K. (. Hooghan, FEI KAUST, Saudi Arabia
In the past decade and a half, Focused Ion Beam systems (FIB) have revolutionized sample preparation in the Microelectronics Characterization and Failure Analysis domain. With submicron accuracy and stress free cross-sections in hard to reach areas, FIB systems have become an indispensable tool in this regard. This tutorial will focus on sample preparation for Scanning and Transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM), used for Microelectronics Characterization and Failure Analysis. Different strategies to prepare TEM samples using various Lift-out techniques will be discussed, giving the user a broad perspective to make a choice on which tools are available, and make an educated choice in that regard. Materials covered will include Silicon based IC's as well as exotic materials.