Xradia Announces X-ray Fluorescence Imaging Tool
Monday July 11, 2005
CONCORD, California – (Business Wire) – X-ray microscopy company Xradia, Inc. announced today the release of a new element-specific x-ray imaging tool for semiconductor metrology, Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM) and Electron Probe Micro Analyzers.
The nanoXFiM x-ray fluorescence imager collects and images fluorescence x-rays characteristic of elements that emit them when exposed to x-ray or electron beams. The nanoXFiM images the spatial distribution of an element of interest in the sample, resolving feature sizes smaller than 100nm. Nearly all elements of the periodic table can be imaged in this manner. The first application of the nanoXFiM is in semiconductor manufacturing, using electron beam excitation to characterize production wafers in semiconductor wafer fabs.
The fluorescence imager also attaches to Scanning Electron Microscopes and Electron Probe Micro Analyzers, providing users with powerful new imaging capability, allowing non-destructive, element-specific subsurface imaging inside samples of interest. Resulting images are obtained by exploiting the ability of electron and x-ray beams to penetrate below the surface of the sample and produce element-specific fluorescence images that contain depth information.
“X-ray fluorescence imaging allows for the visualization of complex structures, one element at a time, in the domain of tens of nanometers,” said Dr. Wenbing Yun, Xradia founder and President. “This is a potent new tool for nanotechnology, biotech and semiconductor manufacturing with the potential to revolutionize the field of microscopy,” commented Bill Diamond, Xradia CEO. The nanoXFi is currently in production and shipping to initial OEM customers.
About Xradia, Inc.
Xradia, Inc. is a privately held company established in 2000 to commercialize high-resolution 3D x-ray microscopes for nondestructive inspection and nano-scale imaging. Initially targeted at failure analysis in the semiconductor IC industry, subsequent developments have led to a suite of commercial x-ray imaging products that have permitted expansion into markets that include basic research, metrology in semiconductor IC production, biomedical research and nanotechnology development. These advanced systems offer outstanding nondestructive imaging capabilities. These include nanometer resolution 3D imaging of complex objects, such as IC chips and biological specimens and element-specific imaging for process control and monitoring in IC manufacturing. The company also supplies advanced x-ray imaging components and state of the art imaging systems to the synchrotron research community. The company is rapidly expanding in 2005 in response to growing demand for its unique x-ray imaging products.
