Knowledge Base

Ar ion milling of specimens on carbon support grids The PicoMill system's scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) detector images of EXLO specimens from a 20 nm NAND solid-state drive device. Before (first row, left) and after (first row, right) concentrated Ar ion beam milling images show an intact specimen while parts of the perforated carbon support were milled off. Bright-field TEM imaging before...

Ultra-stable distribution of timing signals plays a key role in many scientific experiments and research facilities like free electrons lasers or radio-telescope arrays. Timing distribution via optical fiber is convenient and it enables connection of very distant devices separated by distances of hundred meters. Such optical links achieve distribution of RF signals with sub-femtosecond synchronization-level over years. We describe here...

Digitalization of data opens unprecedented opportunities in telecommunication, radar and signal processing. Almost all sensing systems in use today require analog signals to be converted to digital ones. Signal rates have grown at a rate that has outpaced electronic analog to digital conversion (ADC). This demand for higher bandwidth, speed or digitalization precision puts stringent requirements on the aperture jitter...

How Siemens and Semplor democratized SEM and shrank it to fit on a desk. Traditional scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) are large, expensive and complex pieces of lab equipment. To use, maintain and repair them would require specialized knowledge and skills few companies and research outlets have. This didn’t sit well with Semplor, makers of NANOS — an easy-to-use SEM the...

What is the basic idea in quantum mechanics that quantum computers use?Quantum computers take advantage of quantum mechanics, an extremely successful fundamental theory in physics that describes the behavior of very small objects, objects at the atomic level and smaller. The theory states that small objects aren’t made up of solid particles like billiard balls but are fundamentally wavelike. It...

High-resolution electron backscatter diffraction Backscatter electron contrast images (left) and elastic strain (Ɛxx normal strain component) maps (right) associated with the ɣ/ɣ’ interfaces in Ni-superalloy measured by high-resolution electron backscatter diffraction technique. Data were collected from the same area after mechanical polishing and after broad argon ion beam milling. High-resolution electron backscatter diffraction (HR-EBSD) strain measurements are very sensitive to...

HAROGIC Technologies, a company that develops miniaturized, high-performance RF test instruments, has introduced the SAE-200, a USB-based real-time spectrum analyser that operates from 9 kHz to 20 GHz with a 100 MHz bandwidth. It is an advanced RF instrument that meets the SWaP-C requirements - (S) Small Size, (W) Lightweight, weighs less than 200 g, (P) high-performance and (C) The unit costs £7,500...

Apex Technologies external cavity Littman tunable laser sources offer high performance across a wide tuning range, with high output power and high signal-to-noise ratio. Each laser chassis is designed to incorporate between 1 and 4 separate tunable laser options from the T-band to the extended C+L band. With each laser module covering a 110nm mode-hop-free tuning span and narrow linewidth...

Cross-section and plan view specimens from a GeTe-based phase change memory device prepared using the Xe plasma focused ion beam tool (Xe pFIB), followed by concentrated Ar ion beam milling. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) data from the cross-section specimen confirms the removal of Xe pFIB damage after Ar ion beam milling from the marked area (yellow rectangle) in the...

The Gimbal Piston® Air Isolator provides outstanding isolation in all directions for even the lowest input levels. It is lightly damped and highly responsive to typical, low-amplitude ambient floor vibrations, yet achieves very high damping for gross transient disturbances, such as sudden load changes or bumping the top plate. The result is that Gimbal Piston Isolators provide superior isolation yet...