HILLSBORO, Ore., May 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- France's LETI (Laboratoire d'Electronique de Technologie de l'Information) has become one of the first European sites to install and begin using the world's highest- resolution, commercially-available scanning/transmission electron (S/TEM) microscope, the FEI ( NASDAQ:FEIC ) Titan(TM) 80-300. This new system yields powerful sub-Angstrom (atomic scale) imaging and analysis capabilities.

With the sub-Angstrom imaging of the Titan, researchers at LETI will have a greatly enhanced ability to conduct advanced characterization and analysis on a wide spectrum of nanoscale semiconductor devices utilizing new materials and production processes. The Titan will also be used as part of LETI's UltraView(TM) development program that aims to enable rapid ultra-high resolution results on extracted wafer samples while wafers remain in the fab. Successful implementation of this solution will allow better control over advanced processes that should enable semiconductor manufacturers to improve yields, reduce time-to-market and reduce process development costs.

The Titan is installed in LETI's new Centre for Innovation in Micro and Nanotechology (MINATEC). The grand opening of the MINATEC facilities will take place on June 1. French government officials including President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin are expected to attend the event.

"As one of the most advanced tools of the nano-characterization platform of MINATEC, the FEI Titan(TM) 80-300 is now in operation. It will allow us to characterize very advanced technologies in microelectronics (high resolution, chemical analysis and doping imaging by holographic technique) and to characterize nano-materials developed within our fundamental research laboratories (carbon nanotubes, quantum wells, magnetic domain, etc)," explained Philippe Brincard of LETI's nano-characterization department.

The Titan's platform is highly automated and provides leading-edge stability, performance and flexibility. The microscope enables deep sub- Angstrom resolution making way for the highest performance available in both transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) modes. The Titan's upgradeable design not only enables larger nanotechnology and national research centers to afford dedicated aberration corrected TEM technology, it opens the door to universities and companies with staged funds to position themselves for the future.

"With its groundbreaking performance, demand for the Titan S/TEM is coming from multiple markets that we serve," said Peter Frasso, executive vice president and chief operating officer for FEI. "We are extremely pleased that LETI, one of the world's leading nanoelectronics research and development organizations, has selected to work with the Titan in its new MINATEC facility."

About LETI (Laboratoire d'Electronique de Technologie de l'Information):

With 1,600 people working on research programs, 1,000 being directly paid by CEA (French Atomic Energy Commission), LETI is one of the largest European applied research centers in microelectronics, microsystems and applications with 11,000 square meters of clean-rooms in Grenoble. Its mission is to provide innovation to industrial companies including technological processes, devices and intellectual property. Individual or mutual contracts and joint laboratories are the common tools used to reach this objective with more than 200 partners, generating approximately 170 filed patents each year.

LETI is a central component of the MINATEC centre opening in June. It provides a unique environment where professionals from research, education and industry will be integrated and engaged in advanced development programs. More information is available at: http://www-leti.cea.fr/uk/acti-uk/acti-uk-intro.htm .

About FEI

FEI's Tools for Nanotech(TM), featuring focused ion- and electron-beam technologies, deliver 3D characterization, analysis and modification capabilities with resolution down to the sub-Angstrom level. With R&D centers in North America and Europe and sales and service operations in more than 50 countries around the world, FEI is bringing the nanoscale within the grasp of leading researchers and manufacturers and helping to turn some of the biggest ideas of this century into reality. More information can be found on the FEI website at: http://www.feicompany.com/ .

This news release contains forward-looking statements that include statements about future performance and new applications of, and development work through, our Titan S/TEM. Factors that could affect these forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the inability of customers to develop and deploy the expected new applications or to achieve the development work. Additional factors that could affect these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to changes to or cancellation of the development program; the inability of FEI, its suppliers or project partners to make the technology advances required for the program to achieve anticipated results; problems arising during execution of the program that delay it or cause results to vary from the anticipated results; unforeseen technology challenges; and failure of a key supplier or program partner. Please also refer to our Form 10-K, Forms 10-Q, Forms 8-K and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for additional information on these factors and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. FEI assumes no duty to update forward-looking statements.

Source: FEI Company

CONTACT: Dan Zenka, APR, Director, Worldwide Public Relations of FEI
Company / Corporate Headquarters, +1-503-726-2695, or dzenka@feico.com

Web site: http://www.feicompany.com/
http://www-leti.cea.fr/uk/acti-uk/acti-uk-intro.htm