospace/defense markets, announced a significant investment in and acquisition of state-of-the-art three-dimensional Computed Tomography scan equipment for its engineering laboratory.
Continue reading
A new computer vision technique developed by MIT engineers significantly speeds up the characterization of newly synthesized electronic materials.
Continue reading
A team of New York University (NYU) researchers has created a new way to visualize crystals by peering inside their structures, similar to having x-ray vision. Their new technique—named Crystal Clear—combines the use of transparent particles and microscopes with lasers that allow scientists to see each unit that makes up the crystal and to create dynamic three-dimensional models.
Continue reading
Beta (β)-type titanium (Ti) alloys are renowned for their strength, formability, and resistance to harsh environments, making them ideal for implants and prosthetics. However, under certain conditions, a brittle omega phase can form, making the material prone to breaking. While it is known that adding tin (Sn) negates this, and makes β-type Ti alloys stronger, the exact mechanics behind this continued to puzzle scientists. That is until researchers recently discovered a metallurgical cocktail effect to explain it.
Continue reading
TESCAN GROUP, a.s., Czech Republic, completed its acquisition of TESCAN KOREA, Ltd. and Daeil Microanalysis Laboratory, after two decades of successful collaboration consolidating efforts to better serve the Korean customers and market, particularly in the semiconductor domain.
Continue reading
NSL Analytical Services, Cleveland, Ohio, an independent analytical and metallurgical testing services company serving U.S. and global customers, announces a significant milestone in its growth trajectory with the relocation of one of its two Cleveland-area testing laboratories and the addition of high-temperature stress rupture testing to its offerings.
Continue reading
Scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, Calif., delved into the mysterious world of pitting corrosion in additively manufactured (3D-printed) stainless steel 316L in seawater. Stainless steel 316L is a popular choice for marine applications due to its excellent combination of mechanical strength and corrosion resistance. This holds even more true after 3D printing, but even this resilient material isn’t immune to the scourge of pitting corrosion. The LLNL team used transmission electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to do a deep-dive microscopy study to figure out what could potentially be responsible for corrosion.
Continue reading
To address the needs of the rapidly growing battery market, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, Mass., introduced the Thermo Scientific LInspector Edge In-line Mass Profilometer, which delivers full-width electrode mass loading measurement and provides battery manufacturers with the data needed to make better, safer batteries, more efficiently.
Continue reading
The first plasma-focused ion beam (FIB) scanning electron microscope (SEM) in Finland has just become operational at VTT in Espoo, Finland. This multi-million investment will significantly contribute to materials research for applications such as hydrogen economy, microelectronics, and the marine industry, as well as to material damage investigation.
Continue reading
Atomic force microscopy (AFM), is a widely used technique that can quantitatively map material surfaces in three dimensions, although its accuracy is limited by the size of the microscope’s probe. A new artificial intelligence (AI) technique overcomes this limitation and allows microscopes to resolve material features smaller than the probe’s tip.
Continue reading
Researchers at the University of Surrey, England, University of Cambridge, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xidian University, and Zhengzhou University, China, built a new kind of two-faced (bifacial) solar panel using single-walled carbon nanotubes as both front and back electrodes that are the highest efficiency single junction solar cells to date.
Continue reading
The Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Germany is showcasing the second generation of its user-friendly laser-induced surface wave spectroscopy technology, called LAwave, at the “Control” trade fair in April 2024, facilitating the transition of this research-proven technology into industrial applications.
Continue reading
QuesTek Innovations, LLC, Evanston, Ill., the primary operating arm of QuesTek International, announced its formal selection as a Technology Partner by Ansys, Canonsburg Pa.
Continue reading
The Nikon Industrial Metrology Business Unit, out of Europe, has released AI Reconstruction, an innovative 3D computed tomography (CT) reconstruction software solution powered by artificial intelligence that lifts the traditional trade-off between scan speed and image quality.
Continue reading
A research team led by Prof. Lu Qingyou from Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) achieved a breakthrough by creating a unique magnetic force microscope (MFM) that can image air-sensitive materials without requiring surface protection coatings. The successful development of this glovebox-assisted MFM system marks a significant advancement in scientific instrumentation.
Continue reading
A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Delaware’s Center for Composite Materials (CCM) and DuPont Specialty Products, Wilmington, Del., now provides insights about a composite material that can be used to make thin, flexible and durable circuit boards.
Continue reading
Scientists from ARCI, an autonomous institution of the Department of Science and Technology, India, found a new technique of synthesizing thin hard surface coatings by high velocity air fuel spraying has the potential of emerging as an environmentally-friendly safer alternative to hard chrome plating used in on car parts, tools, and kitchen utensils.
Continue reading
Researchers at the Technical University of Darmstadt are investigating the ageing processes in materials. For the first time, they have measured the ticking of an internal clock in glass. When evaluating the data, they discovered a surprising phenomenon.
Continue reading
Scientists at the South China University of Technology have created a new porous ceramic that is ultrastrong at elevated temperatures and simultaneously high thermal insulating, two properties needed for making the shell of hypersonic aircraft.
Continue reading
In a new study conducted by University College London researchers, ancient bricks inscribed with the names of Mesopotamian kings have yielded important insights into a mysterious anomaly in Earth’s magnetic field 3,000 years ago.
Continue reading
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Wash., found that adding a small amount of solid carbon to copper boosts its ability to conduct electricity—industry applications abound.
Continue reading
AMETEK Gatan, Inc., Pleasanton, Calif., a global leader focused on enhancing and extending the operation and productivity of electron microscopes, launched Monarc Pro T system that reveals structural, optical, and electric properties of materials at the nanosale by enabling optically-coupled experiments in transmission electron microscopes.
Continue reading
Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan used artificial intelligence to discover a new method to understand dislocations in polycrystalline materials, materials widely used in information equipment, solar cells, and electronic devices, that can reduce their efficiency.
Continue reading
