Applications of focused ion beam microscopy to materials science specimens

Focused ion beam (FIB) systems based on high-brightness gallium liquid-meta l ion sources became commercially available in the late 1980s, although eve n today such instruments are relatively rare outside the somewhat enclosed world of semiconductor manufacturing. The use of FIB systems as precision s ectioning tools down to a submicron scale and their ability to deposit meta ls and insulators on a micron scale is well documented. Recently, FIB syste ms have achieved spatial resolution rivaling that of the standard scanning electron microscope, giving them respectable capability as an imaging tool in addition to their sectioning and deposition capabilities. This improved resolution and novel FIB contrast mechanisms combined with the capability o f FIB to produce in-situ stress-free bulk cross-sections and precision cros s-sectional transmission electron microscopy specimens has recently attract ed great interest among materials scientists. Examples of the use of FIB in materials science, both as a specimen preparation tool and as a microscope in its own right, are illustrated. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All righ ts reserved.