A liquid‐metal gallium‐ion source was imaged by unity‐magnification single‐gap accelerating lens with a postlens deflector to form a focused scanning probe. We report the dependence of the probe diameter and probe current on the lens acceptance half‐angle. The results range between probe diameters of 1000 and 5000 A at currents of 0.12–3.0 nA for half‐angles of 1.2–6 mrad. The current density and brightness at the target for the 1000‐A‐diam 57‐kV probe were 1.5 A/cm2 and 3.3×106 A/cm2 sr, respectively. Astigmatic probes were also produced with dimensions smaller than 1000 A.

A high‐intensity scanning ion probe with submicrometer spot size

Summary
Since the end of the last millennium, the focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) has progressively found use in biological research. This instrument is a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an attached gallium ion column and the 2 beams, electrons and ions (FIB) are focused on one coincident point. The main application is the acquisition of three-dimensional data, FIB-SEM tomography. With the ion beam, some nanometres of the surface are removed and the remaining block-face is imaged with the electron beam in a repetitive manner. The instrument can also be used to cut open biological structures to get access to internal structures or to prepare thin lamella for imaging by (cryo-) transmission electron microscopy. Here, we will present an overview of the development of FIB-SEM and discuss a few points about sample preparation and imaging.

http://www.emc2012.org.uk/documents/Abstracts/Abstracts/EMC2012_0631.pdf

Focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy in biology.

Lithography for microelectronics, that is, the exposure and development of resist, is already being carried out in research laboratories at dimensions well below 0.1 μm. In production the minimum dimensions are likely to approach 0.1 μm before the end of the decade. This review will examine the use of focused ion beams for ultrafine lithography. Minimum dimensions down to 0.015 μm have been reported as well as exposure of 0.25 μm thick resist with o.05 μm linewidth for the making of X-ray lithography masks. At this time there are only two techniques for writing original patterns (as opposed to replicating them) at 0.1 μm and below; electron beams and ion beams. Electron beams are at a mature state of development and have advantages in absence of shot noise and in fast deflection capability. Ion beams on the other hand have demonstrated absence of proximity effect and high resist sensitivity, i.e. potentially faster writing speed. The development of the gas field ion source promises hundredfold increase in current density of light ions (H2+, He …) in the beam focal spot. In addition, these light ion beams at high energy can be deflected at the speeds needed for lithography. Thus focused ion beam lithography is a serious candidate for future fine pattern writing.

Focused ion beam lithography

Patterning with a focused ion beam (FIB) is an extremely versatile fabrication process that can be used to create microscale and nanoscale designs on the surface of practically any solid sample material. Based on the type of ion-sample interaction utilized, FIB-based manufacturing can be both subtractive and additive, even in the same processing step. Indeed, the capability of easily creating three-dimensional patterns and shaping objects by milling and deposition is probably the most recognized feature of ion beam lithography (IBL) and micromachining. However, there exist several other techniques, such as ion implantation- and ion damage-based patterning and surface functionalization types of processes that have emerged as valuable additions to the nanofabrication toolkit and that are less widely known. While fabrication throughput, in general, is arguably low due to the serial nature of the direct-writing process, speed is not necessarily a problem in these IBL applications that work with small ion doses. Here we provide a comprehensive review of ion beam lithography in general and a practical guide to the individual IBL techniques developed to date. Special attention is given to applications in nanofabrication.

/pdf/direct-write-ion-beam-lithography-3z1y8by41a.pdf

Direct-Write Ion Beam Lithography

Three-dimensional information is much easier to understand than a set of two-dimensional images. Therefore a layman is thrilled by the pseudo-3D image taken in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) while, when seeing a transmission electron micrograph, his imagination is challenged. First approaches to gain insight in the third dimension were to make serial microtome sections of a region of interest (ROI) and then building a model of the object. Serial microtome sectioning is a tedious and skill-demanding work and therefore seldom done. In the last two decades with the increase of computer power, sophisticated display options, and the development of new instruments, an SEM with a built-in microtome as well as a focused ion beam scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM), serial sectioning, and 3D analysis has become far easier and faster.Due to the relief like topology of the microtome trimmed block face of resin-embedded tissue, the ROI can be searched in the secondary electron mode, and at the selected spot, the ROI is prepared with the ion beam for 3D analysis. For FIB-SEM tomography, a thin slice is removed with the ion beam and the newly exposed face is imaged with the electron beam, usually by recording the backscattered electrons. The process, also called "slice and view," is repeated until the desired volume is imaged.As FIB-SEM allows 3D imaging of biological fine structure at high resolution of only small volumes, it is crucial to perform slice and view at carefully selected spots. Finding the region of interest is therefore a prerequisite for meaningful imaging. Thin layer plastification of biofilms offers direct access to the original sample surface and allows the selection of an ROI for site-specific FIB-SEM tomography just by its pronounced topographic features.

FIB-SEM Tomography in Biology

Microfabrication techniques are being investigated in which a focused high‐energy ion beam bombards a surface to create high‐resolution patterns of implantation doping, damage in crystal structures, or other chemical change such as molecular bond breaking. The objective is to demonstrate unique microfabrication techniques such as maskless implantation doping and the formation of self‐aligned structures. Preliminary results are presented of doped regions written in silicon by a focused boron beam. Electrical measurements on heavily doped contact regions and on a lightly doped resistive region are in good agreement with what would be expected from conventional ion implantation employing masks. The exposure of electron beam resist by a focused beam of 60‐keV helium ions is also reported. The resist sensitivity is ∼100 times greater for these ions than for electrons. The focused ion beam used in these studies was generated in a focusing arm which includes apertures, deflection plates, and an einzel lens that ...

R. L. Seliger

Papers

Focused ion beams in microfabrication