scholarly journals Ion Beam Processing for Sample Preparation of Hybrid Materials with Strongly Differing Mechanical Properties

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-60
Author(s):  
Khemais Barienti ◽  
Christoph Kahra ◽  
Sebastian Herbst ◽  
Florian Nürnberger ◽  
Hans Jürgen Maier
Author(s):  
Romaneh Jalilian ◽  
David Mudd ◽  
Neil Torrez ◽  
Jose Rivera ◽  
Mehdi M. Yazdanpanah ◽  
...  

Abstract The sample preparation for transmission electron microscope can be done using a method known as "lift-out". This paper demonstrates a method of using a silver-gallium nanoneedle array for a quicker sharpening process of tungsten probes with better sample viewing, covering the fabrication steps and performance of needle-tipped probes for lift-out process. First, an array of high aspect ratio silver-gallium nanoneedles was fabricated and coated to improve their conductivity and strength. Then, the nanoneedles were welded to a regular tungsten probe in the focused ion beam system at the desired angle, and used as a sharp probe for lift-out. The paper demonstrates the superior mechanical properties of crystalline silver-gallium metallic nanoneedles. Finally, a weldless lift-out process is described whereby a nano-fork gripper was fabricated by attaching two nanoneedles to a tungsten probe.


Author(s):  
Jun Liu ◽  
Katie E. Gunnison ◽  
Mehmet Sarikaya ◽  
Ilhan A. Aksay

The interfacial structure between the organic and inorganic phases in biological hard tissues plays an important role in controlling the growth and the mechanical properties of these materials. The objective of this work was to investigate these interfaces in nacre by transmission electron microscopy. The nacreous section of several different seashells -- abalone, pearl oyster, and nautilus -- were studied. Nacre is a laminated composite material consisting of CaCO3 platelets (constituting > 90 vol.% of the overall composite) separated by a thin organic matrix. Nacre is of interest to biomimetics because of its highly ordered structure and a good combination of mechanical properties. In this study, electron transparent thin sections were prepared by a low-temperature ion-beam milling procedure and by ultramicrotomy. To reveal structures in the organic layers as well as in the interfacial region, samples were further subjected to chemical fixation and labeling, or chemical etching. All experiments were performed with a Philips 430T TEM/STEM at 300 keV with a liquid Nitrogen sample holder.


2002 ◽  
Vol 733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brock McCabe ◽  
Steven Nutt ◽  
Brent Viers ◽  
Tim Haddad

AbstractPolyhedral Oligomeric Silsequioxane molecules have been incorporated into a commercial polyurethane formulation to produce nanocomposite polyurethane foam. This tiny POSS silica molecule has been used successfully to enhance the performance of polymer systems using co-polymerization and blend strategies. In our investigation, we chose a high-temperature MDI Polyurethane resin foam currently used in military development projects. For the nanofiller, or “blend”, Cp7T7(OH)3 POSS was chosen. Structural characterization was accomplished by TEM and SEM to determine POSS dispersion and cell morphology, respectively. Thermal behavior was investigated by TGA. Two methods of TEM sample preparation were employed, Focused Ion Beam and Ultramicrotomy (room temperature).


Author(s):  
Ching Shan Sung ◽  
Hsiu Ting Lee ◽  
Jian Shing Luo

Abstract Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) plays an important role in the structural analysis and characterization of materials for process evaluation and failure analysis in the integrated circuit (IC) industry as device shrinkage continues. It is well known that a high quality TEM sample is one of the keys which enables to facilitate successful TEM analysis. This paper demonstrates a few examples to show the tricks on positioning, protection deposition, sample dicing, and focused ion beam milling of the TEM sample preparation for advanced DRAMs. The micro-structures of the devices and samples architectures were observed by using cross sectional transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and optical microscopy. Following these tricks can help readers to prepare TEM samples with higher quality and efficiency.


Author(s):  
Jian-Shing Luo ◽  
Hsiu Ting Lee

Abstract Several methods are used to invert samples 180 deg in a dual beam focused ion beam (FIB) system for backside milling by a specific in-situ lift out system or stages. However, most of those methods occupied too much time on FIB systems or requires a specific in-situ lift out system. This paper provides a novel transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample preparation method to eliminate the curtain effect completely by a combination of backside milling and sample dicing with low cost and less FIB time. The procedures of the TEM pre-thinned sample preparation method using a combination of sample dicing and backside milling are described step by step. From the analysis results, the method has applied successfully to eliminate the curtain effect of dual beam FIB TEM samples for both random and site specific addresses.


Author(s):  
Chin Kai Liu ◽  
Chi Jen. Chen ◽  
Jeh Yan.Chiou ◽  
David Su

Abstract Focused ion beam (FIB) has become a useful tool in the Integrated Circuit (IC) industry, It is playing an important role in Failure Analysis (FA), circuit repair and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) specimen preparation. In particular, preparation of TEM samples using FIB has become popular within the last ten years [1]; the progress in this field is well documented. Given the usefulness of FIB, “Artifact” however is a very sensitive issue in TEM inspections. The ability to identify those artifacts in TEM analysis is an important as to understanding the significance of pictures In this paper, we will describe how to measure the damages introduced by FIB sample preparation and introduce a better way to prevent such kind of artifacts.


Author(s):  
Wen-Fei Hsieh ◽  
Shih-Hsiang Tseng ◽  
Bo Min She

Abstract In this study, an FIB-based cross section TEM sample preparation procedure for targeted via with barrier/Cu seed layer is introduced. The dual beam FIB with electron beam for target location and Ga ion beam for sample milling is the main tool for the targeted via with barrier/Cu seed layer inspection. With the help of the FIB operation and epoxy layer protection, ta cross section TEM sample at a targeted via with barrier/Cu seed layer could be made. Subsequent TEM inspection is used to verify the quality of the structure. This approach was used in the Cu process integration performance monitor. All these TEM results are very helpful in process development and yield improvement.


Author(s):  
Julien Goxe ◽  
Béatrice Vanhuffel ◽  
Marie Castignolles ◽  
Thomas Zirilli

Abstract Passive Voltage Contrast (PVC) in a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) or a Focused Ion Beam (FIB) is a key Failure Analysis (FA) technique to highlight a leaky gate. The introduction of Silicon On Insulator (SOI) substrate in our recent automotive analog mixed-signal technology highlighted a new challenge: the Bottom Oxide (BOX) layer, by isolating the Silicon Active Area from the bulk made PVC technique less effective in finding leaky MOSFET gates. A solution involving sample preparation performed with standard FA toolset is proposed to enhance PVC on SOI substrate.


Author(s):  
Roger Alvis ◽  
Jeff Blackwood ◽  
Sang-Hoon Lee ◽  
Matthew Bray

Abstract Semiconductor devices with critical dimensions less than 20nm are now being manufactured in volume. A challenge facing the failure analysis and process-monitoring community is two-fold. The first challenge of TEM sample prep of such small devices is that the basic need to end-point on a feature-of-interest pushes the imaging limit of the instrument being used to prepare the lamella. The second challenge posed by advanced devices is to prepare an artifact-free lamella from non-planar devices such as finFETs as well as from structures incorporating ‘non-traditional’ materials. These challenges are presently overcome in many advanced logic and memory devices in the focused ion beam-based TEM sample preparation processes by inverting the specimen prior to thinning to electron transparency. This paper reports a highthroughput method for the routine preparation of artifact-free TEM lamella of 20nm thickness, or less.


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