Regensburg 2016 – scientific programme

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MI: Fachverband Mikrosonden

MI 4: Helium and Neon Ion Microscopy for the Analysis and Structuring on the Nanoscale

MI 4.2: Talk

Wednesday, March 9, 2016, 15:15–15:30, H5

A Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) add-on for Helium and Neon Ion Microscopy — David Dowsett, •Florian Vollnhals, Jean-Nicolas Audinot, and Tom Wirtz — Advanced Instrumentation for Ion Nano-Analytics (AINA), MRT Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 41 rue du Brill, L-4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg

Helium Ion Microscopy (HIM) was introduced a few years ago as an imaging tool with a lateral resolution below 1 nm. The addition of Neon as a working gas in the Orion NanoFab (Zeiss) has opened up new possibilities in high resolution nano-machining and FIB.

In contrast to electron microscopy, there are currently no analytical tools available on the HIM. Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX), the most common technique in electron microscopy, is not applicable using ion radiation. In order to add analytical functionality, we combine the HIM with Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). The sample is sputtered by the focused He or Ne primary ion beam while the secondary ion emission is recorded by a purpose developed spectrometer. This combination takes advantage of both the small probe size of the He/Ne beam as well as the sensitivity of SIMS analysis.

We will present our progress in instrumental and method development as well as data obtained on the prototype system [1]. He and Ne ion beams will be shown to be viable primary species for successful SIMS, approaching the physical resolution limits of <20 nm [2].

[1] D. Dowsett et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 30 (2012), 06F602

[2] T. Wirtz et al., Nanotechnology 26 (2015), 434001