WG1 – Tool Development

WG1 is dedicated to the development of new instrumentation for FIB technology. Two main areas of focus have been identified:

  • Development of new sources and beam optics required to broaden the applicability of FIB technology for nanostructured functional materials research.
  • Investigation of new FIB based in-situ and in-operando characterization methods for nanostructured functional materials beyond the state-of-the-art.

The work is organised around the following 4 tasks:

Task 1.1: Review of existing ion source and beam guiding technologies with special emphasis on new and promising developments (M12).

Task 1.2: White paper on FIB based characterization methods (M24).

Task 1.3: Report on the application of in-situ and in-operando methods in focused ion beam tools (M18).

Task 1.4: FIBID based additive manufacturing including new beam strategies and precursors as well as FIB based resist lithography (M48).

 

The participants of WG1 meet regularly to

  • discuss concepts for new instrument developments
  • set up feasibility studies (e.g. preliminary experiments on existing instruments or test benches after some adaptations/prototyping)
  • identify programmes / funding opportunities for instrument development
  • set up consortia to prepare and submit proposals 
prototype nano-writer machine
Picture of the equipment located in the Ion Sources & FIB development labs at C2N-Palaiseau. For confidentiality reasons a "general" image of the prototype nano-writer machines is included.
Protoype image charge detector
Prototype of an image charge detector developed at the Leibniz Institute of Surface Engineering (IOM) for the detection of ions in a single fly-by through the set of electrodes in the centre (Foto: P. Räcke, IOM).”
FIB cuts FIB
SEM micrograph (20 x 20 µm²) of a Gallium-Ion-Beam processed silicon surface, showing the same FIB microscope (FIB Nova 200, TU Graz) that was used for this FIB-cutting/imaging.