Optimization of focused ion beam performance

The authors have analyzed how much current can be obtained in the probe of an optimized two-lens focused ion beam (FIB) system. This becomes relevant, as systems become available that have the potential to image and/or fabricate structures smaller than 10 nm. The probe current versus probe size curves were calculated for a commercial gallium-FIB...

Electron optics of skewed micro-Einzel lenses

Micro-Einzel lenses always suffer from chromatic and spherical aberration, even when the electron beam is exactly on the optical axis of the lens. When the inclination of the electron beam with respect to the lens axis increases, additional effects such as coma, astigmatism, and defocus start to dominate. An example of inclined electron beams in...

Electron optics of microlenses with inclined beams

For multielectron beam systems with a single electron source, the outside beams need to be collimated before entering the individual microcolumns. As an alternative of the traditional multibeam source design where the broad beam from the source is collimated by a single lens, the broad beam can be first split in subbeams that are focused by a...