New Advanced

Automated Processing
by Focused Ion Beam
Ralf Lehmann
Wien, June 29th 2010

Introduction
Advantages of Focused Ion Beam for nanoprototyping &
nanofabrication
Fast fabrication and characterization of advanced
designs & complicated structures
Easy to use - new findings can be directly used for
process optimization
Short overall design time
No conventional nanofabrication steps involved(e.g.
multi-step lithography processes)

Nanopatterning on FEI-SDBs
The XT Pattern engine
Supports basic shapes, rectangles, circles, lines, polygons

Scripting (Runscript)
Provides automation

Stream file support

Gives direct access to each pixel with a coordinate a dwell time and a blanking flag.
(resolution depends on configuration. Either 12bit or 16 bit (resp. 4k- or 64k pattern points)

FEI GDStoDB
GDS2 to FEI stream file conversion, also supports different write fields for selective area
patterning.

FEI NanoBuilder
Automated Nanopatterning (SEM-, FIB-, GIS-, Motion- and Drift control.)

Nanopatterning on FEI-SDBs
The XT Pattern engine
Supports basic shapes, rectangles, circles, lines, polygons

Scripting (Runscript)
Provides automation

Stream file support

Gives direct access to each pixel with a coordinate a dwell time and a blanking flag.
(resolution depends on configuration. Either 12bit or 16 bit (resp. 4k- or 64k pattern points)

FEI GDStoDB
GDS2 to FEI stream file conversion, also supports different write fields for selective area
patterning.

FEI NanoBuilder
Automated Nanopatterning (SEM-, FIB-, GIS-, Motion- and Drift control.)

Patterning - for both the FIB and SEM

Patterns
Spots, lines, circles, annulus, squares,
rectangles, polygons, special cross
sections
Exported/imported patterns

Bmp milling
Stream file milling
Individual x,y overlap/pitch
Milling direction specific
Pattern size not magnification
dependent
Individual pattern rotation not
dependent on scan rotation
Parallel/serial milling
Each pattern can have its own
material file

Patterning via the standard user interface

Circular resonator
A number of circular patterns drawn in the standard XT user interface.
This pattern was milled at 10pA, the spacing of the individual circles is 125 nm.
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Nanopatterning on FEI-SDBs
The XT Pattern engine
Supports basic shapes, rectangles, circles, lines, polygons

Scripting (Runscript)
Provides automation

Stream file support

Gives direct access to each pixel with a coordinate a dwell time and a blanking flag.
(resolution depends on configuration. Either 12bit or 16 bit (resp. 4k- or 64k pattern points)

FEI GDStoDB
GDS2 to FEI stream file conversion, also supports different write fields for selective area
patterning.

FEI NanoBuilder
Automated Nanopatterning (SEM-, FIB-, GIS-, Motion- and Drift control.)

FIB Patterning for Nano-Fluidics with

scripting
Image
recognition of
fiducial for
pattern
placement

Nanopatterning on FEI-SDBs
The XT Pattern engine
Supports basic shapes, rectangles, circles, lines, polygons

Scripting (Runscript)
Provides automation

Stream file support

Gives direct access to each pixel with a coordinate a dwell time and a blanking flag.
(resolution depends on configuration. Either 12bit or 16 bit (resp. 4k- or 64k pattern points)

FEI GDStoDB
GDS2 to FEI stream file conversion, also supports different write fields for selective area
patterning.

FEI NanoBuilder
Automated Nanopatterning (SEM-, FIB-, GIS-, Motion- and Drift control.)

Stream file patterning example

Microlenses with gradient dose control

10pA milled circular gradient patterns. The slope is determined by the pixel intensity
changes. (for grey scale images one would have access to 256 intensity levels or
pixel dwell times)
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Stitching of stream files

Negative microlenses
Sequences of microlenses with a diameter of 4 m and a depth of 300nm milled at
10pA. Stream files with lens shaped dwell time gradients have been generated,
milled for 2 minutes and stitched together.
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Some other examples

(a) Photonic crystals, a square lattice of dielectric holes with defects.

(b) Optical nano cantilevers,
(c) Photonic crystal waveguide in a triangular lattice of air holes with
elongated holes in the center.

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Nanopatterning on FEI-SDBs
The XT Pattern engine
Supports basic shapes, rectangles, circles, lines, polygons

Scripting (Runscript)
Provides automation

Stream file support

Gives direct access to each pixel with a coordinate a dwell time and a blanking flag.
(resolution depends on configuration. Either 12bit or 16 bit (resp. 4k- or 64k pattern points)

FEI GDStoDB
GDS2 to FEI stream file conversion, also supports different write fields for selective area
patterning.

FEI NanoBuilder
Automated Nanopatterning (SEM-, FIB-, GIS-, Motion- and Drift control.)

13

GDSTODB: how does it work?

Create
GDSII design

Standard
GDSII Editor

Convert GDSII
to FEI Streamfile

GDSTODB

Combine FEI streamfiles

with FEI scripting

FEI SEM/DualBeam
main User Interface

Execute the FEI

streamfile or script

FEI SEM/DualBeam
main User Interface

FEI GDSTODB

GDSII file

FEI streamfiles

FEI xT UI (+AutoFIB)

Prototype

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Nanopatterning on FEI-SDBs
The XT Pattern engine
Supports basic shapes, rectangles, circles, lines, polygons

Scripting (Runscript)
Provides automation

Stream file support

Gives direct access to each pixel with a coordinate a dwell time and a blanking flag.
(resolution depends on configuration. Either 12bit or 16 bit (resp. 4k- or 64k pattern points)

FEI GDStoDB
GDS2 to FEI stream file conversion, also supports different write fields for selective area
patterning.

FEI NanoBuilder
Automated Nanopatterning (SEM-, FIB-, GIS-, Motion- and Drift control.)

15

What is NanoBuilder and NanoArchitect?

The NanoBuilder is used to automatically fabricate complex
multilayer nanostructures that used to only be possible with
multi-step lithography processes
The NanoBuilderTM process
Uses GDSII design files directly and allows linking to
SDB operational parameters
Individual GDSII layers are given individual job
directions and can be built exactly as needed
The NanoBuilder job can be saved or used to make
a array of structures, accurately repeated on
different sites

NanoArchitect is an off-line license that can

be used to prepare the NanoBuilder job on a
standalone PC
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Application example
Nanofluidics building block

The GDSII file is presented with different

color for each layer in NanoBuilder
.
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Created in one go in the

Helios SDB

The result: A trench for the fluid with an

incorporated heater deposited.

Example: stitching of large scale structures

[1] O. Wilhelmi et al., Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., Vol. 47 No. 6 (2008)

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Application example
Slot racetrack resonator Accurate positioning

Slot racetrack resonator, consisting of an 800 nm wide trench.

The slot is a second trench, 300 nm wide, in the exact center of the first trench.
The overall structure is 100 x 50 m.

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Direct-Write Fabrication of a dual-coil inductor

The next example shows a mix of automatic metal deposition,

insulator deposition, milling; with a mix of 4 different beam
currents
Total fabrication time for the complete structure approx 20
minutes
All alignments are done using cross correlation to the X that is
milled in layer 1

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NanoBuilder in Detail
Key benefits:
CAD-based prototyping
FIB and GIS optimized
Fully automated job
execution, stage navigation,
milling and deposition
Automated alignment and drift
control
Planning of patterning
sequences on your desktop PC
using FEI NanoArchitect

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Fabrication Step by Step

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Fabrication Step by Step

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Fabrication Step by Step

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Fabrication Step by Step

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Fabrication Step by Step

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Fabrication Step by Step

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Fabrication Step by Step

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Fabrication Step by Step

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Final Result

Automatic fabricated, complex structures with metal deposition,

insulator deposition, milling using a mix of 4 different beam
currents with a total fabrication time < 20 minutes
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Details of the layers

all machined @ HFW = 100 um
Layer

Application
file

I_FIB

Actual
milling/depo
time

Fiducial X +
text

Si milling

2.8 nA

00:39

Bond pads

Pt dep

2.8 nA

03:46

2 Coils

Pt dep

460 pA

04:35

Insulator
strap

Idep2

280 pA

03:40

Via contacts

Si milling

92 pA

00:20

92 pA

03:14

Metallic strap Pt dep

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Example project automation: Milling a Pillar

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3 layers have been defined in this project:

1. Alignment markers (blue - 3nA),
2. Bulk mill (red - 6.5nA),
3. Intermediate milling (green 3 nA)
Unattended operation: Automated
aperture switching, alignment,
patterning
(with or without gas injector assistance)

Milling a Pillar first result

What about:
Drift correction?
Sidewalls?

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How to reduce drift while milling?

Shift only

Pattern placement

Drift correction on the fly

By beam shift (XY Shift) by template matching or line-scans / callipers
Or pattern placement (XY Shift, Rotation, Scale, Shear) by line-scans / callipers
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We now add tilt and rotation to the project

Tilt angle 53.2 and 4x 90 deg stage rotation and drift correction
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Milling a Pillar continued

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lets add a photonic array to the pillar

By tilting to 7 degrees (or lower) we can mill an array into the fabricated pillar.
The line scan type of alignments can be used under different stage angles
opposed to templates which will be deformed under different angles. The air
holes are milled at 10 pA.
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What about the sidewalls? Lower currents

reduce sidewalls, but not indefinitely
10pA

1pA

Different dwell times at 1pA

Comparing 10pA vs 1pA only reduces the sidewall characteristics slightly. Air
hole size is ~200nm.
The beam is not parallel
Material in the via cannot be sputtered out easily without gas assistence
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A nanopillar with a photonic array in the center

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Summary

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GDSTODB

NanoBuilder

Import GDSII Files

GDSII Viewer

Convert to FEI stream files

Automated Alignment and drift control

Automated job execution

Multi-site support

Integrated editing of microscope properties

Alignment without exposing the site of interest

Summary
Automation (GDStoDB & NanoBuilder) allows us to
create new more complex nanostructures.
We can use different beam currents for increased
milling rate
Gas injector control for increased etching or
deposition is included
We have line-scan/caliper alignments included for
drift control and sample repositioning after beam
current changes and/or stage moves

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Acknowledgements
FEI colleagues:
Remco Geurts
Steve Reyntjens
Laurent Roussel
And many more

Thanks for listening