6th December 2006

FEI Company Expands Top-of-the-Line Helios NanoLab Family

FEI Company will expand its top-of-the-line Helios NanoLab family of DualBeams when it introduces the Helios NanoLab 400 and 400S systems next week at SEMICON Japan. Combining advanced focused ion beam (FIB) and SEM technologies in a highly-integrated and easy-to-use platform, the Helios NanoLab family of tools will provide semiconductor manufacturers with a complete range of advanced high-resolution solutions for their analytical labs.

The Helios NanoLab family represents the next-generation of technology following the success of FEI's popular Strata 400 and 400 STEM (scanning/transmission electron microscope) in the semiconductor market. As with all FEI products for semiconductor manufacturers, the new Helios NanoLab systems are designed to help semiconductor companies move through their design and process ramps quickly and with more efficiency, enabling them to move new products to market faster.

The Helios NanoLab family features a new ultra-high resolution field emission SEM column combined with FEI's widely acclaimed Sidewinder FIB column and gas chemistries to provide up to 40 percent improvement in imaging resolution compared to previous DualBeam systems. These systems feature greatly enhanced low-kV SEM resolution to support cross-sectional imaging and analysis and advanced STEM applications for devices featuring new materials and sub-65 nm design nodes. They also provide enhanced stability and optimized operation within a wide range of parameters.

"From high volume 3D cross-sectional imaging and analysis to advanced high-resolution STEM imaging, the Helios NanoLab family offers solutions to meet the rigorous demands of semiconductor labs," said Tony Edwards, vice president and general manager of FEI's NanoElectronics business. "The Helios NanoLab systems represent FEI's continued lead in innovating combined FIB/SEM solutions. This new DualBeam will allow users to achieve ground-breaking results in multiple applications for advanced process nodes with accuracy and repeatability."

FEI also announced the largest order for electron microscopes in company history. FEI received the order from The Technical University of Denmark. This sale marks a great investment in the science of nanotechnology by the university.

Included in the sale are two TitanS/TEMs, a Tecnai 20S-Twin TEM, a Helios NanoLab 600 DualBeam, a Quanta 200 3D ESEM DualBeam, a Quanta FEG SEM and an Inspect S low-vacuum SEM. The microscopes will be used for catalyst R&D for alternative fuel cells, environmental catalysis (clean air and water), and petrochemical industries.

Web: www.fei.com