China’s new 0.1-nanometre electron microscope ready to challenge US and Japan

China has introduced a 200-kilovolt transmission electron microscope (TEM) capable of achieving a resolution of 0.1 nanometres, potentially challenging the dominance of US and Japanese manufacturers in the field. Developed by Hefei-based company CIQTEK, the TEM-F200 boasts a point resolution of 0.25nm, matching that of leading models.

This marks a shift from China's research-focused electron microscopy industry to commercialisation, aimed at reducing dependence on imports for essential industries like chip manufacturing. During the 2026 National Conference on Electron Microscopy in Nanjing, CIQTEK chairman He Yu unveiled the TEM-F200, stating its ability to support high-resolution imaging and defect analysis for advanced materials and semiconductors.

Wu Aihua, secretary general of the China Instrument and Control Society's analytical instruments branch, highlighted the microscope's potential applications in biomedicine and self-sufficiency in analytical testing technologies. The development of electron microscopes has been crucial in visualising structures beyond human vision, with conventional light microscopes limited to a resolution of 200-250nm.

Electron microscopes use focused electron beams to capture details near or at the atomic level. Global commercial TEM markets are dominated by US and Japanese companies, including Thermo Fisher Scientific and Japanese developer JEOL. China has made significant strides in recent years, with the construction of the first commercial field emission TEM in 2024 and the unveiling of the first 200kV TEM model last year.