Focused Ion Beam

ECH 6931
Spring 2019

ECH 6931 Electron Microscopy Spring 2019

Focused Ion Beam
 Focused Ion Beam

Cross Section
 Focused Ion Beam

Dirk van derWal / Hans Mulders FEI Presentation Looking below the surface
 Focused Ion Beam

OUTLINE
 FIB / SEM instrumentation
 Electron Solid Interaction
 Ion Solid Interaction
 Focused Ion Beam milling - sputtering
 FIB Induced Pt and C Deposition
 Electrons Induced Pt and C Deposition
 Cross Section
 FIB template stripping
 Sample preparation for TEM
 Additional Capabilities of Dual Beam FIB
 FIB slice and view. 3D reconstruction
 End Point Monitor
 Charge neutralizer
 Focused Ion Beam

FIB Quanta 3D

Ion column Electron column

SED

Sample chamber
Quanta 3D DualBeam® is a combination of two systems:

1. SEM - Scanning Electron Microscope

2. FIB - Focused Ion Beam system that is capable of fast and precise milling of the specimen
material, making cross sections, deposition layers, etc. The scanning ion system produces high
resolution SEM images as well as electron beam.
 Focused Ion Beam

Electron – solid interaction

When focused electron beam is
incident on the specimen, various signals
are produced including:

• Secondary electrons
• Backscattered electrons
• X- rays;
• Auger electrons
• Cathodoluminescance

The energy distribution of emitted electrons. N – intensity of emitted

E- electrons, emitted electron energy, Eo - incident electron energy.
 Electron
Column

Sample
 Focused Ion Beam

FIB, SEM Instrumentation

 Focused Ion Beam

Dual Beam FIB System Schematic Overview

FIB SEM
52°
15mm
30mm
 Focused Ion Beam

Image observation with e-beam and Ion beam

 Focused Ion Beam

5-axis Motorized Sample Stage

The Quanta 3D 200 is delivered with a

50 x 50 mm 5-axis motorized stage.
The software control for the stage is an
integrated part of the overall control
software.

The maximum sample size

(100x50x25 mm) is allowed only for
tilt angles in the range
-10° to +52°. Exceeding this range
may result in damage to the sample
or pole piece.
 Focused Ion Beam

Focused Ion Beam Microscopy

Why Ga+ LMIS?
In FIB microscopy the probe is a beam of high energy ions focused onto the specimen

The better choice of liquid metal is Gallium (atomic number 31, melting temperature 29 C
or 84 F). Liquid gallium partially wets heated tungsten filament and drawn into the cone
by applied electric field.

 Nearly liquid metal at room temperature for minimal heating (stays superheated for hours)
 Low volatility for long life (up to 1500 hr)
 Non-reactive to W tip
 Low energy spread and high angular intensity for excellent probes
 Heavy ion for sputtering
 Focused Ion Beam

Focused Ion Beam Microscopy

In FIB microscopy the probe is a beam of high energy ions focused onto the specimen
The better choice of liquid metal is Gallium (atomic number 31,
melting temperature 29 C or 84 F). Liquid gallium partially wets
heated tungsten filament and drawn into the cone by applied electric
field.
 Nearly liquid metal at room temperature for
minimal heating (stays superheated for hours)
 Low volatility for long life (up to 1500 hr)
 Non-reactive to W tip
 Low energy spread and high angular intensity for .
excellent probes
 Heavy ion for sputtering

The design of Ion column differs substantially

from electron column in regular SEM. For
example electromagnetic focusing is impractical
for large mass ions and electrostatic lenses must be
used to focus Ion beam.
Electrostatic quadrupole and octopole are used to
position and scan the ion beam.
 Focused Ion Beam

Focused Ion Beam Size

Spot size in Quanta 3D Dual beam
 The Focused Ion Beam size depends on the source size (fixed
at ~ 50 nm), column magnification and system aberrations
 Beam size and current increase with aperture size
 This means there is always a trade-off between size of the
beam and current in the beam: higher beam current means
worth resolution

Beam current (pA) Spot size (nm) and resolution

1 7
10 12
30 16
50 19
100 23
300 33
500 39
1,000 50
3,000 81
5,000 110
7,000 141
20,000 427
 Focused Ion Beam

Ions Solid Interaction

- Sputtering of Ions (SIM) - X – rays;

- Lattice defects: Vacancies, Interstitials, - Auger electrons and
Dislocations, Implanted Ions Cathodoluminescence
- Secondary electrons (SEM);
Lucille A.Giannuzzi, Fred A.Steve. Introduction to Focused Ion Beam.
No backscattered electrons !
 Electron Column

Ion Column

Sample
 Electron Column

Ion Column

Sample
 Focused Ion Beam

Ions Solid Interaction

Ion bombardment can result the emission of secondary electrons (SE). Detection of the
emitted SE is the standard mode for imaging in the FIB; however, secondary ions (SI) can
also be detected and used to form Secondary Ion Microscopy (SIM) images

-Sputtering of Ions (SIM)

-Lattice defects: Vacancies, Interstitials,
Dislocations, Implanted Ions
- Secondary electrons (SEM);
- X – rays;
- Auger electrons and Cathodoluminescence
No backscattered electrons !
Lucille A.Giannuzzi, Fred A.Steve. Introduction to Focused Ion Beam.

Focused Ion Beam Scanning

SEM images
 Focused Ion Beam

Ga FIB for Imaging – Channeling Contrast

e- SEM Ga stimulated SEM

 Focused Ion Beam

Ga FIB for Imaging – Channeling Contrast

e- SEM Ga stimulated SEM

 Focused Ion Beam

Channeling Contrast for Grain Size Analysis

Ga stimulated SEM
 Focused Ion Beam

Ions Solid Interaction

- Sputtering of Ions (SIM) - X – rays;

- Lattice defects: Vacancies, Interstitials, - Auger electrons and
Dislocations, Implanted Ions Cathodoluminescence
- Secondary electrons (SEM);
Lucille A.Giannuzzi, Fred A.Steve. Introduction to Focused Ion Beam.
No backscattered electrons !
 Focused Ion Beam

Ions Solid Interaction

 Focused Ion Beam

Ions Solid Interaction

 The ability to image, mill, and deposit material using a focused ion beam (FIB)
instrument depends critically on the nature of the ion beam - solid interactions.
Figure below shows a schematic diagram illustrating ion bombardment of a solid.
Milling takes place as the result of a series collisions where momentum is transferred
from the incident ions to the target atoms within a collision cascade. A surface atom may
be ejected as a sputtered particle if it receives a component of kinetic energy that is
sufficient to overcome the surface binding energy (SBE) of the target material.

 Interactions between the incident ion and the solid occur at the expense of the
initial kinetic energy of the ion. Consequently, if the ion is not backscattered out of
the target surface, the ion will eventually come to rest, implanted within the target
at some depth below the specimen surface.

Lucille A.Giannuzzi, Fred A.Steve. Introduction to Focused Ion Beam.

 Focused Ion Beam

Ions Solid Interaction

Ion bombardment can result the emission of secondary electrons (SE). Detection of the
emitted SE is the standard mode for imaging in the FIB; however, secondary ions (SI) can
also be detected and used to form Secondary Ion Microscopy (SIM) images

-Sputtering of Ions (SIM)

-Lattice defects: Vacancies, Interstitials,
Dislocations, Implanted Ions
- Secondary electrons (SEM);
- X – rays;
- Auger electrons and Cathodoluminescence
No backscattered electrons !
Lucille A.Giannuzzi, Fred A.Steve. Introduction to Focused Ion Beam.

Focused Ion Beam Scanning

SEM images
 Focused Ion Beam

Ions Solid Interaction

A comparison of an ion beam induced SEM image and an ion beam induced SIM image
from the same region of the eye of a typical Florida bug is shown below.
Non-conducting regions of a sample will accumulate a net positive charge as a result of the
impinging Ga+ ions. The positive charge will inhibit the escape of SEs emitted from the
surface. This type of charging artifact is observed as dark contrast in the image (the regions
in the lower left shows charging artifacts in the SEM image), but the same area are clearly
delineated in the SIM image. Thus, secondary ion imaging is less affected by electrons
charge effect and is a useful alternative to circumvent charging artifacts during FIB imaging
and milling of non-conducting samples.

Lucille A.Giannuzzi, Fred A.Steve.

Introduction to Focused Ion
Beam.
 Focused Ion Beam

Modeling Ion-Solid Interactions in Materials

The Collision Cascade

 When a target atom is knocked from its position, it can contribute to the collision
cascade.
 Sputtering occurs if sufficient momentum is transferred from the collision cascade to a
surface or near surface particle.
 The main parameters that govern the energy loss rate of the incident ion are its energy
(Eo), the atomic masses (MI and M2), and atomic numbers (Z1 and Z2), of the ion and the
target atoms, respectively. The nature of the cascade is dependent on the ratio of the
target to ion masses (M2/MI) and the incident ion energy.
 The classification of collision cascades is divided into three regimes:
 Regime I is called the single knock-on regime, and occurs when either MI << M2 or
Eo is low. In this regime, the recoil atoms do not receive enough energy to generate a
cascade and sputtering is minimal.
 Regime II is the linear cascade regime where Eo is moderate and MI = M2. In this
regime recoil atoms receive enough energy to generate a cascade. Regime II is where
the FIB generally operates.
 Regime III is called the spike regime where MI >> M2 and/or Eo is large. The result
is that the majority of the atoms within the spike volume move during the collision
cascade. Regime III is seldom reached during conventional FIB operation
 Focused Ion Beam

Modeling Ion-Solid Interactions in Materials

The Collision Cascade
Monte Carlo (MC) simulation of ion-solid interactions used as "Transport of Ions in Matter"
(TRIM) is a sub-routine of a group of programs called "Stopping and Range of Ions in
Matter" (SRIM). TRIM can be effectively used to spatial distributions of ions in bombarded
materials. TRIM can describe data regarding with the energy loss of the primary ions in the
solid.

TRIM calculations showing the relationship between the total stopping power and the mass density (left) and
melting temperature (right)for target elements Z= 1-92 at a Ga+ energy of 25 keV and 0" incident angle
 Focused Ion Beam

Terminology of an ion beam

 Ion flux -is the time rate of ion beam. Flux is measured as the number of
particles flowing through a given area per unit time and has units of ions/cm2/s.
Flux is a rate and remains constant for a given set of parameters such as beam
current / aperture setting.

 Dose - is denoting the quantity particles absorbed by a sample. Dose has units
of ions/cm2.

 Beam current - is also a measure of how many ions are delivered per unit
time. The beam current is measured in amperes, which is equivalent to units of
charge per unit time or Coulombs (C)/sec.

 Current density is a measure of number of ions in a given area at any

instant in time. Current density has units of ions/cm2

 Surface binding energy (SBE) is minima energy for eject a sputtered

particle from the target material.
 Focused Ion Beam

Ion-Solid Interactions
SPUTTERING

The sputtering yield, Y, is defined as the number of ejected particles per incident ion.
Sputtering can be considered as a transfer of kinetic energy from the incident ion to target
atoms result in the ejection of surface and near surface atoms, also referred to as knock-on
sputtering. Sputtering yields for typical FIB energies vary between 10 -1<Y<10 2 depending
on target and incident angle.

EJECTION DIRECTION

Sputtered particles generally possess an energy between -

2-5 eV. The emission of sputtered particles generally
follows a cosine distribution for normal incidence ion
bombardment. As the angle of incidence increases, the
maximum emission of sputtered particles shifts away from
the incoming ion beam as shown in figure
 Focused Ion Beam

Ion-Solid Interactions
BACKSPUTTERING

Backsputtering occurs when an incident ion is scattered either directly back, or after
some number of multiple collisions, out of the target. (This phenomenon is analogous to
backscattering in electron-solid interactions). As shown in figure below, the
backsputtering yield of the incident ion increases with angle of incidence. In addition,
comparing the backsputtering yields between Si and Cu in figure 9 shows an increase
in backsputtering with an increase in mass ratio M2/M1. Materials with a higher mass
(Cu), have a correspondingly higher backsputtering yield of incident ions. Thus, more
particles are available for the possibility of redeposition.
 Focused Ion Beam

DEPENDENSE OF THE SPUTTERING YIELD

ON THE TARGET MATERIALS AND INCIDENT ANGLE
The sputter yield varies as a function of primary ions energy and different incident angles.
The energy range modeled between 5-30 keV is within the nuclear stopping range in Si and
Cu. The graph shows that the sputtering yield increases steadily with an increase in
accelerating voltage at an incident angle of 89". At the higher incident angle the collision
cascade is confined in a region close to the surface. Thus, an increase in accelerating voltage
would statistically result in an increase in the number of surface collisions with enough energy
to overcome the SBE and consequently increase the sputtering yield.
 Focused Ion Beam

DEPENDENCE OF SPUTTERING YIELD ON TARGET INCIDENT ANGLE

Y increases to a maximum and then approaches zero for increasing angle of

incidence. This maximum sputtering yield occurs between - 75-85" depending in
the material.
 Focused Ion Beam

DEPENDENCE OF SPUTTERING YIELD ON TARGET MATERIALS

The material dependence of sputtering yield (Y(Z)) for different elements shown below.
Material with a high relative Y(Z) will mill rapidly at any incident angle.
 Focused Ion Beam

Ion-Solid Interactions

REDEPOSITION
FIB’s are most often used to create features of high aspect ratio
(i.e., deep narrow trenches). Sputtered material and backsputtered
ions may therefore deposit on surfaces that are in close proximity
to the active milling site (e.g., the sidewalls of a deep narrow
trench). Thus, surface degradation due to redeposition of
sputtered material must also be considered during FIB milling.

When an atom leaves a target material as a sputtered particle, it is ejected with a finite
kinetic energy. A sputtered particle can, therefore, be considered a projectile capable of
producing secondary interactions with local targets that lie in its trajectory. Depending on the
energy of impact and the sticking coefficient of the material, the sputtered atom may be
redeposited on the surface that it strikes. The sticking coefficient is a statistical measure of a
material's affinity to adhere to a surface, with a value of 1 equal to a 100% probability for
sticking. It has been observed that there is very little difference in sticking probabilities for
different materials for the low energy range exhibited by FIB sputtered. However the
geometry of the feature to be milled and the sputtering yield play critical roles in the amount
observed redeposition effects.
 Focused Ion Beam

REDEPOSITION
The geometry of the feature to be milled and the sputtering yield play critical roles in the
amount observed redeposition effects. Figures a-c are SEM images of three trenches milled at
normal incidence in (100) Si and different doses.. The images shows that redeposition as the
aspect ratio is increased.
The shallowest trench has a fairly smooth appearance on the sidewalls and bottom. The
second trench is beginning to show some roughening of the sidewalls and corners which is
consistent with the
appearance of
redeposited material.
Also, the sidewalls are
beginning to show a
greater deviation from
the vertical direction. The
third case clearly shows
the effects of
redeposition. The
sidewalls have roughened
considerably and the
shape conforms to a
1.5 x 1012 Ga+ ions 3 x 1012 Ga+ ions 6 x 1012 Ga+ ions definitive "V".
in 4 minutes in 8 minutes in 16 minutes
 Focused Ion Beam

REDEPOSITION
Redeposition is a function of a number of physically and chemically controlled variables,
some of which include:
 The kinetic energy of the atoms leaving the surface;
 The sticking coefficient of the target materials – SBE;
 The geometry of the feature being milled;
 Sputtering yield of the target materials

1.5 x 1012 Ga+ ions 3 x 1012 Ga+ ions 6 x 1012 Ga+ ions
in 4 minutes in 8 minutes in 16 minutes
 Focused Ion Beam

EFFECT OF COLLISION CASCADE ON SPUTTERING YIELD

Sputtering is a surface phenomenon. It is only the collision cascade atoms that are in motion
near the target surface that have the potential to cause an atom to be ejected as a sputtered
particle. Thus from a statistical perspective, the more collisions that take place proximal to
the surface, the higher the sputtering yield will be. The position of the cascade is determined
by the nuclear stopping power of an ion in a given target material and the incident angle of
the beam with respect to the target surface.

Primary ion penetration depth –

amorphisation depth

TRIM (Transport of Ions in Matter)

ion trajectories for 500 30 and 5 keV
Ga+ ions in Si at 0o and 89o
 Focused Ion Beam

ION IRRADIATION DAMAGE IN MATERIALS

AMORPHISATION

An inherent ion-solid interaction in the FIB process is the result of ion implantation into the
target surface. The degree of ion implantation depends on ion energy, angle of incidence, ion
species, and target material as discussed above. Sample preparation by FIB uses the process
of ion bombardment to selectively remove material. Atoms that are displaced from their
equilibrium positions by the impingement of energetic ions generate a collision cascade
within the target material. Sputtering occurs if sufficient momentum is transferred to a
surface atom. One consequence of ion implantation can be the development of a surface
amorphous phase.

Primary ion penetration depth –

amorphisation depth
 Focused Ion Beam

Types of Samples Successfully FIB’ed

• Semiconductor • Bulk/Monolithic

• Metals • Fibers/Powders

• Polymers • Difficult Shapes

• Ceramics • Geological

• Composites • Pharmaceutical

•Biological
 Focused Ion Beam

Focused Ion Beam Milling –

SPUTTERING - NANOFABRICATION
 Focused Ion Beam

Focused Ion Beam Milling - NANOFABRICATION

Azom.com
Iisb.fraunhofer.de

Anff.act.anu.edu.au cmi.epfl.ch
 Focused Ion Beam

Pattern Scanning for Ion Milling

Lucille A.Giannuzzi, Fred A.Steve.

Introduction to Focused Ion Beam.
Springer

50 % Ovelrlap +50% and - 50 %

 Focused Ion Beam

FIB induced Pt or C (Chemical Vapor) Deposition

GIS

52°
 Focused Ion Beam

Pt Protective layer deposition and Cross Section

Pt protective layer:

Sputtering at the
edge 3x time faster
than surface
 Focused Ion Beam

Pt protective layer deposition

 Focused Ion Beam

FIB assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition

Deposition materials:

Methylcyclopentadienyl
(CH3C5H4)(CH3)3 Pt 30 C
Pt
Phenanthrene
C
Tungsten hexacarbonyl
W
W (CO)6 55 C melting point
O2 and thetramethoxylane
SiO2 (TMOS)Si(OSH3)4

Al Thrimethylamine alane
 Focused Ion Beam

Pt deposition
 Focused Ion Beam

Pt Deposition 3D Structure

Lucille A.Giannuzzi, Fred A.Steve. Introduction to Focused Ion Beam.

Springer
 Focused Ion Beam

2. Pt Deposition 3D Structure

Micro wineglass, 2,75 um

diameter, 12 um height

Lucille A.Giannuzzi, Fred A.Steve. Introduction to Focused Ion Beam.

Springer
 Focused Ion Beam

OUTLINE
 FIB / SEM instrumentation

 Electron Solid Interaction

 Ion Solid Interaction
 Focused Ion Beam milling - sputtering
 FIB Induced Pt and C Deposition
 Electrons Induced Pt and C Deposition

 Cross Section
 FIB template stripping
 Sample preparation for TEM
 Additional Capabilities of Dual Beam FIB
 FIB slice and view. 3D reconstruction

 End Point Monitor

 Charge neutralizer
 Focused Ion Beam

Pt Protection layer deposition and Cross Section

Pt protective layer:

Sputtering at the
edge 3x time faster
than surface
 Focused Ion Beam

Pt protective layer deposition

 Focused Ion Beam

FIB Cross Section

 Focused Ion Beam

CROSS-SECTION VIEWING AT 0° TILT

CROSS-SECTION VIEWING
AT 0° TILT and ROTATED
180°
 Focused Ion Beam

FIB induced Pt or C (Chemical Vapor) Deposition

GIS

52°
 Focused Ion Beam

ION IRRADIATION DAMAGE IN MATERIALS

Amorphization
One of the result of ion-solid interaction in the FIB process is Ga ion implantation into the
target surface. The degree of ion implantation depends on ion energy, angle of incidence,
ion species, and target material as discussed above.

Primary ion penetration depth –

amorphisation depth
 Focused Ion Beam

Electrons induced Pt or C deposition

((CH3)3Pt(CnCH3) GIS
 Focused Ion Beam

2. Electrons induced Pt or C deposition

Dirk van derWal / Hans Mulders. FEI Presentation Looking below the surface
 Focused Ion Beam

In‐situ TEM Lift‐Out with Omniprobe

Lucille A.Giannuzzi, Fred A.Steve. Introduction to Focused Ion Beam.

Springer
 Focused Ion Beam

FIB template stripping with Omniprobe nano-manipulator

 Focused Ion Beam

In‐situ TEM Lift‐Out with Omniprobe

Lucille A.Giannuzzi, Fred A.Steve. Introduction to Focused Ion Beam.

Springer
 Focused Ion Beam

Sample preparation for TEM

 Focused Ion Beam

Ga and Pt Ions Implantation and Damage

TEM image of Ga and Pt ions damage in InP. 40 nm damage layer thickness

J.F Walker, R.F.Broom Inst Rhys Conf Ser., 157, 473 (1996)
 Focused Ion Beam

Interaction of Ions with Matter

The Interaction between FIB and the specimen comes under
three headings:

1.Micro - and nano –machining by sputtering of martix atoms from

the surface. This process can be used to mill and section the sample.

2.Sub surface radiation damages – associated with lattice

damages (vacancies, self-interstitial) and also the Ga ions implantation
into specimen
Lucille A.Giannuzzi, Fred A.Steve.
Introduction to Focused Ion Beam.
3.Secondary electrons excitations – by generating of secondary
electrons by the incident ion beam;

An impinging high energy Ga will generate “knock on” damage when it

collide with atoms of solid. The maxima kinetic energy “E” what can be
transferred to an matrix atom with mass m2 is given by Newtonian model

Where E0 and m1 are energy and mass of primary ion.

Electrons with m2 « m1 should have more than 150 kV beam energy for
individual atom displacement. In FIB high energy ion generates a cascade of
multiply atoms displacement (up to 1000), but only small fraction of these
sputtered from the specimen surface.
 Focused Ion Beam

FIB assisted Pt Deposition Damage

Observed damage region and corresponding damage depth (shown by arrows)

from TEM cross sectioned Pt layers as deposited by:
a) 30 kV Ga Ion Beam – 50 nm;
b) 5 kV Ga Ion Beam – 13 nm;
c) 3 kV Ga Ion Beam – 3 nm
 Focused Ion Beam

FIB assisted Pt Deposition Damage Thru Coating

Kempshall at all. JVST 2002

 Focused Ion Beam

FIB induced Pt or C (Chemical Vapor) Deposition

GIS

52°
 Focused Ion Beam

Electrons induced Pt or C deposition

((CH3)3Pt(CnCH3) GIS
 Focused Ion Beam

FIB assisted Pt Deposition Damage Thru Coating

FIB assisted Pt deposition

Use e-beam deposition first than FIB

Deposition to prevent surface damage

Kempshall at all. JVST 2002

 Focused Ion Beam

Ion-Solid Incidence Angle Convention

Lucille A.Giannuzzi, Fred A.Steve. Introduction to Focused Ion Beam.

Springer
 Focused Ion Beam

For Si at 30 keV FIB milling For Si at 5 kV final milling

~ 22 nm sidewall damage ~ 7 nm sidewall damage

Lucille A.Giannuzzi, Fred A.Steve. Introduction to Focused Ion Beam.

 Focused Ion Beam

For Si at 30 keV FIB milling For Si at 5 kV final milling

~ 22 nm sidewall damage ~ 7 nm sidewall damage

HR TEM
after FIB thinning

at 30 kV

and at 5 kV

Lucille A.Giannuzzi, Fred A.Steve. Introduction to Focused Ion Beam.

 Focused Ion Beam

Advances in Low keV Ga+ FIB Reducing Damage for HR S/TEM

Lucille A.Giannuzzi, Fred A.Steve. Introduction to Focused Ion Beam.

Springer
 Focused Ion Beam

TEM image of Au nanoparticle (20 nm diameter)

 Focused Ion Beam

Additional capability of Dual Beam FIB

• FIB slice and view. 3D reconstruction

• End Point Monitor

• Charge neutralizer
 Focused Ion Beam

FIB slice and view. 3D reconstruction

 X-ray map of elements

SEM, EDS spectra and map of elements https://www.oxford-instruments.com/businesses/nanotechnology/nanoanalysis

 X-ray map of elements

SEM, EDS spectra and map of elements http://www.marl.iastate.edu/eds.html

 X-ray map of elements

SEM, EDS spectra and map of elements http://www.marl.iastate.edu/eds.html

 Focused Ion Beam

END POINT MONITOR

 Focused Ion Beam

END POINT MONITOR

J. Appl Phys A , 2008

Charge effect elimination in SEM
1. Metal coating
Charge effect elimination in SEM
1. Metal coating
 Charge effect elimination in SEM
2. Low Voltage SEM
No charging

In the absence of conductive coating the

primary electron energy is limited to a small
energy range in which the electrons input and
emission is close to balance. The SEM and
BSE signal can be optimized for insulating
uncoated samples at primary electron energy
from the range 1 – 3 kV.

SEM images of
vanadium oxide
nanotubes obtained at
different energies of
primary electron beam

http://www.microscopy.ethz.ch/
se-von-V.htm
Charge effect elimination in SEM
3. Low Vacuum SEM

Variable Pressure or Low Vacuum scanning

electron microscopy (LVSEM)
 Focused Ion Beam

Charge neutralizer
Charge accumulation.
When a specimen is nonconductive a negative charge from the electron beam (or positive charge
from Ion beam) tends to accumulate on the sample surface, thus effecting the final image.
Charge neutralization is a special
electron beam mode used for ion beam
imaging or milling of non-conductive
samples. The ions can positively charge
the sample causing an image drift and
spoiling the beam probe quality. In
charge neutralization mode, the electron
beam produced by the electron beam
column is used to compensate for the
positive charging. The electron beam is
unblanked during the imaging or milling.
It does not scan and is usually strongly
defocused.
 Focused Ion Beam

Thanks