With any kind of work, it helps to be able to see what you’re doing, but that can be a challenge when working at microscopic scales or below. By taking advantage of a system that combines two separate instruments – a focused ion beam (FIB) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) – researchers can do just that, modifying materials with the FIB while monitoring the process in real time with the SEM. They are thus using FIB-SEM to identify defects in electronic circuits, analyze corrosion in metal components, fabricate atom force microscopy probes, and reveal the detailed structure of a range of biological materials.
This Essential Knowledge Briefing aims to provide a simple introduction to FIB-SEM, detailing some of its specific implementations, discussing problems that can arise, and exploring the latest developments and advances.
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