HILLSBORO, Ore. and SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain, May 11, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FEI Company (Nasdaq:FEIC), a leading scientific instrumentation company, and the Basque Nanoscience Cooperative Research Center nanoGUNE Consolider, are pleased to announce the installation of three new advanced electron microscope systems from FEI. nanoGUNE now has the world's most advanced commercially-available microscope, the Titan™ scanning transmission electron microscope (S/TEM); a Quanta™ FEG (field emission gun); and a Helios NanoLab™ DualBeam™ nanofabrication tool in its new facility. The inauguration of this new laboratory, which will be focused on nanoscience and nanotechnology research, is a key milestone in the development of the research strategy of nanoGUNE and a grand opening event will be held in San Sebastian in June 2011.
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"This is very exciting for nanoGUNE, and for the Basque Country, because the installation of the Titan S/TEM will place nanoGUNE at the leading edge of electron microscopy facilities around the world," said Professor Jose M. Pitarke, Director of nanoGUNE.
Tony Edwards, FEI's senior vice president, states, "We are pleased to have entered into an agreement that establishes nanoGUNE as an active FEI reference for the installation of new FEI instruments. nanoGUNE will get access to the newest technologies in the fields of electron microscopy and focused ion beam nanofabrication, and we look forward to working with them on the research projects that will be carried out by teams of researchers from both FEI and nanoGUNE."
The agreement includes the development of several research projects that will be carried out by teams of researchers from both FEI and nanoGUNE. They will join their complementary expertise with the objective of exploring new methods and applications of electron-microscopy and focused-ion-beam techniques.
The Titan aberration-corrected TEM will be used for atomic resolution imaging and analysis of nanostructures and nanodevices. The Quanta FEG offers an ESEM technique that will be used for studying realtime redox chemistry involving nano-objects and imaging fluids under microfluidic conditions. The Helios NanoLab DualBeam is a focused ion beam/scanning electron microscope (FIB/SEM) that will be used to explore new processes for the fabrication of functional nanostructures and nanodevices. The contents of the joint projects are in close relation with current research interests of the nanoGUNE research groups, thereby establishing a cooperative framework for the benefit of both parties.
For more information, please visit www.fei.com and www.nanogune.eu.
About nanoGUNE
The CIC nanoGUNE Consolider, located in San Sebastian, Basque Country (Spain), is a research center created with the mission of addressing basic and applied world-class research in nanoscience and nanotechnology, fostering high-standard training and education of researchers in this field, and promoting cooperation among different agents in the Basque Science, Technology, and Innovation Network (Universities and Technological Centers) and between these agents and the industrial sector. The nanoGUNE building is a unique infrastructure with an area of 6,200 m2. It hosts 15 ultra-sensitive laboratories and a cleanroom of about 300 m2 for nanofabrication, all of them including state-of-the-art solutions and equipment that make possible the challenge of working at the nanoscale level. Currently 55 researchers work at nanoGUNE in the framework of five multidisciplinary research groups in the areas of nanomagnetism, nanooptics, self-assembly, nanobiotechnology, and nanodevices. More information can be found at: www.nanogune.eu.
About FEI
FEI (Nasdaq:FEIC) is a leading diversified scientific instruments company. It is a premier provider of electron and ion-beam microscopes and tools for nanoscale applications across many industries: industrial and academic materials research, life sciences, semiconductors, data storage, natural resources and more. With a 60-year history of technological innovation and leadership, FEI has set the performance standard in transmission electron microscopes (TEM), scanning electron microscopes (SEM) and DualBeams™, which combine a SEM with a focused ion beam (FIB). FEI's imaging systems provide 3D characterization, analysis and modification/prototyping with resolutions down to the sub-Ångström (one-tenth of a nanometer) level. FEI's NanoPorts in North America, Europe and Asia provide centers of technical excellence where its world-class community of customers and specialists collaborate. FEI has approximately 1800 employees and sales and service operations in more than 50 countries around the world. More information can be found at: www.fei.com.
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FEI Safe Harbor Statement
This news release contains forward-looking statements that include statements regarding the performance capabilities and benefits of the Quanta 250 FEG, Helios NanoLab DualBeam, and Titan S/TEM. Factors that could affect these forward-looking statements include but are not limited to failure of the product or technology to perform as expected and achieve anticipated results, unexpected technology problems and our ability to manufacture, ship and deliver the tools as expected. Please also refer to our Form 10-K, Forms 10-Q, Forms 8-K and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for additional information on these factors and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. FEI assumes no duty to update forward-looking statements.
