Focused Ion Beam Micro- and Nanoengineering
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5/7/07
6:16 PM
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Focused Ion Beam Micro- and Nanoengineering
Richard M. Langford, Philipp M. Nellen, Jacques Gierak, and Yongqi Fu
This article is divided into four sections. The first section discusses FIB micro- and nanomilling and covers aspects such as pattern densities and milling threedimensional (3D) shapes. The second section covers FIB lithography, that is, Ga implantation or milling followed by a pattern transfer or growth step. The third section discusses FIB implantation for patterning and device fabrication. The fourth section highlights other fabrication techniques such as in situ micromanipulation. The article concludes with a discussion of possible future developments for enhancing the nanofabrication capabilities of FIB systems.
FIB Micro- and Nanomilling Abstract This article discusses applications of focused ion beam micro- and nanofabrication. Emphasis is placed on illustrating the versatility of focused ion beam and dual-platform systems and how they complement conventional processing techniques. The article is divided into four parts: maskless milling, ion beam lithography, ion implantation, and techniques such as in situ micromanipulation.
Introduction Focused ion beam (FIB) and dualplatform systems (i.e., systems with both ion and electron beam columns) have been used extensively for microfabrication and nanofabrication during the past 10–15 years, for example, for circuit modifications1 and read–write head trimming.2 The tools can sputter and implant lines as narrow as 10 nm and deposit metals and insulators in lines as narrow as 30 nm in user-defined patterns. In addition, as the FIB is scanned, signals such as the generated secondary electrons (SE) can be collected for imaging. It is the combination of these capabilities that is at the heart of the instrument’s power and versatility for micro- and nanofabrication; a device or sample may be imaged and the FIB sputtering or metal/insulator deposition can then be made to within 50 nm of a feature or area of interest. Over the last five years, there has been a marked increase in the diversity and complexity of the applications for these systems. This has been driven partly by the nanotechnology explosion but is mainly because the increased number of systems installed in academia and industry has provided greater access. This article reviews FIB micro- and nanofabrication applications. Only selected examples are given, because the use of these fabrication systems has become very diverse. Emphasis is placed on illustrating their versatility, how they
complement conventional processing, and applications that are pushing the boundaries of nanocharacterization and fabrication. These tools (subsequently referred to as FIB systems) complement conventional fabrication equipment, and typically their use falls into one of two categories. The first category is the fabrication or modification of structures and devices that are difficult to prepare using conventional processes because of material or geometry constraints. For example, Lacour
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