Applications of a variable energy focused ion beam system

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Abstract
A novel ion focused beam system has recently been designed and constructed that employs retarding field, electrostatic optics such that beams of Ga+ ions with energies as low as 25 eV can be focused into a submicron diameter spot. In this paper we review the ion-optical performance of this system and then describe the interactions of the beam with the target. In the conventional mode (30-keV landing energy) the system has been used to sputter etch tracks in gold (on a silicon substrate) of width 0.16 μm. However, as the landing energy is reduced below 200 eV, the action of sputter etching gives way to deposition and tracks of gallium 1.5 to 3 μ wide have been laid down in this manner. That the tracks were indeed gallium was confirmed by x-ray microanalysis. The appearance of the tracks suggested that the interface between the gallium and the substrate affects the morphology of the track. Two obvious and prosaic applications include the repair of both clear and opaque mask defects, and making and breaking integrated circuit electrical interconnections. More ambitious applications include combining the system with molecular-beam epitaxy to build true three-dimensional, sub-0.1-μm device structures.

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