FEI Co. of Hillsboro, Ore., is launching its Helios NanoLab DualBeam focused ion beam and scanning electron microscope at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2006, being held this week in Chicago. The Helios NanoLab features a new ultrahigh-resolution field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM) column combined with FEI's Sidewinder focused ion beam (FIB) column and gas chemistries to provide new levels of imaging resolution and contrast in a DualBeam system. It delivers enhanced stability and optimized operation in a wide range of parameters. The new small DualBeam platform enables three-dimensional characterization, analysis and image reconstruction applications, nanoprototyping (fabrication and testing) capabilities and high-quality sample prep abilities for researchers and developers. With its advanced sample preparation capabilities, the Helios NanoLab complements FEI's Titan S/TEM microscope. It enables fast and precise preparation of the thinnest S/TEM (transmission electron microscope) samples with little damage to samples. FEI also announced today that scientists at its Europe NanoPort product and applications center, based in Eindoven, the Netherlands, have broken an image-resolution barrier with the its Titan 80-300 corrected S/TEM. For the first time, directly interpretable TEM images with atomic resolution better than 1.4 Ångström were obtained at the low operating voltage of 80 kV, FEI said. Direct atomic resolution at 80 kV was obtained for various classes of materials: gold nanoparticles, silicon and single-wall carbon nanotubes. The smallest atomic distance resolved was the well-known silicon dumbbell distance of 1.36 Ångström. These new findings will be presented in a scientific presentation at thr Microscopy & Microanalysis 2006 conference. The milestone results were achieved on a Titan 80-300 equipped with an aberration corrector. The Titan is designed as a dedicated and upgradeable aberration-corrected system. The corrector, developed by CEOS GmbH in close collaboration with FEI, allows for significant resolution improvement and removal of artifacts that normally hamper direct interpretation of images. For more information, visit: www.fei.comFEI Co.5350 NE Dawson Creek DriveHillsboro, Ore. 97124Phone: (503) 726-7500Fax: (503) 726-2615