World's most powerful commercial microscope will aid IME and its partners in commercialising semiconductor processes below the 65nm design node

In order to provide for the next generation analytical needs of the industry and R&D community, IME has acquired and commissioned the world's highest energy resolution scanning transmission electron microscope, the Monochromatic TITAN 80-300KV Analytical STEM (nick named M-STEM). This is the only system of its kind in Singapore.

The drive to make ever smaller devices in modern microelectronics requires techniques that give information on structural, compositional, chemical and electrical properties at an atomic scale. STEM provides imaging, diffraction and spectroscopy techniques with the required spatial resolution. As one of the most advanced tools of the nano-characterisation platform of SNFC (Singapore Nano-Fabrication Centre), the M-STEM is now in operation.

This state-of-the-art system yields powerful imaging and analysis capabilities at the atomic scale. With this microscope, researchers at A*STAR will have a powerful tool to conduct advanced characterisation and analysis on a wide spectrum of novel nanoscale semiconductor devices. It also means that IME's semiconductor industry partners would have access to this advanced equipment as it pushes its wafer processing technology below the 65nm design node. IME has been providing such analytical support for its industry partners since its inception.s

The Monochromated HRTEM/STEM (80-300KV) - an integrated platform for semiconductor industry needs.