Imago upgrades atom-probe microscope

Madison, Wis. - Imago Scientific Instrument Corp., an advanced microscope producer headquartered in Madison, is releasing an upgrade to its main product line.

Imago provides atom-probe microscopes, those that help find the location of atoms, to research facilities in the semiconductor, data storage, and advanced materials markets worldwide. Such analyses can offer key insights into how a material's properties are affected at a larger scale.

The microscope's traditional "voltage pulse" function has been used to analyze metallic samples, magnetic materials such as hard-drive heads, and other electrically conductive specimens.

The upgrade offers a different mode called "laser-pulse," which enables analysis of semiconductor and other high electrical resistance specimens.

The University of North Texas Materials Science and Engineering Group has deployed the laser pulse module to upgrade the microscope it purchased from Imago in 2005.

Dr. Brian Gorman, director of the UNT Electron and Ion Microscopy Laboratory, said that with the addition of laser-pulse capability, his work now includes semiconductors and dielectrics for computer chips and solar power applications.

Dielectrics are non-conducting materials that keep electrical plates separated without electrical contact, allowing reduced separation between the plates.

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