Nanotech toolmaker FEI Co. of Hillsboro, Ore., announced that global chemical company BASF has ordered its Strata 400, which has a focused ion beam for nanoscale milling and deposition and a scanning electron microscope for ultrahigh resolution imaging below 100 nm. BASF said it will use the instrument for research and development projects including: developing nanostructured coatings to prevent algae and mollusks from colonizing on ship hulls, creating products that can reduce the emission of CO2 gases from power generating stations and creating products to detect, monitor and characterize nanoparticles as part of a European Union research project called NanoSafe. . . . Cleveland-based Keithley Instruments Inc., a maker of measurement products, announced that its Model 4200 semiconductor characterization system used by engineers involved in nanotech materials research conforms to the just-released IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) standard for testing the electrical resistivity, conductivity, carrier mobility and non-linear behaviors of carbon nanotubes. The standard, created with input from industry (including Keithley), academia and the government, gives nanotechnologists a uniform set of recommended testing and data reporting procedures for carbon nanotubes. A carbon nanotube is a cylindrical carbon molecule that displays properties for creating low-power consumption electronic devices on an atomic level and can act as a biological or chemical sensing device in some applications. . . . OmniVision Technologies Inc., a supplier of CMOS image sensors with headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif., announced a strategic relationship with LG Electronics to be the preferred supplier for its fast growing camera phone business. To support the global phone supplier, OmniVision said it will expand its Korean operations by hiring more staff and working with partners to ensure capacity for 2006. OmniVision expects to supply camera chips for over half of LG's estimated 22 million camera phone shipments this year.