The increasing demand for 8-in. wafers is severely straining the diagnostic procedures of most manufacturers. Traditional methods of yield analysis, circuit modification and electrical analysis are not equal to the requirements of these complex, costly wafers. The increasing number of layers on these wafers is reducing the probing accuracy of both mechanical and electron beam probers, making electrical analysis problematic. And the repair of design flaws through the change of a mask set takes too long to meet today's time-to-market demands. A key technology emerging as a solution to these wafer-related problems is focused ion beam (FIB) scanning. FIB employs a finely focused ion beam raster scanned over the surface of a chip to remove material in a controlled manner or to deposit metal. It is established in Japan and gaining adherents in the Unite States. With the new capabilities that FIB systems now possess, FIB has the potential to address multiple problems for a single company -- yield and failure analysis, design repair and electrical analysis.