Milestones of Electron Microscopy at Carl Zeiss
The history of electron microscopy at Carl Zeiss started with the pioneers in this field: Carl Zeiss and Cambridge Instruments. Nowadays, the company’s extensive know-how, accumulated over six decades, includes e-beam, ion-beam and transmission electron technology. See below the milestones of Electron Microscopy at Carl Zeiss in the history:

Carl ZeissCambridge Instruments
1846 Carl Zeiss Company founded by Carl Zeiss

1876 Ernst Abbe predicted future microscopes overcoming the light optical resolution limits




1931 Beginning of TEM development by AEG

1942 Cooperation for electron microscopy started by AEG and Carl Zeiss

1947 Commercial TEM launched EM7 with electrostatic lenses

1954 Change of ownership to 100% Carl Zeiss in Oberkochen

1961 TEM EM 9 with electromagnetic lenses






1975 Cooperation with SEMCO for development of SEMs (NovaSCAN)

1984 First commercially available EFTEM (EM902) with Castaing-Henry Filter

1985 First digital SEM worldwide, DSM 950 launched 100% ZEISS development

1990 TEM EM910 with Koehler illumination launched


1993 GEMINI FE-SEM launched

1998 First 200kV EFTEM launched (EM922)
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1881 Cambridge Instruments founded by Horatio Darwin
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1962 Beginning of SEM development at Cambridge Instruments

1965 SEM Stereoscan Mk1, first commercially available SEM worldwide
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1990 Leica formed through merger of Cambridge Instruments and Wild Leitz

1995 The activities of Carl Zeiss and Leica in the Electron Microscopy Technology are bundled in the 50/50 joint venture LEO Electron Microscopy

2001 Variable Pressure FE-SEM launched

2001 Change of ownership: Carl Zeiss SMT acquires 100% of LEO Electron Microscopy

2002 CrossBeam launched; combined FIB-SEM system

2003 200kV FE EFTEM launched with Koehler Illumination

2003 EFTEM with In-Column corrected Omega energy filter

2004 Rebranding: LEO Electron Microscopy becomes Carl Zeiss Nano Technology Systems GmbH (in short: NTS) as a company of Carl Zeiss SMT

2004 CrossBeam EsB launched with dual In-lens electron detectors (SE + BSE)

2005 New record milestone in TEM resolution: < 0.08 nm 200 kV TEM with Cs corrector and monochromator.

2006 Strategic Alliance with SIINT resulting in XVision and NVision products

2007 Acquisition of ALIS technology

2007 He-Ion Microscope ORION based on ALIS Technology

2007 FE-SEM with unique charge compensation called ULTRA PLUS

2008 advanced analytical FE-SEM ΣIGMA

2009 modular product systems AURIGAŽ and MERLINŽ

2009 corrected TEM which enables sub-angstrom resolution in HR STEM and HR TEM mode LIBRAŽ 200 Cs-TEM/STEM

2011 Carl Zeiss NTS GmbH and Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH jointly form the new Carl Zeiss Microscopy business group.
More Information
The History of Carl Zeiss