ZEISS at Microscopy & Microanalysis (M&M) 2025

The winds of the current geoeconomic climate are accelerating our need and ability to move innovations from the lab to the marketplace, often referred to as “The Valley of Death.” One significant area of demand is automated nanostructure characterization and process monitoring in R&D institutions. While purpose-built CDSEMs excel in mass production, they tend to be less flexible, more expensive, and more specialized in operation compared to versatile laboratory SEMs. This presentation will cover methods and results for pattern-driven automated metrology using the ZEISS Gemini560, featuring a 200mm capable sample chamber, a high-precision stage, and an integrated GenISys software kit, at the Penn State Materials Research Institute. We will focus on applications involving photonic devices, such as large-area gratings, photonic crystals, and meta lenses, along with the unique features of ZEISS FESEM technology that enable these applications.

We will Discuss:

• Challenges and solutions for acquiring and analyzing images in an automated workflow.
• Explore resilience strategies for addressing real-world limitations, including hardware issues and imaging artifacts.
• Examine examples from projects focused on process calibration and monitoring.
• Discover how to develop go/no-go criteria based on customer-driven specifications for devices.
• Validate FESEM measurements against device performance data to support findings.
• Utilize process monitoring tools, such as thresholds, shape fitting/comparison, and PV bands, to detect when a process is out of specification.
• The unique aspects of the ZEISS Gemini560 that make it well-suited for pattern-driven automated metrology.
  

This talk will update the audience on current state-of-the-art technology in lab-based 3D X-ray Microscopy. 3D XRM is a powerful imaging technique when some or all of the following conditions apply:

• Samples under investigation contain features with 3D morphology/structure that matter to the processing, performance, or function
• Those feature(s) are hidden inside the object
• Critical features are in the size range of tens of nm to hundreds of microns
• There’s a benefit to keeping the sample intact (due to delicate structures and/or future sample investigations)

Such conditions often exist within various research fields including materials science, engineering, geology, and biology. In this talk, the latest advances in high resolution X-ray optics, image acquisition routines, novel reconstruction approaches, and powerful user interface tools will be presented. This will be followed by an introduction to how XRM is utilized to support research at and around the University of Utah, including a selection of case studies and how you can access the instrument to support your own work.

In situ microscopy experiments offer a fantastic means to directly discern linkages between materials’ processing, structure, and properties. However, such workflows have traditionally been very challenging to perform due to their time-consuming nature, the deep level of expertise required, and the complexity of coordinating between numerous sub-system components. This tutorial will present recent advances to help move past some of these roadblocks by:

• Using deep learning X-ray reconstruction (ZEISS DeepRecon Pro) to drastically accelerate data acquisition during time-lapse/4D in situ microtomography experiments, without compromising on data resolution or quality
• Making powerful in situ thermomechanical experiments in the SEM accessible to users of all experience levels (with ZEISS In Situ Lab SEM), by integrating hardware and automating software control of the microscope, loading stage, and analytical (EDS, EBSD) detectors.

This session will incorporate results generated on various additive manufactured metal samples, performed by the ZEISS Microscopy applications team in collaboration with scientists at NIST, as well as work performed in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Liberty University.  

Ancient stone buildings and towering pyramids stand as testaments to humanity's obsession with technological advancement. Along our journey, as we transitioned from stone to simple metals, and from simple metals to advanced materials, we established a framework for material innovation—focusing on structure, properties, processing, and performance. Central to achieving the next material breakthrough is our ability to characterize these materials accurately and effectively.

Join us as we explore techniques, applications, and workflows utilizing the full spectrum of the ZEISS microscopy portfolio, which plays a crucial role in advancing materials science research across fields such as electronic and battery materials, metals and alloys, and materials for additive manufacturing.