Microsc Microanal. 2017 Aug;23(4):758-768. doi: 10.1017/S1431927617000502. Epub 2017 May 10.

Nitrogen Gas Field Ion Source (GFIS) Focused Ion Beam (FIB) Secondary Electron Imaging: A First Look.

Microscopy and microanalysis : the official journal of Microscopy Society of America, Microbeam Analysis Society, Microscopical Society of Canada

Marek E Schmidt, Anto Yasaka, Masashi Akabori, Hiroshi Mizuta

PMID: 28487005 DOI: 10.1017/S1431927617000502

Abstract

The recent technological advance of the gas field ion source (GFIS) and its successful integration into systems has renewed the interest in the focused ion beam (FIB) technology. Due to the atomically small source size and the use of light ions, the limitations of the liquid metal ion source are solved as device dimensions are pushed further towards the single-digit nanometer size. Helium and neon ions are the most widely used, but a large portfolio of available ion species is desirable, to allow a wide range of applications. Among argon and hydrogen, $${\rm N}_{2}^{{\plus}} $$ ions offer unique characteristics due to their covalent bond and their use as dopant for various carbon-based materials including diamond. Here, we provide a first look at the $${\rm N}_{2}^{{\plus}} $$ GFIS-FIB enabled imaging of a large selection of microscopic structures, including gold on carbon test specimen, thin metal films on insulator and nanostructured carbon-based devices, which are among the most actively researched materials in the field of nanoelectronics. The results are compared with images acquired by He+ ions, and we show that $${\rm N}_{2}^{{\plus}} $$ GFIS-FIB can offer improved material contrast even at very low imaging dose and is more sensitive to the surface roughness.

Keywords: GFIS-FIB; SE imaging; helium ion microscopy; nitrogen GFIS-FIB

Publication Types

• Journal Article
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't