IBM AND NION have developed a microscope technology that lets researchers look inside materials and see how atoms are interacting, making nanotechnology development easier.

As chip designs shrink, following Moore’s Law of ever smaller and more powerful microchips, it gets hard for developers to see what is happening. The new technique makes an electron microscope much more powerful, and lets developers look at the atomic structures and properties of the materials used, IBM said in a statement Thursday.

After the correction, the microscope can make an electron beam that is only 3 billionths of an inch wide, which is smaller than a hydrogen atom. The beam can show clear images of the atomic structure of a semiconductor or insulating material and spot any defects, such as missing or extra atoms, IBM said.