Thermo Fisher Scientific unveils integrated multimodal electron microscope at European Microscopy Congress 2024

Thermo Fisher Scientific has introduced the Thermo Scientific Iliad (S)TEM, a fully integrated multimodal scanning transmission electron microscope designed to advance research in materials science by offering atomic-level insights into complex modern materials. Revealed at the European Microscopy Congress 2024 in Copenhagen, the Iliad (S)TEM combines inventive technologies such as electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and the NanoPulser electrostatic beam blanker for enhanced chemical and structural analysis.

“A revolutionary new platform like this only comes around once in a decade,” said David Wall, vice president and general manager of Materials Science at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “Beginning with its unveiling at EMC, Iliad has already received a positive and energetic reception from researchers and industry leaders across the globe. This is the culmination of years of investment and hard work, but in many ways, it’s just the beginning of unlocking the full potential of integrated microscopy technology.”

The Iliad is seamlessly operated through the Thermo Scientific Velox software ecosystem, which integrates spectroscopy and imaging capabilities into an intuitive interface, significantly enhancing user accessibility and efficiency. Nearly every component in the Iliad platform can be accessed through Python scripting using Autoscript, opening the possibility of advanced control of the microscope as an adoption of AI-based data collection and processing strategies. The solid interlink of the core modalities of modern (S)TEM enables smooth and reliable workflows for scientists.

Professor Jo Verbeeck, co-leader of Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT) at the University of Antwerp in Belgium, collaborated on the development of Iliad with the particular focus on data quantification. “It’s one thing to write papers on electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) quantification, it is far more exciting to see these ideas also implemented in a product that will really change the user experience and reproducibility of EELS,” said Professor Verbeeck, a renowned leader in EELS.

Thermo Fisher Scientific aims for Iliad to transform analytical microscopy across industries, aiding global research efforts to make the world healthier and safer.