High speed micro-fabrication using inductively coupled plasma ion source based focused ion beam system

A compact inductively coupled plasma ion source based focused ion beam system (ICP-FIB), capable of producing intense FIB of gaseous elements is developed. Ar and Xe ion beams of 20-4700 nA are focused to spot sizes in the range of 2-30 mu m. Experiments using Ar and Xe ion beams of a few microamperes showed milling speeds that are 25-150 times higher than that of a conventional FIB. Milling of micro-apertures in less than 100 s through 100 gm thick Ta and Mo foils and in less than 10 s through 12 mu m gold and 25 mu m aluminum foils is demonstrated. In this article, the potential of ICP-FIB in high speed milling of micro apertures and large scale micro patterns are presented. Also the possibility of high speed synthesis of nano-pores with tunable pore sizes is discussed. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.