UBC upgrades with MIRA, TENSOR, and AMBER electron microscopes

TESCAN Group, a global manufacturer of electron microscopes and advanced scientific instruments, announces a new collaboration with The University of British Columbia (UBC). UBC’s partnership with TESCAN USA will provide researchers with cutting-edge MIRA, TENSOR, and AMBER electron microscopes, bringing together world-class research and innovative technology to drive innovation in microscopy and materials characterization.

Delivering Unparalleled Insights in Materials Science

“As researchers at UBC, we are excited to work with an innovative company that offers user-friendly, high-quality instruments,” said Professor Ben Britton, Associate Head of Department (Graduates) at UBC’s Department of Materials Engineering. “This will significantly enhance our workflows through easy access to an advanced programming interface, enabling precise, reliable, and customizable experiments that help us develop and refine integrated workflows for next-generation materials research.”

UBC researchers were particularly excited about TENSOR and 4DSTEM, specifically its fully integrated scanning precession electron diffraction (SPED) with a wide field of view. This serves as a crucial bridge between SEM-based techniques, such as electron backscatter diffraction and transmission Kikuchi diffraction, and nanoscale data acquisition. The integrated software enables fast SPED data analysis, making TEM diffraction a quick and efficient method for phase classification and crystal orientation determination, significantly simplifying data interpretation.

“The other aspect which came through very clearly in the demos I’ve seen – is the speed of access to data and how much information we can collect in one session. This is achieved through lots of clever tricks including stable alignments for different imaging modes and an extendable, fully integrated software ecosystem. These advancements will allow us to generate standard workflows that I think our user base will enjoy using and find very fruitful,” added Professor Britton.

Advancing Scientific Discovery Through Collaboration

The collaboration with UBC reinforces TESCAN’s position as a trusted partner in academic and industrial research. With a strong focus on delivering high-quality, application-driven solutions, TESCAN continues to expand its global reach, supporting institutions at the forefront of scientific advancement.

“By equipping UBC with TESCAN’s state-of-the-art electron microscopy technology, we are supporting the next generation of scientific breakthroughs,” said Jason Marshall, TESCAN’s Vice President Sales Americas. “Our mission is to empower researchers with high-performance solutions that enhance productivity, accelerate discoveries, and drive innovation.”

About TESCAN GROUP

TESCAN was established in 1991 and has grown from a 5 engineers start-up initially, to a company with 800 employees working in 11 countries. We are a leading player in charged-particle optical instrumentation, including Scanning and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (SEM & STEM), Focused Ion Beam (FIB) and X-ray Computed Tomography (micro-CT), with nearly 4500 instruments sold and operational in more than 80 countries.

In 2013, it expanded by merging with ORSAY PHYSICS, a French global leader in customized focused ion and electron beam technologies, and in 2018 by acquiring XRE, a Belgian innovator in the field of Dynamic and micro-CT technologies. A further, more recent milestone was the acquisition in 2023 of TESCAN ORSAY HOLDING and all its subsidiaries by CARLYLE, a US private equity company. In 2024, TESCAN Group successfully acquired the business of EXpressLO LLC through an asset deal, including its patents. Other significant milestones in 2024 included the acquisition of TESCAN KOREA, Ltd. (TKL) and Daeil Microanalysis Laboratory (DML), as well as the announcement of the establishment of new subsidiaries: TESCAN Taiwan and TESCAN Singapore. TESCAN GROUP is headquartered in Brno, Czech Republic, where most of our instruments are expertly assembled, tested, and shipped to customers across the globe.