Brno, Czech Republic — Tescan expands its semiconductor portfolio with FemtoChisel, a next-generation femtosecond laser platform designed to enhance semiconductor sample preparation workflows with exceptional speed, precision, reproducibility, and quality. The instrument will be officially unveiled at ISTFA 2025 in Pasadena, CA.

FemtoChisel was developed specifically for semiconductor research and failure analysis environments where both throughput and adaptability are critical. By combining nanometer-level precision and high-throughput intelligent laser processing, FemtoChisel delivers pristine surfaces while significantly reducing the need for subsequent FIB polishing steps. This enables faster turnaround in research and failure analysis for current, and future, semiconductor materials.

“Semiconductor research and failure analysis teams are under constant pressure to deliver faster, more reliable results from any material layer within semiconductors stack. With FemtoChisel, we’ve addressed this challenge in our Large Volume Workflow for Semiconductors,” said Sirine Assaf, Chief Revenue Officer at Tescan. “It’s not just a new instrument – it’s a workflow enabler. By integrating ultrafast, femtosecond laser precision with intelligent adaptive laser processing, we’re helping labs accelerate sample preparation, reduce rework, and bring clarity to increasingly more complex devices.”

Workflow benefits of FemtoChisel

• Adaptive multi-material processing, High Fluence Laser Machining with proprietary intelligent multi-gas processing and laser protective layer that preserves device integrity across metals, polymers, and advanced packaging stacks.
• High-throughput access to buried structures with taper-corrected, debris-free cross-sections – often eliminating the need for FIB finepolishing.

• Selective backside thinning with mirror-like surfaces (Ra < 0.4 µm), enabling optical fault analysis without artifacts.
• Large-area delayering (> 5 mm) with automated endpointing for accurate layer-by-layer removal at laser speeds.

By uniting laser processing, electron microscopy, and FIB into complementary workflows, Tescan is helping semiconductor innovators overcome traditional bottlenecks in sample preparation. FemtoChisel serves both recipe-driven environments and flexible research in advanced packaging and R&D labs, providing a versatile solution for current and future semiconductor demands.

Tescan’s commitment to integrated workflows is further strengthened by its Laser Technology Business Unit, established following the acquisition of FemtoInnovations. This dedicated focus ensures continued innovation in laser-enabled sample preparation technologies for the semiconductor industry.

To learn more about FemtoChisel, please visit: www.tescan.com/product-portfolio/laser-solutions/femtochisel

About Tescan Group

Tescan builds advanced imaging systems that help scientists and engineers explore the micro and nano worlds. In doing so, we help turn observation into insight and questions into progress.

Established by a small team of five engineers in 1991, Tescan has grown into a global company with over 800 employees in 11 countries, united by a brand platform to Accelerate the Art of Discovery. Now Tescan technologies play a central role in laboratories around the world, supporting materials research, failure analysis, and nanoscale imaging with nearly 4,500 systems installed in over 80 countries.

In 2025, Tescan Group’s commitment to advancing discovery-driven solutions was recognized with a R&D 100 Award in the Analytical/Test category for the TESCAN AMBER X 2, powered by the Mistral™ plasma FIB column.

In 2024, Tescan Group expanded its technological depth and global footprint. The acquisition of EXpressLO LLC, along with its patent portfolio, added new capabilities in precision stage control and sample handling. That same year, the Group expanded its presence in Asia with the acquisition of TESCAN KOREA Co., Ltd. and DML Co., Ltd. New subsidiaries in Taiwan and Singapore followed, strengthening our commitment to serving scientists where discovery happens.

Since 2013, Tescan Group has expanded its expertise through a series of acquisitions that have sharpened its technological edge. The merger with ORSAY PHYSICS brought advanced focused ion and electron beam technologies into the Group. In 2018, the acquisition of XRE expanded Tescan’s capabilities in dynamic and micro-CT imaging, opening new possibilities in non-destructive analysis. Another milestone came in 2023. TESCAN ORSAY HOLDING and its subsidiaries were acquired by Carlyle, a U.S.-based private equity firm, marking a new phase of focused investment and global ambition.

Tescan Group is headquartered in Brno, Czech Republic, where most systems are designed, assembled, and tested. It’s here that engineering meet’s purpose and where systems built for discovery are prepared for work in the world’s leading laboratories.