High Conductivity FIB Deposited Metal

1995 ◽  
Vol 396 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.G. Blauner ◽  
A. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Focused Ion Beam ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Deposition Process ◽  
Gold Deposition ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Annealing Step ◽  
Deposited Metal ◽  
Major Application ◽  
Deposition Processes

AbstractThe ion beam induced metal deposition processes now employed by commercial focused ion beam (FIB) tools all demonstrate less than optimal characteristics for use in circuit repair, a major application of these tools. In particular, the processes have low efficiencies, the metals produced have poor conductivity, and some form of clean up is generally required to remove excess material surrounding the repair site. The gold deposition process developed for x-ray mask repair, in contrast, exhibits efficiencies 10-50 times higher with significantly less material deposited in unwanted areas. Unfortunately, the conductivity of the gold is even poorer than that of materials now used for FIB circuit repair.In this paper, an annealing step which improves the conductivity of FIB deposited Au is described. Results are presented demonstrating resistivities of 5-15 μΩ-cm while maintaining the high efficiency of the gold deposition process. The suitability of the process for use in FIB circuit repair is discussed.

scholarly journals Artifacts from manganese reduction in rock samples prepared by focused ion beam (FIB) slicing for X-ray microspectroscopic analysis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothea S. Macholdt ◽  
Christopher Pöhlker ◽  
Jan-David Förster ◽  
Maren Müller ◽  
Bettina Weber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focused Ion Beam ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Deposition Process ◽  
Oxidation States ◽  
Preparation Technique ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Rock Samples ◽  
Natural Rock ◽  
Scanning Transmission ◽  
Visualization Techniques

Abstract. Manganese (Mn)-rich natural rock coatings, so-called rock varnishes, are discussed controversially regarding their genesis. Biogenic and abiogenic mechanisms, as well as a combination of both, have been proposed to be responsible for the Mn oxidation and deposition process. We conducted scanning transmission X-ray microscopy - near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (STXM-NEXAFS) measurements to examine the abundance and spatial distribution of the different oxidation states of Mn within these nano- to micrometer thick crusts. Such microanalytical measurements of thin and hard rock crusts require sample preparation with minimal contamination risk. Focused ion beam (FIB) slicing, a well-established technique in geosciences, was used in this study to obtain 100–200 nm thin slices of the samples for X-ray transmission spectroscopy. However, even though this preparation is suitable to investigate element distributions and structures in rock samples, we observed that, using standard parameters, modifications of the Mn oxidation states occur in the surfaces of the FIB slices. Based on our results, the preparation technique likely causes the reduction of Mn4+ to Mn2+/3+. We draw attention to this issue, since FIB slicing, SEM imaging, and other preparation and visualization techniques operating in the keV range are well-established in geosciences, but researchers are often unaware of the potential for reduction of Mn and possibly other elements in the samples’ surface layers.

Optimizing Gas-Assisted FIB Processes: The Importance of Oft-Ignored Secondary Parameters

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Rue ◽  
S. Herschbein ◽  
C. Scrudato ◽  
L. Fischer ◽  
A. Shore
Keyword(s):  
Focused Ion Beam ◽  
Vacuum Chamber ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Metal Films ◽  
Deposited Metal ◽  
Influence Process ◽  
Focused Beams ◽  
Gas Pressures

Abstract The efficiency of Gas-Assisted Etching (GAE) and depositions performed using the Focused Ion Beam (FIB) technique is subject to numerous factors. Besides the wellknown primary parameters recommended by the FIB manufacturer (pixel spacing, dwell time, and gas pressures), certain secondary factors can also have a pronounced effect on the quality of these gas-assisted FIB operations. The position of the gas delivery nozzle during XeF2 mills on silicon is examined and was found to affect both the milling speed and the texture on the floor of the FIB trench. Limitations arising from the memory capacity of the FIB computer can also influence process times and trench quality. Exposing the FIB vacuum chamber to TMCTS during SiO2 depositions is found to temporarily impede the performance of subsequent tungsten depositions, especially following heavy or prolonged TMCTS exposure. A delay period may be required to achieve optimal tungsten depositions following TMCTS use. Finally, the focusing conditions of the ion beam are found to have a significant impact on the resistance of FIB-deposited metal films. This effect is attributed to partial milling of the deposition film due to the intense current density of the collimated ion beam. The resistances of metal depositions performed with intentionally defocused ion beams were found to be lower than those performed with focused beams.

3D Observation of Elemental Distribution of Si-Device using a Dedicated FIB/STEM System

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Yaguchi ◽  
M. Konno ◽  
T. Kamino ◽  
M. Ogasawara ◽  
K. Kaji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focused Ion Beam ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Elemental Distribution ◽  
Multivariate Statistical ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Sample Rotation ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Scanning Transmission ◽  
Elemental Maps

Abstract A technique for preparation of a pillar shaped sample and its multi-directional observation of the sample using a focused ion beam (FIB) / scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) system has been developed. The system employs an FIB/STEM compatible sample rotation holder with a specially designed rotation mechanism, which allows the sample to be rotated 360 degrees [1-3]. This technique was used for the three dimensional (3D) elemental mapping of a contact plug of a Si device in 90 nm technology. A specimen containing a contact plug was shaped to a pillar sample with a cross section of 200 nm x 200 nm and a 5 um length. Elemental analysis was performed with a 200 kV HD-2300 STEM equipped with the EDAX genesis Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) system. Spectrum imaging combined with multivariate statistical analysis (MSA) [4, 5] was used to enhance the weak X-ray signals of the doped area, which contain a low concentration of As-K. The distributions of elements, especially the dopant As, were successfully enhanced by MSA. The elemental maps were .. reconstructed from the maps.

Optimized screen-printing and SEM-FIB characterization of YSZ thin films for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and gas sensors devices

2004 ◽  
Vol 822 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Morata ◽  
A. Tarancón ◽  
G. Dezanneau ◽  
F. Peiró ◽  
J. R. Morante
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Design ◽  
Screen Printing ◽  
Focused Ion Beam ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Deposition Process ◽  
Technological Parameters ◽  
Significant Information ◽  
Screen Printing Technique ◽  
Final Porosity

AbstractIn the present work, the screen printing technique has been used to deposit thick films of Zr0.84Y016O1.92 (8YSZ). In order to control the final porosity in view of a specific application (SOFCs or gas sensor), an experimental design based on analysis of variances (ANOVA) has been carried out. From this, we were able to determine the influence of several technological parameters on films porosity and grain size. The films obtained have been analysed with both Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Focused Ion Beam (FIB) combined with SEM. We show that only the combination of experimental design and advanced observation technique such as Focused Ion Beam allowed us to extract significant information for the improvement of the deposition process.

Oxidation of Alloy-X in Subcritical, Transition, and Supercritical Water

CORROSION ◽  
10.5006/3881 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Karmiol ◽  
Dev Chidambaram
Keyword(s):  
Supercritical Water ◽  
Photoelectron Spectroscopy ◽  
Focused Ion Beam ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Subcritical Water ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Nickel Based Superalloy ◽  
Before And After

This work investigates the oxidation of a nickel based superalloy, namely Alloy X, in water at elevated temperatures: subcritical water at 261°C and 27 MPa, the transition between subcritical and supercritical water at 374°C and 27 MPa, and supercritical water at 380°C and 27 MPa for 100 hours. The morphology of the sample surfaces were studied using scanning electron microscopy coupled with focused ion beam milling, and the surface chemistry was investigated using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy before and after exposure studies. Surfaces of all samples were identified to comprise of a ferrite spinel containing aluminum.

Imaging of retina cellular and subcellular structures using ptychographic hard X-ray tomography

2021 ◽  
Vol 134 (19) ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie Panneels ◽  
Ana Diaz ◽  
Cornelia Imsand ◽  
Manuel Guizar-Sicairos ◽  
Elisabeth Müller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focused Ion Beam ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Plexiform Layer ◽  
Wild Type Mouse ◽  
Small Region ◽  
Mouse Retina ◽  
Imaging Method ◽  
Scanning Method ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Correlative Imaging

ABSTRACT Ptychographic hard X-ray computed tomography (PXCT) is a recent method allowing imaging with quantitative electron-density contrast. Here, we imaged, at cryogenic temperature and without sectioning, cellular and subcellular structures of a chemically fixed and stained wild-type mouse retina, including axons and synapses, with complete isotropic 3D information over tens of microns. Comparison with tomograms of degenerative retina from a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa illustrates the potential of this method for analyzing disease processes like neurodegeneration at sub-200 nm resolution. As a non-destructive imaging method, PXCT is very suitable for correlative imaging. Within the outer plexiform layer containing the photoreceptor synapses, we identified somatic synapses. We used a small region inside the X-ray-imaged sample for further high-resolution focused ion beam/scanning electron microscope tomography. The subcellular structures of synapses obtained with the X-ray technique matched the electron microscopy data, demonstrating that PXCT is a powerful scanning method for tissue volumes of more than 60 cells and sensitive enough for identification of regions as small as 200 nm, which remain available for further structural and biochemical investigations.

scholarly journals Concept of Biogenic Ferromanganese Crust Formation: Coccoliths as Bio-seeds in Crusts from Central Atlantic Ocean (Senghor Seamount/Cape Verde)

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1100600
Author(s):  
Xiaohong Wang ◽  
Florian Peine ◽  
Alexander Schmidt ◽  
Heinz C. Schröder ◽  
Matthias Wiens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Focused Ion Beam ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Deposition Process ◽  
Ferromanganese Crust ◽  
Cape Verde ◽  
Surface Zone ◽  
Ferromanganese Crusts ◽  
Central Atlantic ◽  
Scanning Electron

At depths of 2,000 to 3,000 m, seamounts from the Cape Verde archipelago (Central Atlantic Ocean) are largely covered with ferromanganese crusts. Here we studied 60 to 150 mm thick crusts from the Senghor Seamount (depth: 2257.4 m). The crusts have a non lamellated texture and are covered with spherical nodules. The chemical composition shows a dominance of MnO2 (26.1%) and Fe2O3 (38.8%) with considerable amounts of Co (0.74%) and TiO2 (2.1%). Analysis by scanning electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) revealed a well defined compositional zonation of micro-layers; the distribution pattern of Mn does not match that of Fe. Analysis by high resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that coccospheres/coccoliths exist in the crust material as microfossils; most of the coccospheres/coccoliths are not intact. The almost circular coccoliths belong to the type of heterococcoliths and are taxonomically related to species of the family Calcidiscaceae. By energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analysis an accumulation of the coccoliths in the Mn- and Fe rich micronodules was detected. Focused ion beam assisted SEM mapping highlighted that the coccoliths in the crust are Mn rich, suggesting that the calcareous material of the algal skeleton has been replaced by Mn-minerals. We conclude that a biologically induced mechanism has been involved in the formation of the crusts, collected from the Cape Verde archipelago from depths of 2,000 to 3,000 m in the mixing region between the oxygen-minimum surface zone and the oxygen-rich deep waters; the deposition process might have been triggered by chemical reactions during the dissolution of the Ca-carbonate skeletons of the coccoliths allowing Mn(II) to oxidize to Mn(IV) and in turn to deposit this element in the crust material.

scholarly journals Artifacts from manganese reduction in rock samples prepared by focused ion beam (FIB) slicing for X-ray microspectroscopy

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-111
Author(s):  
Dorothea S. Macholdt ◽  
Jan-David Förster ◽  
Maren Müller ◽  
Bettina Weber ◽  
Michael Kappl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Focused Ion Beam ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Oxidation States ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Scientific Debate ◽  
Rock Samples ◽  
Valence States ◽  
Scanning Transmission ◽  
Visualization Techniques

Abstract. The spatial distribution of transition metal valence states is of broad interest in the microanalysis of geological and environmental samples. An example is rock varnish, a natural manganese (Mn)-rich rock coating, whose genesis mechanism remains a subject of scientific debate. We conducted scanning transmission X-ray microscopy with near-edge X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy (STXM-NEXAFS) measurements of the abundance and spatial distribution of different Mn oxidation states within the nano- to micrometer thick varnish crusts. Such microanalytical measurements of thin and hard rock crusts require sample preparation with minimal contamination risk. Focused ion beam (FIB) slicing was used to obtain ∼100–1000 nm thin wedge-shaped slices of the samples for STXM, using standard parameters. However, while this preparation is suitable for investigating element distributions and structures in rock samples, we observed artifactual modifications of the Mn oxidation states at the surfaces of the FIB slices. Our results suggest that the preparation causes a reduction of Mn4+ to Mn2+. We draw attention to this issue, since FIB slicing, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging, and other preparation and visualization techniques operating in the kilo-electron-volt range are well-established in geosciences, but researchers are often unaware of the potential for the reduction of Mn and possibly other elements in the samples.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document