Characterisation of FIB milling yield of metals by SEM stereo imaging technique

Focused ion beam systems (FIB) are widely used for nanoscale patterning. In a FIB, the volume of the material (mu m(3)) removed from the surface per dose (nC) is key parameter-sputtering yield. Materials such as copper, aluminum, steel, nickel, nickel alumina and silicon are commonly used in electronic industry and micro system devices, hence it will help plan the FIB processes on these materials if the sputtering yields are identified accurately beforehand. This paper reports the study on finding the FIB sputtering yields on these common materials based on stereo imaging technique. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.