Rapid Prototyping with DualBeam Instruments : Significant Reduction of Development Cycle Time
✍ Scribed by Oliver Wilhelmi
- Publisher
- Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
- Year
- 2007
- Weight
- 778 KB
- Volume
- 9
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1439-4243
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✦ Synopsis
Significant Reduction of Development Cycle Time
DualBeam systems that combine a focused ion beam (FIB) with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) in a single instrument provide valuable rapid prototyping capability that can significantly shorten development times for nanoscale devices in a variety of applications. The DualBeam's strength in prototyping applications derives from its ability to simultaneously create and observe structures with nanoscale resolution. The FIB can remove (mill) and deposit material in complex patterns with dimensional control of a few nanometers. Simultaneous, high resolution SEM imaging of the milling and deposition processes offers unique control of the patterning process and provides immediate feedback to the operator. Successful nanoprototyping requires dedicated patterning and milling strategies that account for interactions between the FIB and the substrate in the milling and deposition processes. Although FIB prototype devices may have material characteristics that ultimately preclude their routine use in the intended application, they can provide a structural or electrical equivalent that permits proof of concept and refinement of design with much greater speed and lower cost than batch fabrication techniques.