Precision TEM Specimen Preparation for Integrated Circuits using Dual-Beam FIB Lift-Out Technique

Abstract Focused ion beam lift-out technique has become increasingly attractive to the TEM community due to its unique advantage of no mechanical grinding/polishing involved in the process [1-3]. The technique essentially consists of two parts: preparation of membrane using focused ion beam (FIB) and transfer of the membrane (lift-out) to a grid. Up to date, this technique has only been demonstrated on single beam FIB systems. From a practical standpoint, overall sample quality (thickness) and lack of end-point precision are two major issues associated with the conventional single beam FIB technique. These issues are primarily related to ion beam damage and endpoint control encountered during the final stages of specimen thinning. As a result, the widespread use of FIB lift-out technique for high precision TEM specimen preparation has been limited. Recent technological advances have made it possible to combine both an electron beam column and an ion beam column into an integrated dual beam-focused ion beam (DB-FIB) system.