Handbook of Silicon Based MEMS Materials and Technologies

Chapter Twenty. Focused Ion and Electron Beam Techniques

20.1. Brief Introduction to DualBeam Instrumentation

A DualBeam^TM is a focused ion beam (FIB) column and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) on the same platform. A general review of FIB and DualBeam theory, applications, and techniques may be found in the text edited by Giannuzzi and Stevie [1]. Commercial FIB columns generally use Ga⁺ ions and are available with energy ranges from 500 eV to 30 keV, beam currents from 1 pA to 65 nA, with ultimate resolution of ∼5 nm. Commercial SEM columns are available with energy ranges from 200 eV to 30 keV, with beam currents up to 200 nA, with an ultimate resolution of 0.9 nm. The FIB or SEM can be directly used for fabrication of MEMS/NEMS structures. ...