2009 R&D 100 Winner
By leveraging silicon processing technologies, Novelx, Lafayette, Calif., has brought to market a significant innovation in how scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) are built and operate. mySEM is a compact, low voltage, field emission SEM, which features a miniaturized core technology. Instead of relying on traditional optical components, Novelx designed stacks of silicon-on-insulator equivalents, including the lens, apertures, and deflectors, to form the infrastructure in the electron beam column. This all-electrostatic column, when coupled with a thermal field emission electron source, is optimized for low-voltage imaging and sub-10-nm resolution. This patented technology allows Novelx to build wafer-scale lenses, deflectors, and apertures on 150-mm substrates. These components are then separated from the wafer, inspected, tested, and delivered as discrete components. The mySEM has lower upfront costs, a smaller footprint and lower operating costs than a conventional SEM.
Technology
Benchtop SEM
Developers
Novelx
