New microscope expands research infrastructure at Portland State

Portland State University's Center for Electron Microscopy and Nanofabrication (CEMN) recently added to its suite of high-power electron microscopes by purchasing a Thermo Fischer Scientific Helios G4 UXe PFIB DualBeam--plasma focused ion (PFIB) and scanning electron (SEM) microscope. The new microscope offers researchers and industry partners large-volume spectroscopic 3D characterization capabilities unavailable elsewhere in the region.

The Helios G4 UXe PFIB DualBeam microscope, with its Xenon Plasma FIB, gives users the advantage of high-speed sample processing and 3D characterization with a reduced risk of contamination compared to gallium-sourced FIBs. With its monochromated scanning electron beam functionality, the machine will be a valuable resource for materials scientists and semiconductor chip manufacturers in the region. (View full specs)

"With a larger volume size, advanced deposition, etching, cross-sectioning, and micromachining capabilities, this machine is faster and more capable than the microscopes the Center has owned and operated in the past," said Greg Baty, Manager, CEMN.

According to Baty, electron optics and electron microscopy research and development have a long history at Portland State University, dating back to the 1960s. The CEMN, launched in 2003, has dedicated nearly 20 years to enhancing the education, collaboration, research, and outreach of electron microscopy and nanofabrication instrumentation, techniques, and applications. Today the Center focuses on materials characterization from nano to micro-scale, failure analysis of semiconductor devices, and ceramic coatings characterization and analysis.