Europe's most precise electron microscope is now in use in its
own building at Linköping University in Sweden. After
readjustments at the bequest of the LiU researchers, the Titan3
80-300 transmission electron microscope (TEM) now provides a
resolution of less than 0.7 Å (about half the distance between
two atoms in a silicon crystal). The Titan 80-300 provides a
resolution of less than 0.7 Å. "Thanks to the well-designed
building's perfectly calculated environment the microscope
performs even better than we had previously specified", says Rod
Shipley, Sales Director at FEI Company, a spin-off from the
Dutch electronics group Philips. Since they first arrived on the
market in 2005, 150 of the Titan microscopes have been
delivered; each one unique and custom made to satisfy the
customer's special needs. In LiU's case, it is about
scrutinising metals and new semiconductor materials all the way
to the atomic level. The central part of the microscope is a
3.7-meter high column. A high-energy electron beam is emit