Our latest newsletter covers: Accelerate your MEMS Development with FIB Structural Edit and Analysis Direct ‘Structural Edit’ of fabricated structures Page3d ‘exact site’ Structural Analysis Structural Prototyping Read our testimonials on LinkedIn Download it here – E-Newsletter – Autumn...
In this short piece I’m linking Semi Design groups to an increasingly important discussion in the Semi Failure Analysis group. Here’s the link Why? Because materials decisions made about bonding and packaging are not just downstream from the design process, they have important effects on how a Design cycle can be shortened by facilitating – or inhibiting – verification, modification and test. As a Failure Analyst the reasons for getting into packages while leaving the devices functional is obvious (to understand problems) and is an important step as you can see from the active discussion linked here. But as a FIB-Chip Design-Nano Surgeon supporting design teams with circuit edit, I also need routine access to functional opened devices. Using FIB Nano-Surgery in the Design Verification process is quite commonplace, either to confirm metal fixes before implementing layout changes, or getting 1st Silicon through test and starting applications board testing. So the link between how you correct a design flaw and open a package, is increasingly important for shortening design times. The move from Gold to Copper bond wires shaves a finite fraction from the cost of bonding a device, but also presents an additional challenge for opening up these packages. The discussion here shows many different approaches being tried as people try to adapt the Gold or Aluminium compatible ‘opening’ processes and existing hardware, to handle Copper (instead of instantly dissolving it). Decap tool vendors provide valuable insight with information about their latest Copper specific solutions. The danger is that the unpredictable and sometimes involved process of Design Verification and specifically FIB nano-surgery, may not have been fully factored in to that cost/material decision along...
In this article I discuss some interesting developments in the area of FIB technology, and its use for nano-fabrication. In this case the production of of X-ray Fresnel Zone Plates with some surprising new characteristics. These results were published recently in the journal ‘Optics Express’ and so maybe weren’t very visible via the normal Nano-fabrication, Lithography or FIB technology channels. (and yes I am a co-author). Ion beam lithography for Fresnel zone plates in X-ray microscopy – Optics Express, Vol. 21 Issue 10, pp.11747-11756 (2013) This paper is interesting for 2 main reasons. The first is how FIB technology can benefit, by moving from an analytical SEM platform (FIB-SEM), to an Electron Beam Lithography architecture more suited to ultra-fine nano-patterning. The second reason is that this new precision has been successfully employed in advancing our understanding of X-ray optics, in this case, the structure of Fresnel Zone Plates and its effects. What’s new for FIB heads? Well this example shows a high precision, fully automated, large pattern FIB milling operation, being used to directly fabricate a working Fresnel Zone Plate lens. This was done over a extended period (16 hrs) and within a tiny total cumulative positional error budget (total of 20nm’s) – far beyond conventional instrument capabilities. Also FZP lens functionality relies absolutely on the total pattern precision across the full write field (100x100microns). In this case this had to be accurate down to <5 nanometers (beyond the deflection precision and stability of a conventional microscope). The additional requirements of using a small Gallium beam size with a ‘low tails’ profile, combined with constant beam ‘circularity’ under high deflection, and current stability over long periods are also of particular...
Apparently the only two things that you should never try are folk music and incest, so blogging must surely be in the other column. Well here goes…. I’m a first generation pure FIB technologist – in that my first microscope was a Focussed Ion Beam instrument and I only learned how to use an SEM and other techniques later on. The immediacy and interactive nano-surgery capabilities of the technology, captured my interest on day one, and I’m as hooked now as I was then. Since 1992 I have been lucky enough to work for Rutherford Appleton, FEI Company (twice)- now Thermo, Micrion Corporation (now FEI), Raith GmbH and now NanoScope Services. I’ve helped develop many of the main aspects of how this technology is employed – from writing the first published FEI TEM sample prep protocol, and developing new sample holders for the 611 and FIB 800, through 3D gun-shot residue and forensic analysis and AFM tip customisation, and leading the applications initiative for using Cryo-DualBeam within the Life-Sciences. The latest major project was developing and rolling out an entirely new FIB technique for truly automated 3D nano-fabrication using ultra fine Ga+ beams now called IBL or Ion Beam Lithography for Raith GmbH. I have become co-author on over 100 publications for this application alone. ( I don’t have time to write papers myself). FIB is cool, and everyday we get to do cool new stuff for scientists and engineers from across the Nanotech spectrum. From Circuit Edit to Solid State Nanopores and frozen Fibroblast sectioning, from VCSELs and OLED’s to GSR and FZP’s, FIB is enabling us to explore...
Our Micro-Electrical- Mechanical-Structures leaflet gives full details of the services we offer MEMS designers, engineers and R&D teams. 3d Structural Analysis to solve construction issues Structural Editing to allow rapid prototyping and development Direct nano-fabrication of structural prototypes Enabling toolsets for advanced MEMS development Download it here – MEMS flyer...
Our latest newsletter covers: Optical Microscopy over the web now in high-resolution First-time success rates currently at over 95% Case Study of ‘Right on Target” analysis. Download it here – E-newsletter Spring...
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