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FEI Scios 2, User'S Operation Manual

The FEI Scios 2 user's operation manual is available for free download from our website. This comprehensive manual provides detailed instructions and information on how to operate the FEI Scios 2, offering users a valuable resource to make the most of this advanced product.

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Operating Procedures

: 

Recording Movies (Saving Multiple Images)

  C O N F I D E N T I A L   –   FEI Limited Rights Data

5-24

Recording Movies (Saving Multiple Images) 

This function captures dynamic experiments performed with the microscope and creates the digital video files (AVI). 
Up to 4 imaging displays (not the optical one) can be recorded simultaneously with a synchronized start. It is possible 
to switch between single and quad image mode while the video is recording. The movie has the following embedded 
features:

•

Resolution 768 × 512 or 1536 × 1024 (512 × 442 or 1024 × 884 for the 4:3 view) 

•

Databar image optionally included in the video

•

Average or Integration changeable during recording

•

Scan speed changeable during recording

•

Reduced area pauses recording of all displays 

•

Remaining time indicator

•

Single frame TIF images recordable during video sequence

•

Compressed AVI (*.avi) formats 

•

Start, Stop and Pause onscreen indicators

•

Preferences set-up dialog 

Note 

For the display(s) with the Enhanced Image module / Color tab / Enable check box ticked, the Movie recording is paused, 
the colored TIF files are stored anyway if selected. 

Movie Settings Dialog 

The 

Preferences

 / 

Movie

 provides selections to set-up conditions for timing and save conditions for the resultant 

movie. 

FIGURE 5-8 

Movie Preferences  

Summary of Contents for Scios 2

Page 1: ...User Operation Manual Edition 1 Mar 2017 ...

Page 2: ...re confidential and proprietary to FEI Company They are provided for your organization s internal use on a need to know basis They cannot be duplicated or disseminated for any third party without the express consent of FEI Company Limited Rights The following notice applies to the U S Government and other purchases with federal funds Contractor Name FEI Company Contractor Address 5350 NE Dawson Cr...

Page 3: ...Status 2 11 Vacuum Modes 2 12 Equipment 2 14 Detector Types and Application 2 14 Stages and Accessories 2 15 Chapter 3 Software Control Software Interface Elements 3 1 Icons 3 1 Tool Tips 3 1 Pull down Menus 3 1 Command Buttons 3 2 Property Editor 3 2 Edit Boxes 3 2 Radio Buttons Check Boxes 3 2 Adjusters 3 3 2D Controls 3 4 Modules 3 4 Dialogs 3 4 Tabs 3 4 Progress Bars 3 4 xT microscope Server S...

Page 4: ...4 254 GIS Alignment option 4 25 Chapter 5 Operating Procedures Specimen Preparation and Handling 5 2 Needed Items 5 2 Natural specimen 5 2 Coated Specimen 5 2 Mounting Specimen on Holder 5 2 Specimen Baking Unit 5 3 Microscope Control 5 6 Operation Pre Check 5 6 Inserting Exchanging Specimen 5 7 Selecting Vacuum Mode 5 7 Imaging Onscreen 5 8 Optimizing Imaging 5 9 Principles of SEM Imaging 5 9 Mag...

Page 5: ...Aperture Rod 6 3 Replacing Aperture Module 6 3 Installation of Aperture Rod 6 4 Shutter 6 4 Exchange procedure 6 4 Stage 6 6 Stage Mechanics 6 6 Specimen Holders 6 6 Refilling Water Bottle 6 7 Chapter 7 System Options Manual User Interface 7 3 Joystick 7 3 Uninterruptible Power Supply UPS 7 4 Optional Detectors 7 5 Retractable Detectors Control 7 5 Trinity Detector T3 7 5 Ion Conversion and Electr...

Page 6: ...7 28 Controlling Microscope Remotely 7 28 UMB Stub Holder Kit 7 28 Beam Deceleration 7 29 Detection Principles 7 29 Beam Deceleration Module 7 30 I Beam Charge Neutralizer 7 32 Using Charge Neutralizer 7 32 Quick Loader 7 34 Description 7 34 Installation 7 37 Operations 7 38 CryoCleanerEC 7 40 Parts and Accessories 7 40 CryoCleaner Operation 7 41 Maintenance 7 42 Spare Vessel 7 42 Plasma Cleaner 7...

Page 7: ...pabilities 2 System Control describes the system hardware interface elements vacuum system system states equipment 3 Software Control describes the interface that sets and controls system operation giving the function of each tool menu item and control page 4 Alignments explains how to align the equipment to achieve the optimal performance 5 Operating Procedures gives procedures for how to use the...

Page 8: ...m images of FIB cross sections without eroding the feature of interest Real time cross section images and videos with the electron beam during FIB milling Focused electron beam charge neutralization during FIB milling High resolution elemental microanalysis of defect cross sections Imaging of sample surfaces with the electron beam during navigation without erosion or gallium implantation from the ...

Page 9: ...anning electron microscopes Low Vacuum LoVac In the gaseous mode the electron column is under lower pressure than the specimen chamber This mode can use water vapours from a built in water reservoir or an auxiliary gas which is supplied by a user and connected to the gas inlet provided for this purpose Observation of outgassing or highly charging materials can be made using this mode without the n...

Page 10: ... SEM imaging after FIB milling also prevents exposure of milled cross sections to atmospheric contaminants Gas Injection System GIS Multiple FEI GIS option can be installed for material deposition in conjunction with either electron or ion beam pattern definition Electron beam induced deposition offers the advantage of not sputtering the deposited material or implanting gallium FIB source ions sim...

Page 11: ...y the equipment may be impaired Mains power must be connected to a grounded socket that is visible and easily accessible A user must not disconnect any parts of the equipment or connect any equipment not approved in this manual or in the FEI Microscope Systems Safety Manual All power and external equipment connectors should be covered by stoppers part of delivery when not used Other Software and H...

Page 12: ...s long the stem must be significantly different from a previous password and shouldn t contain complete dictionary word and user name must contain at least one character of each of these character groups Uppercase letter Lowercase letter Number Symbol etc Hardware The system is computer controlled and as such has a Microscope PC which must be turned on use the power button on the PC to operate the...

Page 13: ... each column enabling the fine adjustment of the strip hole FIGURE 2 3 Automatic Aperture System Control Knobs Electron Ion column External Connectors panel It is located at the back side of the microscope console It is used to connect 3rd party equipment to the following connectors CONTROL SIGNALS E BEAM SCAN INPUT VIDEO OUT These connectors are used for connection of EDX WDX and lithography syst...

Page 14: ...ains Breaker F2 10A system pumps power switches Main input 230 VAC input mains power cord PVP X5 output power supply for pre vacuum pumps X1 not used X2 optional equipment output power supply X3 optional equipment output power supply X4 output power supply for Microscope PC LCD 1 optionally for Support PC LCD 2 LCD 3 FIGURE 2 4 Mains Switch Board C a u t i o n Always keep all control elements acce...

Page 15: ...switch off the electrical power completely in case of emergency follow this quick and safe procedure 1 Push the red EMERGENCY OFF EMO button option see the Safety Manual If the button is not installed proceed as follows 2 Switch off the Main switch S1 breaker which is placed at the very left side in the row of three or disconnect the power cord Main input 230 VAC If this is not easily accessible 3...

Page 16: ...t the software all seeming LED s should be green Initialized 4 Click on the Start button to start the server Wait until all elements are fully functional green Initialized 5 Click on the Start UI button to start the Microscope Control software The main window appears behind the UI Log On dialog Note This step can take place automatically if Advanced Autorun UI check box is ticked 6 Enter your User...

Page 17: ...ngs and results c Usually the Scios remains on with the vacuum system in operation but typically the ion emitter and accelerating voltages for both columns remain off The system starts with the setting in use when the Microscope Control software was closed This allows quick resumption of daily operation Overnight and Standby When leaving the system it is advisable to bring it to the Overnight stat...

Page 18: ...te This step can take place automatically if Advanced Autorun UI check box is ticked Now the system is in the Overnight state to proceed to the Full operation state follow the procedure 5 Enter your Username and a Password b 6 Click on the Column module Beam On button to start the selected beam only or the System module Wake Up c button to start both beams A Column module source awaking progress b...

Page 19: ...ront control panel changes to amber one 5 Shutdown the Windows 7 and switch Off the monitor g 6 If there is a demand disconnect the power cord and any other input output if used h Note f Switching off the console when Emitter is On is not optimal and sparing way for the emitter it may deteriorate the filament lifetime Supervisor should use the xT microscope Server Standby button only in case of em...

Page 20: ...ecimen chamber is at the pressure required for the given state Pump Vent or mode HiVac LoVac Note The ion beam can only be operated in HiVac When a gaseous mode is chosen the ion column CIV is closed All valve and pump operations are fully automatic FIGURE 2 5 Scios HiVac LoVac Vacuum system ABV Auxiliary Bypass Valve AGV Auxiliary Gas Valve BPV By Pass Valve BG Buffer Gauge BV Buffer Valve HVG Hi...

Page 21: ...tely starts to pump to the actually selected vacuum mode Vent button When the Vent button is clicked and the status is Pumped the confirmation dialog appears After confirmation the system switches off the detector voltages high voltage supplies vacuum pumps and uses the appropriate valves to vent the system with the use of the dry Nitrogen brought to the Nitrogen Inlet Nitrogen is recommended to o...

Page 22: ...r pressure Pascal Torr or Millibar units are available and can be selected in the Preferences dialogue Units tab When the system is in LoVac mode and the Chamber Pressure value is changed the pressure automatically changes to the new value When the system is in any other status and the chamber pressure value is changed the new value is used as the target pressure when the system starts pumping to ...

Page 23: ... inlets is 10 kPa 0 1 bar The Nitrogen inlet is used only for venting the chamber with air or the nitrogen preferably When using a particular pressure limiting aperture there are pressure limits for different gasses C a u t i o n The system doesn t watch the limits and higher overpressure especially for gasses not listed set by a user It could switch off the emitter In some cases the system needs ...

Page 24: ...ivated the confirmation of switching the detector voltage on after pumping the system is necessary FIGURE 2 6 Safety Interlock Messages Table 2 2 Scios detectors list Detector Name Tag Vacuum Mode Detected Signal Note Everhart Thornley ETD HiVac SE tunable energy BSE S T1 T1 HiVac LoVac BSE for OptiTilt and OptiPlan column Use cases S T2 T2 HiVac LoVac SE for OptiTilt and OptiPlan column Use cases...

Page 25: ... oriented with reference to five axes X Y Z Rotation and Tilt All movements are motorised software controlled an integrated part of the Microscope Control software Stage positions are shown on the screen FIGURE 2 7 110 110 mm Chamber Standard Stub Holder This is the universal stub holder with a lot of numbered position for insertion of stubs with attached samples ...

Page 26: ...ion may need to be reduced not to lose the feature of interest off the screen FIGURE 2 8 Stage Movement Schema C a u t i o n The positive Z value direction depends on the Link Z to FWD status see Chapter 5 C a u t i o n If the maximum sample size is near to the limit stage tilt can be limited Beware of hitting the objective pole piece Table 2 3 Stage Features and Limits Item 110 110 mm Note X 55 t...

Page 27: ...geover of choices setting the default parameters etc There are also some informational icons in the status bar for instance that indicate some particular system statuses Tool Tips This functionality activates when the cursor is left over an item on the user interface for more than two seconds A short explanation of the item appears until the cursor is moved away from it Pull down Menus The microsc...

Page 28: ...s which are typically used in dialogs are OK button applies all changes made in the dialog and closes it Finish button saves new settings ends the procedure and closes the dialog Save button saves new settings at that point without closing the dialog Apply button saves and applies new settings at that point without closing the dialog Cancel button discards all changes made from the last save and c...

Page 29: ... checked has an exponential response the further from the center is the adjuster button pulled the larger is the relative change The adjuster button always snaps back to the center of the slider but a dimension of the small bar under the slider corresponds to the actual parameter value It is possible to increase decrease the Slider Mouse Speed sensitivity by dragging the context menu slider to the...

Page 30: ...ve been remembered automatically during the considered 2D control use These remembered values are used to estimate new values which have not been remembered yet The menu may contain less or some other functions that are actually available for the particular parameter Selecting the corresponding menu item activates the function Modules Visually combine various software elements which are related in...

Page 31: ...G RUNNING STOPPING STOPPED state of the xT microscope Server Microscope Control software service Clicking on the Start Stop button starts stops xT microscope Server services If the UI is running the Stop button closes it first Clicking on the Start UI Stop UI button starts stops the UI Clicking on the Show UI Hide UI button shows hides the UI main window Clicking on the Enter Service Mode button s...

Page 32: ... 2 Menu bar contains all operation menus and submenus 3 Toolbar functional icons for the most frequently used microscope controls 4 Imaging area shows with adjustable Databar 5 Control pages set of modules 6 Modules microscope and imaging control elements 7 Preferences dialog presetting of operating conditions Workspace customization It is possible to change the UI layout by right clicking any fre...

Page 33: ...tem from the Toolbar tab to the toolbar area adds it to the layout FIGURE 3 3 Toolbar customization Sidepane Pages customization Selecting the Sidepane tab adds a red border to the pages area By clicking dragging any module it can be moved to a new position within the pages area dragging it out from the pages area to the customization window eliminates it from the layout Clicking dragging a new it...

Page 34: ...rtcuts customization It is possible to customize factory shortcuts within the Kayboard tab To change the factory setting search a desired functionality enter a New Shortcut to the edit field and click the Assign button To revert to the factory setting click the Default button FIGURE 3 5 Shortcuts customization ...

Page 35: ...le formats are TIF8 16 24 JPG and BMP see Chapter 5 The dialog shows by default the location path last used to open or save files from the UI Save Ctrl S saves the image using the format location and base of name set by the last used Save As function in that display An incremental suffix with a selectable number of digits ensures that every image is saved as a new file e g Name_001 tif Name_002 ti...

Page 36: ...lay parameters Beam type Detector type Detector Mode Detector contrast brightness Digital Contrast Digital Brightness parameters System Parameters par files Wide range of selected actual microscope settings is stored including most of above mentioned ones When importing them back likewise only selected ones are loaded Log Off user name logs off the present User and provides the Log On dialog for t...

Page 37: ...hlighted orange background and there is a frame around it When the imaging is paused the icon is highlighted orange background and the green pause icon appears in the corresponding display Select Scan menu Pause item or press F6 button or click on the pause icon at the toolbar or in the display to release the pause function the icon background becomes grey and to return the scanning to the previou...

Page 38: ...ive it is shown next the scan menu item by the icon It deflects the beam off axis high in the column and protects the specimen from unnecessary exposure Selecting the item again releases the blanker and returns the beam to scan the specimen Slow Fast Scan Ctrl Shift brings the scanning condition to the preset Slow Fast scan value see the Preferences Scanning section Slower Faster Scan Ctrl sets th...

Page 39: ...scanning can take a significantly long time period one can restart scan from its beginning by pressing the Ctrl R keys Alternate Electron Ion scanning Ctrl Shift A When ticked the scanning alternates between the electron and ion imaging in two separate displays after completion of each frame A label is shown in affected displays Scan Rotation Shift F12 The on screen tool is activated to rotate the...

Page 40: ...atterning procedure Next Pattern Shift P In the serial patterning mode the actual patterning is stopped and the procedure continues with the next pattern if present Next Line Ctrl N Previous Line Ctrl Shift N When milling a Cleaning Cross Section pattern type milling of the actual line is cancelled and continues with the next one previous one Sleep After Patterning applies the System module Sleep ...

Page 41: ... a non zero Beam Shift is automatically moved back to the imaging center using the stage Auto Beam Shift Zero automatically resets the beam shift each time it reaches the maximal value during the Get function the point to point stage movement and corrects the imaging position with a stage movement Home Stage Shift F3 starts procedure which moves all motorized axes to their hardware limits and ensu...

Page 42: ...heck box disables this notice once for ever Enable Z Tilt Safety Map Some movements of the tilted stage are not safe because of a possible collision with the final lens The table not user editable with pairs of values indicates the maximum safe Tilt angle for a certain Z value when linked It can be used to guarantee safe usage of the stage tilt restriction for flat samples only and when a proper L...

Page 43: ...of the registration and enables to compare information from both images The Threshold value 0 to 255 determines which gray levels of the target image are shown in the overlay and the Edges Only check box ensures to display only the edge outlines After registration the micron bar and magnification of the target image take on the same values of the reference image Any operation that is applicable to...

Page 44: ...ndicates whether the function is active for the selected display Image Post Processing Ctrl F7 Starting this function changes image appearance according to the Enhanced Image module Process tab setting Application Status The dialog is showing continuously updated system Messages The System status tab offers information about the system that are used for a FEI authorized service engineer Show this ...

Page 45: ...splays to help user with a sample positioning to a correct working distance and with the first focusing Only Supervisor is allowed to change the marker position by double clicking on a new position Crosshair Cursor shows the cursor as a rectangular cross through the entire display Measurements and Annotations Checking this item enables to use the measurements and annotations functionality within a...

Page 46: ... of the large image window Remote Mode When ticked this feature enables a correct UI imaging at the remote site It is also used for a remote servicing Use of this function decelerates slightly UI performance Full Screen Selecting this option sets the application to be shown full screen de selecting it shows the application as a window within the screen Single Quad Image Mode F5 toggles the imaging...

Page 47: ...rts Degauss procedure Shift F9 starts Auto Contrast and Brightness procedure in all live displays F11 starts Auto Focus procedure Ctrl F11 starts Auto Stigmator correction procedure Shift F11 toggles Display Saturation function Shift F12 toggles Compucentric Scan Rotation tool Ctrl 0 number moves stage to X 0 Y 0 Center Position procedure Ctrl Shift A starts stops alternating of electron and ion i...

Page 48: ...indow containing instructions for electron column Use cases Cross section preparation High resolution imaging and TEM sample preparation FIGURE 3 12 User Guidance About Microscope Control The window containing information about the product version is shown It automatically disappears after the first click on anywhere ...

Page 49: ...r to the corresponding menu for its description Undo Redo The undo redo buttons assist to return re run the last actions Actions used in history are accessible by clicking the down arrow and they can be re used separately or any continuous sequence of actions can be selected and re used as a group Note Some particular actions alignments etc cannot be returned and sometimes the system clears the hi...

Page 50: ... Voltage Spot Size Beam current List Boxes Click on the list box to expand a list of pre set and actually allowed values Choose one by clicking on it and it is applied immediately see the Preferences Presets section The Spot is defined as the actual electron beam diameter on the specimen surface and it is expressed by a relative number The optional way representable in the toolbar to the Spot size...

Page 51: ...awing and shown alongside or within the finished measured item The Measurement tool dimensions scales with the image when changing magnification the shown tools change their size accordingly On the contrary the Annotation shapes and texts have their sizes fixed relatively to the display The Measurements Intensity profile delineates the imaging profile across a freely drawn line Pattern presets By ...

Page 52: ...s possible also using the Scan menu Active Preset Snapshot Ctrl F2 item Clicking on the Snapshot Multiple Snapshot item starts snapshot acquiring from selected all compatible displays Clicking on the Update with Current Settings item updates selected Scanning preset with actual scanning settings Clicking on the Edit item opens selected Scanning preset property editor It is also possible to use the...

Page 53: ...centric Rotation Z move track Tilt The optical imaging is automatically activated if it is paused when the venting procedure starts When it is paused and any stage movement takes place the pause icon turns red and a list of changed axes is shown Note Due to hardware limitations some detectors cannot be used simultaneously They can still be selected for different displays at the same time but if on...

Page 54: ...onfiguration Image properties To label databar double click on the Label field and fill in the dialog It can be set independently for each display The Micronbar area scales to the magnification Clicking on the Choose Bitmap item opens a dialog to select a bitmap to be loaded into the databar if the Bitmap item is ticked ...

Page 55: ...ron current reaching the specimen Emission Current the electron ion current leaving the source Electron Source Pressure pressure in the corresponding vacuum system section Clock can be shown at the bottom right window corner Messages Application Status incoming notice can be shown The system conditions are shown by means of the icons When you hover the mouse over any icon a corresponding tooltip a...

Page 56: ...f the module controls are beam dependent In this case an active beam type is indicated by the corresponding icon at the right hand side of the module 1 Vacuum Module The module is used to control the pressure in the specimen chamber Clicking on the Pump button starts the pump down procedure for the specimen chamber and the column The system allows to switch the accelerating voltage on only when th...

Page 57: ...d imaging databar if selected Only values applicable for actual imaging conditions are shown Note The Spot size influences both the focused electron beam area and the beam current The lower is the Spot size the lower is the beam current For the ion beam there is only possible to use the Beam current High Voltage Adjuster enables to adjust the overall electron ion beam accelerating voltage from 350...

Page 58: ...Beam Shift value to zero and moves the stage to compensate the resulting imaging shift same as the Stage menu Beam Shift Reset function 6 Beam Deceleration Module In the Beam Deceleration mode a potential Stage Bias is applied on the stage which influences both primary and detected electrons The Stage Bias ranges from 50 V to 50 V optionally to 4 000 V 7 Scan Rotation Module controls and shows the...

Page 59: ...Note The stage movement can be aborted by pressing the keyboard Esc key Don t hesitate to do so if you are not sure that the initiated movement is safe 10 Stage Z Module This module enables to slowly move the stage in the Z axis direction The more the slider is pushed to the each side the faster is the stage motion Clicking on the slider bar moves the stage by a small step 11 Tilt Correction Modul...

Page 60: ... at the top right side of the module visible only when applicable to switch between a digital magnification last used and a normal view Click on drag the green bordered area inside the Digital Zoom image or move it by Ctrl keyboard arrows to change an observed area in the selected display Change the observed area by dragging the green borders Press the Ctrl keyboard button to enlarge reduce imagin...

Page 61: ...ator shows the Overall Current pattern Progress over time of the active patterning 16 Properties tab Module Some features Measurements Annotations Patterns require an individual set of parameters which are editable within this module by clicking on the edit field or the down arrow to select a value 17 Selective Mill tab Module It is possible to mill only selective grey levels of the imaging see Ch...

Page 62: ...graphical display showing the accuracy for depth or material changes over the whole milled area Drift Suppression tab module enables to start a special electron beam mode used for ion beam imaging of non conductive samples FIGURE 3 17 Advanced Patterning Module 20 Direct Adjustments Module This control page serves for fine tuning of the beam geometry to achieve the best focus and brightness see Ch...

Page 63: ...hown Tooltip dialog Detector settings line contains information in format detector detector mode Particular settings of a detector custom mode is not supported in column presets Mix detector cannot be used for a column preset Right clicking on any preset button calls up the context menu Clicking on the Edit item opens selected preset button properties for editing with sections Column Beam Decelera...

Page 64: ...ns list of Alignment procedures available for the actual user level user or a FEI authorized service engineer C a u t i o n A user must understand the procedures at the appropriate level before proceeding with any adjustment Improper alignments can make the system difficult to use Note Some alignment modules may have some features distributed differently than others but functionality is the same i...

Page 65: ...ction can be chosen Clicking on a required one opens it and allows changing and presetting conditions for a group of related functions The items changed remain valid for a specific user until changed for the next time Some of the preference controls are beam dependent In this case an active beam type is indicated by the corresponding icon and items change accordingly Movie For a detailed descripti...

Page 66: ...view the databar magnification value depends on whether the Single or Quad Image mode is selected It is shown in the image databar and stored printed with an icon representing the Single Quad Image mode Single display mode Single image mode magnification value is shown in the databar and stored printed with an image Quad image 4 display mode Quad image mode magnification value is shown in the data...

Page 67: ...3 41 Pattern Applications It is possible to enable disable visibility of pattern applications in the Patterning page Property module Application item by checking the check box next to an application name FIGURE 3 21 Sensitivity Preferences The Default button sets the original settings ...

Page 68: ... The preset sliders control the sensitivity of the Manual User Interface MUI option The setting differs for the beam electron ion selected for the active display FIGURE 3 22 Sensitivity Preferences All MUI controls are represented except the Magnification The Default button sets the original settings ...

Page 69: ...ge from 1 to 512 Bit Depth 8 bits 16 bits sets the captured image bit depth Drift Correction Yes No corrects imaging drifting when integration filter is active When activated the text below the blinking pause icon within the display notifies a user Continuous Scan Yes No when set to yes and the Snapshot Photo function is started during a scanning this scanning finishes and resulting image is acqui...

Page 70: ...y clicking on it in the list and entering a new one The new value replaces old one and is immediately sorted into the list The number of entries in the list remains fixed FIGURE 3 24 Presets Preferences The High Voltage list can be changed to span any values from 350 V 500 V to 30 kV for the electron ion beam The values must be entered in kilovolts 0 5 means 500 V The Magnification list can be cha...

Page 71: ...the Units of Measure Pressure and Temperature The choices affect the Stage module input boxes the databar display the status bar and so on FIGURE 3 25 Units Preferences Selection possibilities are Measure millimeter mm micrometer µm Pressure Pascal Pa torr Torr millibar mbar Temperature Kelvin K Celsius C Fahrenheit F ...

Page 72: ...Appearance Spot size Beam current control Spot Current Choice of way of representation values in the toolbar list box and Column module Image dimensions control Magnification HFW Selects a way of the magnification representation and control Frame active display Yes No Switches on off additional highlighting of the active display Enable zooming on mouse click and drag Yes No Set an option of mouse ...

Page 73: ...e optical display s only non zero values are shown Show Stage Map in Navigation display Yes No shows saved positions in any navigation image which is available Nav Cam Navigation Montage Navigation Alignment Save digitally zoomed image as Entire image Zoomed area When saving an image this option enables to save only the zoomed area or the entire scanned area Show legacy scanning resolution Yes No ...

Page 74: ...ring long software controlled stage movements This may protect extremely sensitive samples from exposure to the beam in undesired areas Unpause CCD camera for large Z movement Yes No Specifies if the optical camera should be automatically released during large Z axis stage movements This may prevent a collision between the stage and final lens pole Enable Joystick movement Yes No Enables a possibi...

Page 75: ...ameters are set automatically according to the mounted Low Vacuum detector Cone Custom custom settings see below are used Purge Settings area contains following Automatic Custom settings and controls Minimum Pressure Maximum Pressure Number of cycles Set above three parameters desired values for the procedure The Purge button enables to start the purging using the actual Purge Settings manually wh...

Page 76: ...7 and the xT microscope Server Microscope Control software Accounts control You can start the software by clicking the FEI menu Service Tools Account Manager icon This brings up the Log On dialog box containing User and Password text fields for entering the FEI Account Manager For the first time log on with the Supervisor Supervisor credentials the application window appears The Supervisor default...

Page 77: ... selected highlighted account Log on logs on a new user an actual user is logged out Exit exits the application Change Password Description sets a new password account description Reset User Settings restores user account setting to the factory default Copy User Settings select a user account from which settings are copied Add Create Supervisor Remove Account Supervisor enter information to create...

Page 78: ...Software Control FEI Account Manager application C O N F I D E N T I A L FEI Limited Rights Data 3 52 Import Supervisor Export imports selected user s from a previously exported REG file ...

Page 79: ...solution position for each beam in full frame reduced area line and spot modes Detector settings bias voltages etc Preferences Workspace toolbar side pan pages keyboard short cuts Stored settings for each display Active beam electron ion optical Image save file path Image save settings databar or overlays included Stored settings for each beam in each display Active detector Detector subsettings f...

Page 80: ...drag controls the detector contrast brightness by dragging the mouse left right up down Shift Click on drag hand cursor activates the Beam Shift Double click on Electron Ion Imaging Get mode moves a point to the display center Optical Imaging places 7 mm marker Right click on drag 2 ended arrow cursor focuses by dragging the mouse left right Ctrl right click on drag 4 ended arrow cursor with circl...

Page 81: ... accelerator key can be selected Alt Tab Switches between running applications each time the Tab key is hit while holding the Alt key pressed a pointer jumps to another application icon Releasing the Alt key at any time makes application just listed active Alt F4 closes active application or Windows operating system Del ete deletes a selection texts or graphics Ctrl A selects all items texts or gr...

Page 82: ...ode Ctrl F5 toggles Large Image Window mode Shift F5 toggles Center Cross show F6 pauses releases scanning Shift F6 toggles Alignment rectangle show F7 switches Reduced Area On Off Ctrl F7 starts Image Post Processing F8 starts Degauss procedure Shift F9 starts Auto Contrast Brightness procedure in all live displays F11 starts Auto Focus procedure Ctrl F11 starts Auto Stigmator procedure Shift F11...

Page 83: ...g Ctrl Pause resets patterning Ctrl Shift sets one step slower slowest scanning Ctrl Shift sets one step faster fastest scanning Ctrl Shift Tab activates displays stepwise backward Ctrl Page Up Down switches within Control pages stepwise Ctrl 1 2 3 letter keypad selects the particular page the number corresponds to the page icon sequence Ctrl increases decreases the magnification 2 Digital Zoom ro...

Page 84: ...Software Control Entering Commands in Summary C O N F I D E N T I A L FEI Limited Rights Data 3 58 ...

Page 85: ...r all alignment procedures when available Start button starts the procedure and proceeds with following dialogs End button moves a user to the last step after clicking on the Next button to be able to finish the alignment procedure Finish button saves new settings ends the procedure and closes the dialog Save button saves new settings at that point without closing the dialog OK button applies all ...

Page 86: ...he stage rotation centre for the compucentric rotation Eucentric Height defines the eucentric position R Zero Alignment sets zero rotation position of the holder for STEM range definition Tilt Zero Alignment sets the stage tilt zero position Tilt X Correction sets the correction in X direction when tilting the stage EasyLift EasyLift Needle Exchange Calibration option see Chapter 7 Others 154 Wate...

Page 87: ...em before proceeding with any alignment If you have any e beam alignment procedure selected and you want to select any other one you must Finish or Cancel an actually opened procedure first To start alignment procedure or to stop one in progress right click on the red circle and select required action Start Stop variable from the context menu A confirmation dialog is shown When interrupting any al...

Page 88: ...un or that it failed to do anything meaningful the difference between these two is not important Reliable The result is trusted by the automatic procedure or a user has passed the alignment step manually Unreliable The automatic procedure has done meaningful work but cannot decide whether the obtained result can be trusted This suggests to review the result manually Out of range The automatic proc...

Page 89: ... Data 4 5 Magnification Correction This utility is intended to enhance factory calibration accuracy under particular user selectable conditions Note Switch the Beam menu Magnification Correction item on only for calibrated conditions otherwise it can worsen magnification accuracy ...

Page 90: ...Alignments E Column Aperture Selection C O N F I D E N T I A L FEI Limited Rights Data 4 6 E Column Aperture Selection Try to change the aperture when imaging is poor ...

Page 91: ... 7 E Column Preventive Maintenance Source Tilt Shift Fast This user level alignment ensures to center electron beam in the column and should be executed regularly on a weekly basis It takes around 15 to 20 minutes If it is not successful run the supervisor level alignment Source DPA Tilt Shift ...

Page 92: ...ts Data 4 8 E Column Supervisor Alignments This set of alignments enables the following actions Sample Alignment First alignment of this set allows a user to find appropriate sample locations within the sample holder and save them These positions are used in the following procedures ...

Page 93: ...s E Column Supervisor Alignments C O N F I D E N T I A L FEI Limited Rights Data 4 9 Aperture Alignment This procedure mechanically centers different electron apertures on the aperture strip module in the column ...

Page 94: ...nd should be executed when necessary It centers the electron beam in the column using three variables DPA Differential Pumping Aperture separates high vacuum column part from chamber vacuum centers electron beam to pass through the column without any cutoff Tilt centers the beam on the optical axis Shift centers the beam on the center of the final lens ...

Page 95: ...Alignments E Column Supervisor Alignments C O N F I D E N T I A L FEI Limited Rights Data 4 11 Image Shift Correct imaging shift when changing accelerating voltage and or Use case ...

Page 96: ...Alignments E Column Supervisor Alignments C O N F I D E N T I A L FEI Limited Rights Data 4 12 Stigmator Alignment ...

Page 97: ...Alignments E Column Supervisor Alignments C O N F I D E N T I A L FEI Limited Rights Data 4 13 Focus Centering ...

Page 98: ...similar to clicking on the Wake Up Sleep button without influencing to the Electron source Note The ion source start procedure may not be successful at the first attempt If this happens try it again Emission Current slider enables to set its size which is automatically maintained Emission Current may be set before ion emission is started or directly during the ion emitting Default emission current...

Page 99: ...l heating by clicking on the Heat button Emission current stabilizes 2 4 hours after heating Heating causes gallium evaporation which reduces the LMIS lifetime WA R N I N G Beware of multiple manual heating in short time period The LMIS may be damaged by such a multiple heating Ion Source Status This module contains Emission Current µA Extractor voltage V Suppressor voltage V and LMIS Lifetime hou...

Page 100: ...Alignments I Column Aperture Management C O N F I D E N T I A L FEI Limited Rights Data 4 16 I Column Aperture Management This alignment procedure controls the ion beam aperture strip holes condition ...

Page 101: ... T I A L FEI Limited Rights Data 4 17 I Column Manual Beam Alignment The purpose of alignment is to position the beam through the column for maximum beam transmission with minimum beam aberrations minimizing image motion when you change or wobble lens voltage ...

Page 102: ...Alignments I Column Alignments C O N F I D E N T I A L FEI Limited Rights Data 4 18 I Column Alignments ...

Page 103: ...Alignments I Column Alignments C O N F I D E N T I A L FEI Limited Rights Data 4 19 ...

Page 104: ... center and it is controlled by the Stage module R value the stage moves around its mechanical center In some cases this is not desired because a rotation around the field of view center would be more useful use this alignment to set this situation Make sure the stage tilt is zero during alignment The magnification should be from 500 to 2 000 and the sample should have a well recognisable feature ...

Page 105: ...Alignments 154 Water Bottle Venting C O N F I D E N T I A L FEI Limited Rights Data 4 21 154 Water Bottle Venting See Chapter 6 ...

Page 106: ...aning are pumped away and following plasma cleaning is more effective Adjust the Cycle duration Clean cycles and Pumping time between cycles Note If there is an external Evactron plasma cleaner follow the External Plasma Cleaning alignment instruction and the Evactron user manual WA R N I N G Do not use Chamber cleaning when the EDS WDS EBSD system is mounted If you need to clean the system with E...

Page 107: ... vacuum buffer is automatically pumped down after a specific time interval 5 hours approximately and it can harm the highest image quality To prevent this behaviour user can run Pump Buffer alignment in advance it takes about a minute and start image acquiring after the buffer is pumped down ...

Page 108: ...Alignments Vacuum Actions C O N F I D E N T I A L FEI Limited Rights Data 4 24 Vacuum Actions Start Stop IGP s Pump Vent Actions ...

Page 109: ...eriods for an installed GIS at Port Click on any of the Lifetime reset buttons to reset a corresponding GIS lifetime records Change target crucible temperature for a particular GIS by the Tslider The Heat Open Insert Needle buttons are used for service operations The Working Temperature unit varies according to Preferences Units setting but the Actual Temp unit is always C ...

Page 110: ...Alignments 254 GIS Alignment option C O N F I D E N T I A L FEI Limited Rights Data 4 26 ...

Page 111: ...ecimen preparation and handling Optimizing imaging Standard detectors Capturing and handling a Single image Recording movies saving multiple images Stage control Measurement and annotation functions Patterning milling C a u t i o n These procedures assume you are familiar with the xT microscope Server and Microscope Control software see Chapter 3 which are necessary to start and operate the micros...

Page 112: ...ful imaging rough surfaced specimens must be evenly coated from every direction Biological cloth and powder specimens may require carbon or other conductive painting on portions of the specimen that are hard to coat Coating makes the imaging sharper and reduces beam penetration It may mask elements of interest for X ray analysis thus the use of carbon for geological and biological specimens For mo...

Page 113: ...ided with this unit can result in bodily injury and property damage from hazards of fire or burn WA R N I N G Do not leave the unit unattended when it is ON Do not open the lid when the unit is ON Be extremely careful to avoid bodily injuries from burning When opening closing the lid always use the plastic knobs otherwise there is risk of burning When replacing the halogen bulb always wear protect...

Page 114: ... WA R N I N G Do not look directly at the operating bulb for any period of time This may cause serious eye injury For support tray manipulation sample loading for instance always use the special tool delivered Risk of burning Never touch the inner surface of the baking unit including the trays and specimens with bare hands or hands in gloves FIGURE 5 3 Support tray Handling tool Removal of Support...

Page 115: ... can be cleaned in an ultrasonic bath C a u t i o n Do not clean the Baking unit in the ultrasonic bath Halogen bulb replacement WA R N I N G Bulb operates at extremely high temperatures that can cause serious physical injuries and property damage Never touch bulb when it is on or soon after it has been turned off as it is hot and may cause serious burns When replacing the halogen bulb always wear...

Page 116: ... sample HV 1 30 kV 30 kV for imaging milling depositing 5 kV for cleaning 5 10 kV for large field of view Beam Current Spot size 100 pA at 30 kV High Vacuum Low Vacuum 5 6 100 pA at 30 kV Scan rate High Vacuum fast scan dwell time 0 1 0 3 µs Low Vacuum slow scan dwell time about 3 µs Fast scan Working Distance FWD Set the highest specimen point to approximately 7 mm tilt to 0 yellow mark in an opt...

Page 117: ... toolbar icon Selecting Vacuum Mode When a specimen and appropriate detector s are installed correctly continue the procedure see above 4 Check the High Vacuum module Low Vacuum or High Vacuum mode radio button For the Low Vacuum mode select the appropriate gas from the drop down list and the target Chamber Pressure that the system pumps to WA R N I N G The system can be damaged by using the Low V...

Page 118: ...e it attached to the mounting tool in a clean plastic bag 8 Select an appropriate cone and click the Vacuum module Pump button While pumping choose the highest specimen point and bring it to the 7 mm Working Distance yellow line in CCD display Imaging Onscreen Continue the procedure 9 When the vacuum status is PUMPED see the Status bar click on the System module Wake Up button to ramp up the elect...

Page 119: ...tion At any time after the beam scan the computer can access the data and process it to change its properties or use it to generate an image Magnification Magnification is calculated as the shown dimension L divided by the sample scanned dimension l If the observed sample area is made smaller while the monitor size remains constant the magnification increases At low magnification one gets a large ...

Page 120: ...ced over the display indicate white top line grey middle line and black bottom line levels The oscillogram signal amplitude central position reflects the contrast brightness of the just scanned line If the oscillogram is cut by the bottom top line the signal level is clipped in black white This should be avoided because the imaging details are lost in the clipped areas Tuning the oscillogram exact...

Page 121: ... directional imaging blur X and Y rays are not focused to the same plane what is well visible on the edges of observed sample structures Stigmator serves for correction of this imperfection which is usually better visible at higher magnifications 3 000 or more When imaging conditions are changed use the following procedure to correct an astigmatism 1 Focus an image 2 Bring the imaging just slightl...

Page 122: ...mization When the accelerating voltage is above 3 kV Lens Modulator is automatically selected otherwise the HV Modulator is One can choose any one manually Amplitude slider sets the modulation amplitude Electron Stigmator Centering tab Stig Center X Y 2D box serves for minimization of image shift during astigmatism correction The crosshair indicates the actual stigmator setting Try to minimize the...

Page 123: ...nd over focuses imaging in a narrow range to facilitate the process Amplitude slider sets the modulation amplitude Ion Stigmator Balance tab Stigmator Sin Cos 2D box serves for minimization of image shift during astigmatism correction The crosshair indicates the actual stigmator setting Move the crosshair to suppress the imaging shift Modulator Sin Cos button starts modulation of the respective st...

Page 124: ...t values Mix 3 Mix 4 tab Module The Mix feature operates in display 3 display 4 and is automatically enabled when clicking the 1 2 1 2 3 button Any combination of live and paused images can be mixed together providing all mixed images have the same pixel resolution However there are some logical limitations and behaviours related to the Mix display Average and Integrate filters are disabled Pause ...

Page 125: ...anges its position along the histogram Clicking on the left right part of the triangle selects the left right border color The part of histogram between two borderlines is linearly transformed to a new color spectrum Reset button sets the modified color profile to its original state Save button saves the actual setting as the custom preset Process tab Module Here a user can set parameters which ad...

Page 126: ... a relative number from 1 to 20 in the Standard Use case depending also on the accelerating voltage and from 2 to 18 in the OptiPlan and OptiTilt column Use cases the final lens aperture diameter and its opening angle set by the condenser It is considered to be close to ideal when spot edges just touch the neighbouring one If it is too large overlaps occur and the image appears out of focus If it ...

Page 127: ...on Beam Current There are 15 possible beam limiting apertures and so are 15 ion beam currents selectable from the toolbar list and from the Column module Beam current adjuster on the Beam Control page The current values and so the beam diameters depend on the accelerating voltage value see the following table Table 5 4 Ion beam diameters vs HV and Ion beam current Note When changing the spot size ...

Page 128: ...ion mode It is ideal for navigating and reviewing sites at lower magnifications The A Tube is on the ground potential and the default detector is the ETD in the Secondary Electron mode Maximum probe current is limited to 13 nA Note For detailed Cross section preparation workflow see the Help menu User Guidance item Cross Section preparation OptiPlan This mode is used for ultrahigh resolution elect...

Page 129: ...recommended to remove any detector if it is not used There is a risk of its efficiency decrease by a material deposition WA R N I N G To prevent stubbing with an EasyLift needle option follow the procedure described in the EasyLift section see Chapter 7 Everhart Thornley Detector ETD It is a scintillator photo multiplier type detector collecting electrons generated by the primary beam interaction ...

Page 130: ...f view to about 1 mm at the 10 mm working distance The minimum working distance is limited to about 3 mm FIGURE 5 7 Low Vacuum Detector LVD LVD Settings After pump down and purge process switch on the accelerating voltage The modified Detectors module Bias slider is automatically activated Adjust Bias if necessary to increase signal or to stop possible discharges At the lowest possible magnificati...

Page 131: ...is split into two halves and the detector can be operated in four modes Apart from the composite mode A B the detector can be operated in the topographical mode A B where a pseudo topographical imaging with suppressed atomic number contrast and maximum topographical contrast is obtained Signal from each half can be also collected separately in mode Segment A B T2 The T2 detector is primarily desig...

Page 132: ... particular features The UI is able to show and save images with a various bit depth Greyscale 8 16 bit image offers 256 65 536 levels of grey Live Averaged and Integrated images are scanned as 8 16 bit ones For the Mix display images a selection between the 8 or 16 bit mode is possible Color 24 bit image offers 256 levels of each primary color red green blue Digital colors coming from the Display...

Page 133: ... beam simultaneously Image Saving Save Ctrl S stores the image to the predetermined location with the last used filename including an incremental number Save As opens a dialog for saving images this provides an opportunity to change the file name its location and the possibility to save also Databar and overlaid graphics Both functions can be linked to the Snapshot Photo function see the Preferenc...

Page 134: ...4 512 442 or 1024 884 for the 4 3 view Databar image optionally included in the video Average or Integration changeable during recording Scan speed changeable during recording Reduced area pauses recording of all displays Remaining time indicator Single frame TIF images recordable during video sequence Compressed AVI avi formats Start Stop and Pause onscreen indicators Preferences set up dialog No...

Page 135: ...han or equal to the Movie delay File Settings Names of Movie TIF files are composed as follows File name display name Numeric seed series number avi tif For example MovieName Channel1 015 00023 avi tif The series number always has five digits form with leading zeros File Name enter a generic file name here Do not use punctuation dashes or other non alpha numeric characters otherwise the movie make...

Page 136: ...er indicates the time estimation in the hh mm ss format remaining to the end of the video This is calculated from the average disk space consumption and the disk free space 1 Open the Preferences Movie section In the Movie Timer module tick the Save AVI Movie and or Save TIF Images check boxes and select the desired Period time between stored frames 2 In the File Settings module fill in the File N...

Page 137: ...ie Creator dialog File tab Name Prefix click on the button to browse the TIF files with the desired sequence prefix folder It is not necessary to choose the first file in a row Time Period click the ms radio button to select a custom timing for the movie playback One may experiment for instance 200 ms per image good for most movies to speed it up for 100 images results in 20 second total movie dur...

Page 138: ...o the Displayed list removes one all item s from the Displayed list back to the Available list Since there is a finite amount of the databar space the area expands or contracts as other items are added to or removed from the Databar The item exceeding the allowable space is ignored Move Up Move Down Top Bottom button moves a position up a position down to the top to the bottom in the Displayed lis...

Page 139: ...ly shows the first image of the movie sequence FIGURE 5 11 Movie Creator dialog Preview tab Start Pause Stop button starts pauses stops the movie play back By dragging the adjuster one can run forward or backward through the movie Playing a Movie The AVI file movie can be played in the Windows Media Player or any another more advanced movie editing program recognising the avi file type ...

Page 140: ...g the stage to the eucentric position This procedure also prevents the specimen to touch the final lens when moving the stage in the Z axis direction With the standard specimen holder it is possible to move the sample its top surface along the Z axis up down if required holder movement This allows a flexibility to load large height specimens onto the stage 1 Load a specimen onto the specimen holde...

Page 141: ...ature should not shift significantly If the shift is 5 µm repeat steps from 6 to 9 Beams Coincidence Setting Procedure The electron and ion columns are mounted as illustrated the stage is tilted to 52 Beams coincidence occurs ideally at the eucentric position but in fact it is shifted in the order of tens of µm The following procedure brings your stage to the beams coincidence it is assumed that y...

Page 142: ...he Z axis alerts the positive Z axis stage moving direction is up It means raising a value in the Z axis edit box causes moving the stage up towards the final lens After running the Link Z to FWD procedure the symbol and the stage moving direction changes The black down arrow next the Z axis indicates the positive Z axis stage moving direction is down The units of measure follow the Preferences Un...

Page 143: ...ions which are listed in the Location list FIGURE 5 13 Map Area Elements Double clicking on anywhere in the circle area marks a new location 10 and moves the stage to that position Table 5 5 Map Area Elements Number Function 1 Light gray rim dashed line physical limit of the stage movement along the X and Y axes 2 Dark rim continuous line the sample holder outline 3 X Y scroll bar to move the map ...

Page 144: ...tion 10 to the map area center 9 When the Auto Center on Target item is ticked the actual stage position 10 remains in the map area center 9 Show Radar View 7 switches the radar view show in the map area On Off Zero Radar View resets the Radar view X Y axes rotation representation to 0 The radar view conveys the stage rotation at any time either by the stage axes or by the notch To rotate the stag...

Page 145: ... plane In the Automatic Cross Section mode 90 is added to enable observing of the cross section perpendicular to the sample surface When in the Manual mode the adjuster enables to manually set the Tilt Angle from 90 to 90 It is useful when the Dynamic Focus with Automatic Tilt Angle does not give satisfactory results or cannot be used at all because the specimen is tilted in direction different fr...

Page 146: ... can be seen live Wheel clicking on dragging the mouse up down moves the stage up down Z coordinate Ctrl Wheel clicking on dragging the mouse left right tilts the stage in positive negative direction The direction is indicated by a yellow arrow either pointing up down from the horizontal line or left right from the vertical line Stage Movements Get mode This function brings an image point of inter...

Page 147: ...Watch the obstacles significantly extending from the sample plane as these may interfere with equipment under the lens 1 Select a long feature of interest on the sample 2 Click on the Stage menu Align Feature 3 Choose Orientation either Horizontal or Vertical which relates to the desired final orientation of the feature 4 Click on the first point along the feature the Position 1 coordinates update...

Page 148: ...its position if needed Click on the OK button to finish the setting Compucentric Rotation F12 Clicking on the Stage menu Compucentric Rotation places a green circle in the image window The green triangle on its perimeter denotes by its position the sample rotation relative to its original position when mounted on the stage Initially this is in the 12 o clock position The readouts shown at the imag...

Page 149: ...to some repeated sample structures etc It is possible to end the procedure by clicking the Finish button when point s 0 0 1 0 0 1 are defined an overview of the point s just defined is shown The Details button shows actual coordinates with the possibility to browse them Go to button and to edit values 1 Select a sample surface feature and view it at an appropriate magnification to check its relati...

Page 150: ...ty in the respective display A green rectangle showing the actually selected field of view in the selected display appears with the size corresponding to the magnification In display s using Sample Navigation the Selected Area Zooming and the Get features can be used To employ the Sample Navigation there are three possible techniques to acquire or to use a Navigation image Navigation Montage Navig...

Page 151: ...the beam when finished check box This is convenient to use in case a large Target HFW and long dwell times are used to capture the Navigation image because the process can take a significant time to complete Click the Start button to run the procedure After a process completion the Sample Navigation is then automatically set on Navigation Alignment This procedure in comparison to the Navigation mo...

Page 152: ... mounted on the stage Initially this is in the 12 o clock position Click on drag it around the circle perimeter to choose a new sample rotation The readouts shown at the image window bottom provide information about the Actual Rotation original position and the Target Rotation the selected position Clicking on the written angles around the circle perimeter 0 90 180 270 or the perimeter anywhere dr...

Page 153: ...c over the area of interest This can be done by clicking on dragging the cursor in any direction create a rectangle shape Shift clicking on dragging the cursor to any direction create a rectangle shape starting to grow from the point where you have clicked as from the center To create a text label click the T annotation tool create a rectangle area into which a text should fit and start writing Sh...

Page 154: ...n electron imaging in a display different from patterning when patterning is paused so the electron imaging quality is perfect This functionality can run automatically according to settings in the iSPI tab module Patterning menu and Preferences Integrated Real Time Monitor RTM The RTM provides an immediate imaging in the same display with patterning of the patterning process The patterned area is ...

Page 155: ...attern Exclusion Zone overlapping area of the two patterns Enabled Disabled button sets selected pattern exclusion zone between two patterns to be not to be processed Corresponding icon and pattern graphics color changes Hide button hides shows all patterns the button becomes highlighted normal background Patterning Serial Parallel sequence button switches between two possibilities Zoom button enl...

Page 156: ...points and white 255 255 255 for milling points Do not forget to optimize other properties such as the Application file Z size leading edge etc The Stream File pattern is created as an ASCII text or binary file that addresses directly the patterning DAC Digital Analog Converter and produces custom pattern files The 16 bit DAC is used so the patterning field is divided into 65 536 steps in both X a...

Page 157: ...they can theoretically remain unchanged Restoring Serial mode does not undo these changes the properties remain as in the Parallel mode Progress area Information updated as the milling progresses can be found here captions change according to a running process skip to a next pattern in order Skip to a previous next line available only with Cleaning Cross Section Total Time estimated total patterni...

Page 158: ...s Choosing the required one sets the subsequent properties X Y Z size dimensions of the pattern Scan Direction scan movement direction Bottom to Top Top to Bottom Dwell Time a time the beam spends on a single pixel per pass rounded to a multiple of 25 ns Beam the beam used for patterning Time required to process this pattern Position X Y of the pattern relative to the origin the display center Rot...

Page 159: ...e adsorbed gas layer allowing a certain dose to be deposited at a higher rate than the saturation current density allowing a temporary higher rate actually not used Saturation Current Density the current at which 63 of the saturation sputter rate is reached actually not used Total Volume Sputter Rate the speed at which material is removed or deposited actually not used Selective Milling Enabled Se...

Page 160: ...during the patterning process from all live displays The name destination and type of stored images are set in the Preferences Movie section File Settings area Time interval slider sets the time in seconds after which the system acquires an electron image and pauses the electron imaging For all patterns except the Cleaning Cross Section select a Time Interval to acquire an electron image every x n...

Page 161: ...nsate for the positive charging The electron beam is activated and set to the spot mode automatically during the milling If the Automatic is selected the system uses preset E beam Compensation High Voltage and Beam Diameter values If any of several Custom modes is selected and changed to find the optimal setting values are saved automatically To optimize the Drift Suppression parameters so that th...

Page 162: ...selecting the Heat column context menu Warm item The Cold status is replaced by a progress bar which in turn is replaced by the Warm status when the GIS is fully heated To cool down a reservoir proceed in reverse order To insert the GIS needle manually click on the Insert check box a tick mark A confirmation dialog appears Clicking on the Insert check box again retracts clear box the GIS C a u t i...

Page 163: ...here are comment lines within xml files comment line filter Application file for milling silicon Si without any gas In order to make the application files selection more comprehensible several filters has been implemented beam type filter The system only shows application files which are related to a beam type set if an ion beam pattern type is selected application files which have it designated a...

Page 164: ...the waiting time after each pattern pass 0 Blur beam defocus to increase deposition for large areas 0 If the overlap is positive the mill time can be calculated based on the volume per dose parameter and the beam current For example create a filled box pattern 5 5 2 µm X Y Z the desired material volume to be milled is 50 µm3 and choose 0 5 nA which is 0 5 nC s Therefore Doubling the Z size the des...

Page 165: ...the area adjacent to the pattern not to affect the area of interest 4 Select a beam for patterning and set its current value 5 Set the Property Editor Z size value in µm 6 Acquire an image by clicking on the Snapshot button to confirm the pattern position 7 To start the milling click on the toolbar Start Patterning icon At any time you can stop a progress by clicking on the toolbar Pause Patternin...

Page 166: ... this process runs in two or three stages The first stage is to mill a Regular Cross Section with five superimposed box patterns sharing common edges For the second optional stage use either pattern type with Property tab module Fill Style set to Solid or the Cleaning cross section at a reduced current If the cross section is large the second cleaning may be required at a lower current For the thi...

Page 167: ...ot image as desired to monitor the process Secon stage optional 1 Perform the Beams coincidence setting procedure 2 Set the ion beam current to approximately of the beam current used for the first stage 3 Acquire a ion beam Snapshot image 4 Select the Patterning Control module Pattern type selector Cleaning Cross Section and draw a rectangular box Adjust its size so that its leading face is approx...

Page 168: ...the relation of the columns and stage to the face of the cross section during milling and how this is viewed onscreen depending on whether you are imaging with the electron or ion beam FIGURE 5 16 Cross Section Viewing during Milling Top view of the cross section Cross section view This view shows the geometry of the cross section Perspective view of the cross section milled on the edge of a sampl...

Page 169: ...an rotation at 180 FIGURE 5 18 Cross Section Viewing at 0 Tilt Rotated 180 Onscreen views Ion beam Cross section face Not to Scale Not visible Electron beam Cross section face Ion column Electron column Cross section face 0 stage tilt Stage Shallow end Tilted view into shallow end of cross section Not visible Onscreen views Ion beam Cross section face Not to Scale Completely visible Electron beam ...

Page 170: ...Operating Procedures Patterning C O N F I D E N T I A L FEI Limited Rights Data 5 60 ...

Page 171: ... oscillations It is also recommended to remove the detector before major cleaning activities Be aware of removing the chamber door locking screw s used during an instrument transportation labelled REMOVE If these are installed an overpressure over 20 kPa 150 Torr 0 2 bar can arise inside the chamber during the vent procedure N2 which is harmful to the EDX window if installed Note Gas back fill N2 ...

Page 172: ...d be worn while handling parts to avoid contaminating just cleaned surfaces Tweezers should be used to hold small parts After the part has been polished remove the Soft Scrub CIF cleaner by washing in hot water Inspect the part under a stereo microscope at 20 magnification to ensure that there is no remaining contamination or polish residue Wash the part in de ionized or distilled water in a beake...

Page 173: ... With the high voltage off vent the specimen chamber to the atmospheric pressure the Aperture rod is in the same vacuum space as the specimen chamber 2 If connected remove the heater cable from the outer end of the rod Loosen 2 screws 2 5 allen key and disconnect heater 3 Unscrew rotate counterclockwise the end of the Aperture rod and carefully remove it from the microscope FIGURE 6 2 Heater cable...

Page 174: ...ally by the system from the chamber front left side just under the final lens pole Exchange procedure The shutter aperture should be replaced when it is mechanically damaged or when it causes high astigmatism or charging because of pollutions Before continuing with the procedure check the aperture position by observing it with Scan menu Alternate Electron Ion scanning Ctrl Shift A functionality Af...

Page 175: ...ush the aperture to the shutter arm slot as far as the stop C a u t i o n Use only minimal force not to deform the aperture 8 Rotate knob to the unlocked position and while supporting the shutter arm with a finger at marked point see figure carefully remove it vertically from the load base 9 Check the aperture holds in the shutter arm by gentle shaking and also check visually aperture s axial posi...

Page 176: ...ape away debris A fine pair of plastic tweezers can be used to pick up difficult particles Spillage on the stage should be wiped up using a lint free cloth followed by suction or blowing with clean gaseous nitrogen Specimen Holders Recommended cleaning procedures are given below for parts which operate in vacuum and which are subject to possible contamination Frequency of cleaning is in most cases...

Page 177: ...ot sure disconnect the gas pipes from the gas inlet coupling 2 Disconnect the quick coupler and pull out the water bottle 3 Remove the rubber plug and refill with distilled water not de ionized until 1 3 full 4 Mount the rubber plug and install the water bottle in the reverse order of that described above 5 Pump the chamber Switch to LoVac mode to force automatic purging to flush any air out of th...

Page 178: ...Maintenance Refilling Water Bottle C O N F I D E N T I A L FEI Limited Rights Data 6 8 ...

Page 179: ...s a galvanic isolated AC regulated power source with the 115 230 V 50 60 Hz output Compressor 120 V 230 V 50 60 Hz 4 litre Tank Thermo Neslab Water Cooler 50 Hz 60 Hz Acoustic Enclosure for Pre vacuum Pump Specimen Holder Kit Set of 20 Specimen Stubs for SEM s UMB Stub Holder Kit UMB FIB TEM Specimen Kit Dual TEM Grid Holder CryoCleanerEC spare vessel anti contamination device Plasma Cleaner Annul...

Page 180: ...Beam Course Acht Scios Course Hillsboro China Japan Advanced Course DualBeam Acht DualBeam Short Course Acht On site Training Support 1 day North America China Japan MEMS Hetaing Stage For further up to date information on system options please contact your local FEI representative ...

Page 181: ...vides knobs to perform stage functions that can also be performed by the software It is connected to a USB connector located on the Microscope PC FIGURE 7 2 Joystick Up Down lever motion moves the stage in Y axis Left Right lever motion moves the stage in X axis Clockwise Counterclockwise lever rotation rotates the stage clockwise counterclockwise Button 1 not used Button 2 is used together with t...

Page 182: ... is cancelled and nothing happens After 10 minutes of continuous power off a shutdown to the safe mode with following actions is activated FEG emission is gently switched off Ion emission is gently switched off Chamber is vented UI is stopped xT Microscope server is stopped Microscope console is switched off to Standby mode Microscope PC and the Support PC if present are switched off WA R N I N G ...

Page 183: ...e OptiPlan when standard off axis secondary electron SE detectors fail In BD mode with stage bias above 2 5 kV the detector detects SE without BD the detector collects BSE signal Optimum WD should be from 3 5 to 7 mm to achieve maximum detection efficiency Due to geometrical restriction higher probe currents and HV over 4 kV should be used Ion Conversion and Electron detector ICE The ICE is a char...

Page 184: ...rons scattered close to the beam axis inner segment preferentially composite contrast and electrons scattered far from the beam axis outer segment more topographical signal C a u t i o n It is not recommended to use the detector with high ion beam currents the solid state diode can degrade When working with ion beam for longer time retract the detector Be aware of sample and final lens collision w...

Page 185: ...nnected to the feed through connector board Connectors have printed names and they are used to connect following detectors UI representation GAD Directional GAD GAD ABS GAD CBS DBS Directional BackScattered ABS CBS STEM Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy STEM 3 STEM 3 C a u t i o n Connectors insertion is a service operation ...

Page 186: ...t used the GAD is placed at the parking position inside the chamber at the bottom right side in the protective aluminium box to prevent its pollution The cables are permanently connected to the feed through connector board by a FEI authorized service engineer 1 With your gloved hand grasp the detector in the protective box 2 Push the mounting collar gently up to the objective lens cone The part wi...

Page 187: ... signal By clicking on the same sign again turns the segment background grey this segment sends no signal Note To set segments to subtract signal is allowed only for Custom 2 Set combination remains stored under particular number and user The Contrast button equalizes signals contrast from different segments not to override one another and to have same contrast in different displays in which the G...

Page 188: ...an cause damage of the detector Note When the STEM 3 3 detector is inserted stage rotation and tilt are locked automatically for the safety Before insertion of the retractable STEM 3 3 detector the chamber must be pumped otherwise the Insert button is not active a tooltip occurs under mouse cursor When clicking on the Insert button the dialog requires selection of the correct sample holder configu...

Page 189: ...aging 1 2 3 4 In this mode it is possible to use separate segments by selecting appropriate Dark field number 1 Obtain a Bright Field image first 2 Click on the Dark Field 1 2 3 4 radio button 3 Adjust the contrast and brightness HAADF High Angle Annular Dark Field imaging This mode may require higher voltage to create a suitable image as the angle subtended to the detection diode can be wide Choo...

Page 190: ...nt damage Note Run the Stage menu Take Nav Cam Photo Ctrl Shift Z item to run steps 2 3 and 4 automatically at once It is possible to cancel this procedure by the Abort button at any time the stage remains in the actual position 3 Capture the Navigation image with the high resolution of 3072 2048 pixels by using the Snapshot Photo function The image can be saved or adjusted like any other image ta...

Page 191: ...the sample must be electrically conductive Low Vacuum EDX Analysis X ray analysis in LoVac mode is possible in combination either with the standard LVD detector or with optional GAD detector The GAD is recommended to achieve the best signal to noise ratio especially when using lower accelerating values because the long GAD cone minimizes the primary beam path and therefore its dispersion in the ga...

Page 192: ...ticked it is expected to have Keithley picoamper meter connected to the External Connectors panel SPECIMEN CURRENT connector which is located at the back side of the microscope console FIGURE 7 5 External Connectors Panel In this case the Status bar Specimen Current value is N A and the Keithley meter readout shows actual specimen current Note When this functionality is not used switch the picoamp...

Page 193: ...n By releasing the mouse button the jog movement stops In the step mode each mouse click on moves the EasyLift with the predefined step size The needle can only be rotated in the Step mode the Step size can be selected in degrees from the list box The rotation is executed when clicking on the clockwise counterclockwise arrow button In the edit box beneath the arrow buttons R an absolute rotation v...

Page 194: ...Automatic EasyLift display control item to Yes Note This software feature is not available for the EasyLift LT version On the left side from the vertical green line EasyLift header the X Y movements are controlled The user can make jog moves by clicking on dragging The functionality of the Jog Z and Rotation arrows corresponds to the one described for the EasyLift module control Note When the Easy...

Page 195: ...ignment tool Base holder 3 Pull the probe shaft out of direction from the chamber the EasyLift mechanics with the use of the jig protecting the needle to touch any mechanical part 4 Place the probe shaft on the Base holder Place a little bit of Braycote or Fomblin on shaft o rings 5 Push the shaft into v blocks according to the picture 6 Place the needle in the Probe under the leaf spring shaft us...

Page 196: ... D E N T I A L FEI Limited Rights Data 7 18 9 Repeat step 3 in the reverse order to put the probe shaft back into the chamber 10 Pump the chamber by clicking on the Vacuum module Pump button 11 Follow instructions for subsequent steps ...

Page 197: ... two cross sections in Serial mode Total milling time is about 25 minutes for these cross sections 5 Using the 5 nA beam current and cleaning cross section patterns tilt the stage to 56 and 48 respectively to mill the sample from front and back side until the thickness is around 2 µm 6 Once the bulk mill is finished the sample can be partially cut free Switch to the 5 nA beam current and scan rota...

Page 198: ...ll position the needle at the eucentric position the beams coincident point Insert the Carbon or Tungsten GIS needle 4 Raise the stage slowly until the membrane is directly under the EasyLift needle tip Use electron and ion beam views to monitor its position Note On some samples the system may activate a touch alarm If you see such an alarm simply acknowledge it and continue working 5 Gradually br...

Page 199: ...patterns as shown 2 Select the Si New application file 3 Mill in Serial mode until it is clear the membrane is free Use the SEM iSPI mode to monitor the cutting and to know if it is cut free 4 Move the stage down in Z axis direction The membrane should now be hanging from the EasyLift Needle tip and just over the milled trenches 5 Move the needle to the Park position 6 Retract the EasyLift needle ...

Page 200: ... bringing them together with the use of the electron beam 10 Bring the membrane and TEM grid to vertical alignment Move the stage in X and Y until the grid is directly beneath the membrane electron imaging Monitor the distance between the membrane and grid while aligning them ion imaging 11 Iterate between the ion and electron imaging while moving the stage until the membrane touches the grid 12 D...

Page 201: ...rol the sample temperature from 40 C to 1 200 C while observing sample with the use of FEI electron microscope MEMS Parts MEMS Controller Multi Sample holder with the MEMS holder dedicated position MEMS Holder MEMS Chip FIGURE 7 8 Multi sample holder MEMS Holder top view MEMS holder installed Consumables FIGURE 7 9 MEMS chips 10 pcs data sheet ...

Page 202: ...trol software Temperature page added when MEMS is installed Temperature Stage module If the stage is installed and detected the type is indicated at the top of the module and controls are available Temperature Stage module When a MEMS chip is replaced or after xT Microscope Server restart click the Manual Control Calibrate button to open the MEMS Heating System Calibration dialog for editing chip ...

Page 203: ...nds a profile execution and actual temperature is maintained until the button is clicked again and the profile continues Clicking the Next button when a profile is running stops an actual step immediately and proceeds with next one Ticking the Repeat profile check box causes the profile to start again from the beginning when it is finished When a profile is running the actual step line is highligh...

Page 204: ...nd maximum of both axes are computed automatically so that the graph is completely visible As points are added the graph may rescale to achieve this Dragging a rectangle in the graph when in Zoom In Mode zooms in that rectangle and the graph switches to a Plot Mode Auto Pan In this mode the graph is automatically moved forward according to an Auto Pan value The X Scale value keeps a graph scale in...

Page 205: ...f the Microscope PC you want to connect to followed by colon and the port number 5905 into the Server field In case your configuration consists of both Microscope PC and Support PC you need to connect to the Support PC Type the Support PC name followed by the colon and the port number 5905 into the Server field Click on the OK button 3 Some secure key and signature related dialogs may appear Confi...

Page 206: ... from the network bandwidth In case the Microscope Control user interface stops responding or the Server Busy dialog appears the Microscope PC is probably overloaded and may have problems with the actual conditions being operated remotely If such a problem occurs wait till the Microscope PC recovers or restart it yourself when necessary Here are some recommendations for the remote control operatio...

Page 207: ...atio the lower is the difference between SE and BSE energies when detected Signal electrons are accelerated upwards and deflected towards the column axis The SE s have a low initial speed and they are usually absorbed into the detector central hole continue through and can be detected by in column detectors T2 and T3 Equally like the BSE heading upright Conversely the BSE heading nearly parallel t...

Page 208: ...terest Set the Eucentric Position and tune an image with the Direct Adjustments module Beam and the Stigmator Centering tabs see Chapter 5 In various displays get the SE and BSE images to observe different imaging simultaneously 3 Click on the On button Gradually raise the Stage Bias lower voltage the SE BSE image is getting dark light At low magnifications an ETD image should become dark symmetri...

Page 209: ...lignments An acceptable sample tilt is about a few degrees for higher immersion ratios it is preferably less FIGURE 7 11 Signal Distortion and Image Aberrations for Tilted and Rough Sample Tin balls at high Immersion Ratio Particulate samples All samples consisting of small micro or nano particles particles must be prepared to minimize presence of volatile particles on the stub when loaded into th...

Page 210: ...er by clicking on the Unblank button The Grid Voltage is now applied to the grid and in case of a positive voltage electrons will be spread via the grid on to the sample 4 Optimize imaging by adjusting the values 5 Click on the highlighted Beam On button to turn the Charge Neutralizer off The software waits for the filament to cool before enabling to vent the chamber which takes about 7 minutes Fi...

Page 211: ...ease the neutralizer grid voltage again until the charging disappears Now you have reached the optimum working condition with the best possible contrast of your charge compensated secondary ion imaging If you are still unsatisfied with the image adjust the beam energy 50 eV for example and check the results In case the electrons generation does not start slowly increase the filament current Remark...

Page 212: ...g position a loader chamber for loading and unloading the sample carrier with sample onto a bayonet fitting located at the end of the rod A gate valve seals the vacuum of the SDB SEM specimen chamber and can only be opened when the vacuum of the loader chamber is correct this being indicated by the OK labelled LED prompted by an electrical and mechanical interlock The sample carrier can be entered...

Page 213: ... vacuum accelerating voltage for loading and unloading cycles movement of the gate valve Controls There are 2 buttons illuminated while in operation and 1 indicator lamp P pump labelled button is pressed to pump the loader chamber to the required vacuum the stage moves to a loading position at the same time If the system reaches appropriate vacuum level the lever interlock is released and the gate...

Page 214: ...nt contact to the rotation base to prevent vibration transmission The height of the stage adapter is distinct to the SDB SEM system it is used with The top of the adapter has a dovetail slot for the acceptance of the sample carrier from the rod loading mechanism FIGURE 7 12 Sample Carrier Stage Adapter Sample Gauge Before mounting the Stage Adapter the stage must be homed with the chamber door ope...

Page 215: ...ded only the loading rod is not installed for the transport 1 Unpack the lead glass lid 2 Remove four screws holding the cover of the loading rod feedthrough 3 Use the same screws to attach the loading rod to the loader chamber Loading position The load unload position is preset from factory If a calibration is needed run the Quick Loader Alignments first ...

Page 216: ...yLift or STEM modules if present to a safe state cannot be used in combination with loader 3 Close the loader chamber lid After the lid is properly closed the P button starts to shine 4 Press the P button the button stops to shine and the pumping cycle starts the stage moves to the loading position at the same time When the vacuum in the loader chamber is correct the pump light starts to shine and...

Page 217: ...om the Parking position into the chamber while still holding the rod bar When resistance is found turn the rod bar to the left counterclockwise to enter the bayonet Push forward and turn the rod to the right clockwise and the bayonet will engage with the Sample Carrier on the Stage Adapter close to the end of the rod travel 7 Withdraw the rod back to the far end of the rod guide and place in the P...

Page 218: ...then pumped by the microscope vacuum system When the specimen chamber together with the CryoCleaner is pumped liquid Nitrogen is introduced to the Nitrogen vessel Its outside cold surface adsorbs contaminating products from the specimen chamber The vacuum in the specimen chamber improves over a short period and contamination is now reduced The Vacuum vessel has special flange enabling to mount it ...

Page 219: ...Then fill the Dewar and place the plastic cap at the top of the CryoCleaner The volume of liquid Nitrogen needed is approximately 500 ml Note The LN2 stops boiling very quickly so that no vibration is seen from this device If the CryoCleaner needs to be used for longer periods it can be refilled with LN2 Before re filling it is recommended to perform vessel baking FIGURE 7 14 Plastic Cap Filling P...

Page 220: ... subsequent reuse of the vessel Note The oven that is used must have a venting system to extract any harmful fumes Alternatively it should be baked in a fume cupboard using an infra red lamp Replacing Vessel 1 Allow the vessel to cool down before handling 2 Vent the specimen chamber 3 Unlock two clips holding the Vacuum vessel Lid Remove the Lid from the Vacuum vessel 4 The Nitrogen vessel can be ...

Page 221: ...ecial vacuum conditions tens of Pa similar to the Low Vacuum mode FIGURE 7 15 Plasma Cleaner The Sample Cleaning procedure uses settings from the Plasma Cleaning Alignment see Chapter 4 For avoiding of typical weak contamination artefacts during high resolution imaging image darkening 1 2 minutes plasma cleaning duration in combination with cryo cleaning should be sufficient When bulky deposition ...

Page 222: ...ferent gaseous environment it is advisable to run the Purging procedure see Chapter 3 Chamber Cleaning To periodically clean the whole system due to build ups from samples carriers service events etc use the Chamber Cleaning procedure from the Plasma Cleaning Alignment The clean chamber environment enables an operator to use the system at a level of cleanliness suitable for high resolution imaging...

Page 223: ...river 1 6 mm Torx driver Location Positions The interface parts and all fitting holders have a 2 pin 2 hole location system This is present so that holders can be positioned in the same orientation each time they are fitted All stages have 2 holes one is round and the other is a slot This will allow the stage location system to work with a holder for precise specimen position This works directly f...

Page 224: ...5 mm stubs All stubs are screw fixed The Angled Stub Holder fits to the Interface pillar by a captive centre screw Analytical Holder 3 The Analytical Holder is used in conjunction with an EDX system 2 polished 1inch mounts can be slotted from below into the retaining holes until they become flush to the top of the holder Here they can be locked in place by screws in the holder side wall This gives...

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