Right on Target Analysis
FIB sampling service for Materials Scientists (Academic and Industrial)
NanoScope Services offers 3 high-end FIB sampling services for sample preparation and Analysis.
NanoScopes’s Focused Ion Beam (FIB) sampling service provides many possibilities for preparing sections not possible using more conventional mechanical polishing or sectioning methods. We work with clients across the UK, Europe and Middle East time zones.
Ion Beam imaging may be done with secondary electrons or ions and offers greater materials contrast than SEM imaging. Unlike electrons, the information comes from the top few nm’s of the sample, and resolutions are comparable at 5nm’s or less.
For a detailed description of the equipment and techniques available, go to the Tools and Techniques page.
FIB Prepared ‘Ultra thin’ TEM sections.
This tried and tested process has been used routinely for many years and successfully applied by NanoScope to prepare customers samples from over 200 materials systems.
There are 4 clear advantages
- EXACT LOCATION and ORIENTATION – Have your ‘ultra thin’ section prepared from exactly where you would like. Specify the orientation of each section as well.
- MATERIALS INDEPENDENT – The FIB milling process is largely independent of materials hardness or structure. Complex materials combinations and devices are possible to prepare within a single section.
- ‘LARGE’ IMAGING AREA – A FIB prepared section tends to be of uniform imaging thickness and quality, allowing information to be collected across the majority of the section area.
- MINIMAL MECHANICAL PREPARATION. Most samples are immediately acceptable for FIB processing without embedding and slicing or cleaving and grinding. If it is clean and small enough, vacuum compatible and has a flat(ish) top surface it can probably be loaded immediately.
TEM Analysis of FIB prepared sections
A variety of TEM instruments may be used for your high end imaging and analysis requirements.
Select the analytical TEM techniques you require from this list of capabilities:-
- Bright/Dark field imaging with referenced metrology as required.
- Diffraction patterns taken from your specified points.
- Elemental Analysis either as points, linescans or maps to identify which materials are present and their locations.
For more detailed information about TEM Analysis please contact us.
An Ion Beam image of a TEM section machined through a high speed transistor showing grain structure and voiding.
An Ion Beam image of a FIB prepared TEM section prior to ex-situ extraction to TEM grid.
An ion beam image of a site specific TEM section machined through a MEMS cog prior to extraction to grid.
Don't Be Shy. Get In Touch.
If you are interested in working together, send us an inquiry and we will get back to you straight away.Merry Christmas 2023 – It’s been a Quality Year adding these exciting new Capabilities
Our big company NEWS is that we are now ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Our NEW microscope this year is a Sonoscan D24 Acoustic Microscope (large area CSAM).
Our New Technique this year is our Plasma FIB Capability.
We now offer ThermoFisher Hydra capabilities to our customers now including.
Lastly our new Sample Preparation Technique is Mechanical Grinding and Polishing.
Merry Christmas 2022 – Festive Nano-machining, Imaging and Analysis for fun.
Merry Christmas 2022 to all our friends and partners.
Circuit Nano-Surgery and Failure Analysis Online Tutorial
NanoScope gave an Online invited Tutorial on behalf of IMAPS UK on the 18th September on the subject of Focused Ion Beam (FIB) Circuit Nano-Surgery and Failure Analysis from Board to Gate.