Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T05:07:50.878Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Review of Atom Probe FIB-Based Specimen Preparation Methods

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2007

Michael K. Miller
Affiliation:
Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6136, USA
Kaye F. Russell
Affiliation:
Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6136, USA
Keith Thompson
Affiliation:
Imago Scientific Instruments, Madison, WI 53711, USA
Roger Alvis
Affiliation:
Imago Scientific Instruments, Madison, WI 53711, USA
David J. Larson
Affiliation:
Imago Scientific Instruments, Madison, WI 53711, USA
Get access

Abstract

Several FIB-based methods that have been developed to fabricate needle-shaped atom probe specimens from a variety of specimen geometries, and site-specific regions are reviewed. These methods have enabled electronic device structures to be characterized. The atom probe may be used to quantify the level and range of gallium implantation and has demonstrated that the use of low accelerating voltages during the final stages of milling can dramatically reduce the extent of gallium implantation.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2007 Microscopy Society of America

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Anderson, R. & Klepeis, S.J. (1997). Specimen Preparation for Transmission Electron Microscopy of Materials, IV, Anderson, R. & Walck, S.D. (Eds.), pp. 187192. Pittsburgh, PA: Materials Research Society.
Cairney, J.M., Saxey, D.W., McGrouther, D. & Ringer, S.P. (2007). Grain boundary investigations using atom probe tomography. Physica B 394, 267269; [doi:10.1016/j.physb.2006.12.024].CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Colijn, H.O., Kelly, T.F., Ulfig, R.M. & Buchheit, R.G. (2004). Site-specific FIB preparation of atom probe samples. Microsc Microanal 10(Suppl. 2), 1150CD.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giannuzzi, L.A., Anzalone, P.A., Young, R.J. & Phifer, D.W. (2006). Circumferential FIB milling for lift-out specimens. Microsc Microanal 12, 1310CD.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giannuzzi, L.A., Drown, J.L., Brown, S.R., Irwin, R.B. & Stevie, F.A. (1998). Applications of the FIB lift-out technique for TEM specimen preparation. Microsc Res Technol 41, 285290.3.0.CO;2-Q>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giannuzzi, L.A. & Stevie, F.A. (1999). A review of focused ion beam milling techniques for TEM specimen preparation. Micron 30, 197204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giannuzzi, L.A. & Stevie, F.A. (2004). Introduction to Focused Ion Beams. New York: Kluwer Academic Press.
Kelly, T.F. & Larson, D.J. (2000). Local-electrode atom probes. Mat Char 44, 5985.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kempshall, B.W., Giannuzzi, L.A., Prenitzer, B.I., Stevie, F.A. & Da, S.X. (2002). Comparative evaluation of protective coatings and focused ion beam chemical vapor deposition processes. J Vac Sci Technol B 20, 286290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Larson, D.J., Foord, D.T., Petford-Long, A.K., Anthony, T.C., Rozdilsky, I.M., Cerezo, A. & Smith, G.D.W. (1998). Focused ion-beam milling for field-ion specimen preparation: Preliminary experiments. Ultramicroscopy 75, 147159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Larson, D.J., Foord, D.T., Petford-Long, A.K., Liew, H., Blamire, M.G., Cerezo, A. & Smith, G.D.W. (1999a). Field-ion specimen preparation using focused ion-beam milling. Ultramicroscopy 79, 287293.Google Scholar
Larson, D.J., Russell, K.F. & Cerezo, A. (2000). Positioning of features of interest in field-ion specimens using ion-beam milling. J Vac Sci Tech 18, 328333.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Larson, D.J., Russell, K.F. & Miller, M.K. (1999b). Effect of the specimen aspect ratio on the reconstruction of atom probe tomography data. Microsc Microanal 5, 930931.Google Scholar
Larson, D.J., Wissman, B.D., Viellieux, R.J., Martens, R.L., Gribb, T.T., Erskine, H.F., Kelly, T.F. & Tabat, N. (2001). Advances in sharp needle fabrication from multilayer thin film structures. Microsc Microanal 7, 2431.Google Scholar
Lawrence, D., Thompson, K. & Larson, D.J. (2006). Site-specific specimen preparation technique for atom probe analysis of grain boundaries. Microsc Microanal 12, 1740CD.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, M.K., Liu, C.T., Wright, J.A., Tang, W. & Hildal, K. (2006). APT characterization of some iron-based bulk metallic glasses. Intermetallics 14, 10191026.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, M.K. & Russell, K.F. (2006). FIB-based atom probe specimen preparation of powders. Microsc Microanal 12, 1294CD.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, M.K. & Russell, K.F. (2007). Atom probe specimen preparation with a dual beam SEM/FIB miller. Ultramicroscopy 107, 761766; [doi:10.1016/j.ultramicrosopy.2007.02.023].CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, M.K., Russell, K.F. & Thompson, G.B. (2005). Strategies for fabricating atom probe specimens with a dual beam FIB. Ultramicroscopy 102, 287298.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saxey, D.W., Cairney, J.M., McGrouther, D., Honma, T. & Ringer, S.P. (2007). Atom probe specimen fabrication methods using a dual FIB/SEM. Ultramicroscopy 107, 756760; [doi:10.1016/j.ultramicrosopy.2007.02.024].CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, G.B., Fraser, H.L. & Miller, M.K. (2004). Some aspects of atom probe specimen preparation and analysis of thin film materials. Ultramicroscopy 100, 2534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, K., Gorman, B., Larson, D. J., Van Leer, B. & Hong, L. (2006). Minimization of Ga induced FIB damage using low energy clean-up. Microsc Microanal 12, 1740CD.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, K., Lawrence, D., Larson, D.J., Olson, J.D., Kelly, T.F. & Gorman, B. (2007). In situ site-specific specimen preparation for atom probe tomography. Ultramicroscopy 107, 131139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Uchic, M.D., Wheeler, R., Seekely, M.J. & Dimiduk, D.M. (2004). Fabrication and characterization of micron-sized compression samples using a focused ion beam microscope. Microsc Microanal 10, 1126–1127CD.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vasile, M.J., Grigg, D., Griffith, J.E., Fitzgerald, E. & Russell, P.E. (1991). Scanning probe tip geometry optimized for metrology by focused-ion beam milling. J Vac Sci Tech B 9, 35693572.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ziegler, J.F., Biersack, J.P. & Littmark, U. (1977–1985). The Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter, vols. 2–6. New York: Pergamon Press.