Fei Comapny

International Business Machines Corporation

Other

Chad Rue

Steven B Herschbein

Noel Thomas Franco

Richard J Young

Peter D Carleson

Kenny Mani

Thomas Gary Miller

Michael Ray Sievers

Herschel M Marchman

Narender N Rana

Joe Christian

Clive D Chandler

Jeffrey Blackwood

Steven J Randolph

Brian Routh, Jr

Reinier Louis Warschauer

Kun Liu

Alan S Bahm

Jorge Filevich

Matthias Langhorst

Joseph Christian

Enrique Agorio

Laurens Franz Taemsz Kwakman

David Foord

Guillaume Audoit

Lawrence Fischer

Philip Brundage

Carmelo F Scrudato

Michael Renner

Sergey Gorelick

Alex De Marco

Brian Roberts Routh

Guillaume Delpy

Zachary Klassen

Ville S Kiiskinen

Laurens Kwakman

Guillaume Pierre Delpy

Guillame Audoit

Daniel Crowley

To reduce charging artifacts in electron microscopy, a notched ring of sputterable material can be situated about a sample surface. An ion beam can be directed through a notch at to sputter the sputterable material onto the sample surface. Sputtering can be performed after low-angle focused ion beam (FIB) milling at the same sample tilts. The sample can be rotated about an axis and sputtering performed at multiple rotation angles. Upon sputtering of the conductive coating, the sample can be reoriented and imaged. These steps can be repeated to produce a 2D image stack for 3D image reconstruction.

Crenellated sample holder and sputter target for sample preparation in cryo electron microscopy applications

A method and apparatus for material deposition onto a sample to form a protective layer composed of at least two materials that have been formulated and arranged according to the material properties of the sample.

Method of material deposition

The invention relates to a method, a device and a system for the treatment of biological frozen samples using plasma focused ion beams (FIB). The samples can then be used for mass spectrometry (MS), genomics, such as gene sequencing analysis or next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis, and proteomics. The present invention particularly relates to a method of treatment of at least one biological sample. This method is particularly used for high performance microscopy, proteomics analytics, sequencing, such as NGS etc. According to the present invention the method comprises the steps of providing at least one biological sample in frozen form. The milling treats at least one part of the sample by a plasma ion beam comprising at least one of an Oand/or a Xeplasma.

Method, device and system for the treatment of biological cryogenic samples by plasma focused ion beams

Methods of producing microrods for electron emitters and associated microrods and electron emitters. In one example, a method of producing a microrod for an electron emitter comprises providing a bulk crystal ingot, removing a first plate from the bulk crystal ingot, reducing a thickness of the first plate to produce a second plate, and milling the second plate to produce one or more microrods. In another example, a microrod for an electron emitter comprises a microrod tip region that comprises a nanoneedle that in turn comprises a nanorod and a nanoprotrusion tip. The microrod and the nanoneedle are integrally formed from a bulk crystal ingot by sequentially: (i) removing the microrod from the bulk crystal ingot; (ii) coarse processing the microrod tip region to produce the nanorod; and (iii) fine processing the nanorod to produce the nanoprotrusion tip.

Method of producing microrods for electron emitters, and associated microrods and electron emitters

Method for preparing site-specific, plan-view lamellae from multilayered microelectronic devices. A focused ion beam that is directed, with an etch-assisting gas, toward an uppermost layer of a device removes at least that uppermost layer and thereby exposes an underlying layer over, or comprising, a target area from which the site-specific, plan-view lamella is to be prepared, wherein the focused ion beam is in a face-on orientation in removing the uppermost layer to expose the underlying layer. In a preferred embodiment, the etch-assisting gas comprises methyl nitroacetate. In alternative embodiments, the etch-assisting gas is methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, ethyl nitroacetate, propyl acetate, propyl nitroacetate, nitro ethyl acetate, methyl methoxyacetate, or methoxy acetylchloride.

Face-on, gas-assisted etching for plan-view lamellae preparation

Techniques for planarizing surfaces are disclosed herein. One example includes orienting a surface of a sample to a charged particle beam axis, the sample including a first layer formed from first and second materials, the first material patterned into a plurality of parallel lines and disposed in the second material, where the surface is oriented to form a shallow angle with the charged particle beam axis and to arrange the plurality of parallel lines perpendicular to the charged particle beam axis, providing a charged particle beam toward the surface, providing a gas to the surface, and selectively etching, with ion induced chemical etching, the second material at least down to a top surface of the first material, the charged particle induced etching stimulated due to concurrent presence of the charged particle beam and the gas over the surface of the sample.

Method and apparatus for the planarization of surfaces

Method and system for enhanced charged particle beam processes for carbon removal. With the method and system for enhancing carbon removal, associated method and system for decreasing levels of carbon impurity in depositions, also using a precursor gas in charged particle beam processes (and particularly focused ion beam methodologies), are provided. In a preferred embodiment, the precursor gas comprises methyl nitroacetate. In alternative embodiments, the precursor gas is methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, ethyl nitroacetate, propyl acetate, propyl nitroacetate, nitro ethyl acetate, methyl methoxyacetate, or methoxy acetylchloride.

Enhanced charged particle beam processes for carbon removal

Implanting a material in a pattern hardens the material in the pattern for subsequent etching. When the region is etched, by ion beam sputtering, chemically enhanced charged particle beam etching, or chemical etching, a thicker structure remains because of the reduced etch rate of the hardened pattern. The invention is particularly useful for the preparation of thin lamella for viewing on a transmission electron microscope.

Ion implantation to alter etch rate

Sample pillars for x-ray tomography or other tomography scanning are created using an innovative milling strategy on a Plasma-FIB. The strategies are provided in methods, systems, and program products executable to perform the strategies herein. The milling strategy creates an asymmetrical crater around a sample pillar, and provides a single cut cut-free process. Various embodiments may include tuning the ion dose as a function of pixel coordinates along with optimization of the beam scan and crater geometries, drastically reducing the preparation time and significantly improving the overall workflow efficiency. A novel cut-free milling pattern is provided with a crescent shape and optimized dwell-time values.

Tomography sample preparation systems and methods with improved speed, automation, and reliability

A system and method of characterizing a work piece, comprising:

Material characterization using ion channeling imaging

A method and system for improved planar deprocessing of semiconductor devices using a focused ion beam system. The method comprises defining a target area to be removed, the target area including at least a portion of a mixed copper and dielectric layer of a semiconductor device; directing a precursor gas toward the target area; and directing a focused ion beam toward the target area in the presence of the precursor gas, thereby removing at least a portion of a first mixed copper and dielectric layer and producing a uniformly smooth floor in the milled target area. The precursor gas causes the focused ion beam to mill the copper at substantially the same rate as the dielectric. In a preferred embodiment, the precursor gas comprises methyl nitroacetate. In alternative embodiments, the precursor gas is methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, ethyl nitroacetate, propyl acetate, propyl nitroacetate, nitro ethyl acetate, methyl methoxyacetate, or methoxy acetylchloride.

Gas injection system with precursor for planar deprocessing of semiconductor devices using a focused ion beam

A carbonaceous material is removed using a low energy focused ion beam in the presence of an etch-assisting gas. Applicant has discovered that when the beam energy of the FIB is lowered, an etch-assisting gas, such as O, greatly increases the etch rate. In one example, polyimide material etched using a Xeplasma FIB with a beam energy from 8 keV to 14 keV and Oas an etch-assisting gas, the increase in etch rate can approach 30&#xd7; as compared to the default mill rate.

Low energy ion beam etch

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Portland, OR, United States of America

Chad Rue