Aug. 27, 2015

Nanolab Technologies Inc., a Silicon Valley-based analytical services lab, has purchased a new Local Electrode Atom Probe from CAMECA Instruments Inc. The high-performance atom probe from CAMECA, a unit of the AMETEK Materials Analysis Division, is used to provide advanced materials analysis, including precise atom-by-atom identification, 3-D spatial positioning, and accurate atomic-scale reconstruction of a material’s microstructure.
Since their development in the 1960s, atom probes have contributed to major advances in materials science. Exclusively developed and manufactured by CAMECA, LEAP atom probes are used by the most prestigious research and development laboratories around the world, including seven of the ten largest computer chip manufacturers.
The LEAP system is the only technique available that provides three-dimensional sub- nanometer compositional information of all elements in a material. With its purchase of a LEAP instrument, Nanolab is set to become the only US- based analytical services company to offer this capability. Nanolab adds the LEAP to its already well-equipped laboratory with plans to offer LEAP analysis, concentrating on semiconductor failure analysis, process development and process control.

LEAP operates on the principle of field evaporation, whereby a strong electric field applied to a specimen is sufficient to cause removal of atoms by ionization. Proprietary single-particle detection enables isotopic identification by time-of-flight mass spectrometry as well as 3-D positional determination.
CAMECA’s LEAP system offers high data quality as well as improved ease of use via prefabricated MicrotipTM specimen carriers, which permit multiple samples to be prepared, mounted and loaded into the instrument for maximum efficiency for multi-experiment scenarios.
"Nanolab Technologies again has demonstrated its commitment to providing customers with access to state-of-the-art instruments critical to sustaining continued improvement in device performance," states John P. Traub, Nanolab President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our investment in new capabilities and technologies is unparalleled in analytical services and demonstrates the value Nanolab can deliver as a cost-effective alternative to insourcing. We expect our new CAMECA atom probe microscope to make valuable contributions to successfully solving our customers’ process and product development challenges."

Three-dimensional analysis of the source-drain region of a high-performance 28nm transistor revealing titanium and platinum doping in the nickel silicide to silicon germanium contact. Nanolab Technologies is the only analytical services company based in the United States providing such capability.