A new measuring tool at the nano level makes use of helium ions

The researchers of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the USA are examining a new microscopic technology that will help improve the accuracy of measurements at the nano level, the new microscope uses helium ions and in the future will even replace the electron microscope

Improving measurement techniques at the nano level is a critical step for setting standards and improving production in the semiconductor and nano manufacturing industries.

The new microscope uses technology that uses helium ions, the ions create signals that are used to create an image of very small bodies, similar to a similar technology in an electron microscope that was offered commercially during the 60s. Paradoxically, although helium ions are larger than electrons, they can provide a higher resolution and higher contrast image.

In terms of the physics of the technology, helium ions have a greater mass and a shorter wavelength than electrons, so they create a better image. According to the developers, the quality of the image is so good that it seems as if it is three-dimensional, and this reveals details smaller than a nanometer - equivalent to a distance of 3 atoms in a silicon crystal.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (National Institute of Standards and Technology) is trying to understand the mechanism at the center of technology. The most notable advantage of a helium ion-based microscope is that the image shows the actual edges of the observed material. This is critical in the manufacturing industry since and if you don't know exactly where the end of the material is. The meaning of this inaccuracy could add up to a cost of thousands of dollars to the manufacturer. This precision is important for high-tech industries such as the semiconductor industry, which invests hundreds of millions of dollars in electronic microscopes integrated into the production lines, in order to more precisely control the manufacturing stages of the microprocessors.

The NIST institute received the first commercial helium ion microscope called "Orion" last summer. The microscope underwent a series of tests at the Institute's Advanced Measurement Laboratory, one of the most advanced measurement facilities in the world where the temperature, humidity, vibrations and other environmental conditions are monitored in a controlled manner. The conclusions drawn in the laboratory were passed back to the manufacturer (Carl Zeiss Inc) for the purpose of improving the microscope and thus creating a highly accurate measuring device for NIST and the entire industry.

One of NIST's contributions to the development of the new microscope is related to the "quick image" technique. Fluctuation at the nano level often creates blurry images, similar to the situation when people are photographed in motion. The institute's researchers managed to overcome the problem by taking a large number of images and combining them into one image with the help of a sophisticated algorithm that removed most of the blur and created a high quality image.

Recently, the manufacturer improved the helium ion telescope and released the "Orion Plus" which combines most of the improvements proposed by and includes an improved helium cooling system that increases the quality of the image.

In conclusion it can be said that although we live in a capitalist world where market forces are supposed to do their thing, the government has a central role in directing the entire industry. The American Institute of Standards and Technology is a federal agency subordinate to the US Department of Commerce and aims to promote American progress and innovation by creating standards for scientific measurement. In the above case you can see how a federal agency manages to direct the entire nanotechnology industry by improving the measurement techniques of materials at the nano level. The question is what can the State of Israel learn from this case?

• For a press release on the Science-Daily website
• NIST website