An Automated Site-Specific Tip Preparation Method for Atom Probe Tomography Using Script-Controlled Focused Ion Beam/Scanning Electron Microscopy

Abstract The automation of the atom probe tomography (APT) tip preparation using a focused ion beam (FIB) with a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) dual-beam system will certainly contribute to systematic APT research with higher throughput and reliability. While our previous work established a method to prepare tips with a specified tip curvature and taper angle automatically, by using script-controlled FIB/SEM, the technique has been expanded to automated “site-specific” tip preparation in the current work. The improved procedure can automatically detect not only the tip shape but also the interface position in the tip; thus, the new function allows for control of the tip apex position. In other words, automated “site-specific” tip preparations are possible. The details of the automation procedure and some experimental demonstrations, that is, a Pt cap on Si, InGaN-based MQWs, and a p–n junction of GaAs, are presented.