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Combined electron and ion beam imprinter opens the way for numerous applications An ion-beam system that simultaneously combines focused beams of electrons and positive ions promises to improve the versatility, efficiency, and economy of this important technology. The new system was developed by researchers at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, who report its principles and applications in the 8 November 2004 issue of "Applied Physics Letters." Focused ion beams are important in the semiconductor industry, where they are used to carve structures with dimensions measured in billionths of a meter, repair defects in masks used for photolithography,...