A Focused Ion Beam (FIB) system uses a Ga+ ion beam to raster over the surface of a sample in a similar way as the electron beam in a scanning electron microscope. The generated secondary electrons (or ions) are collected to form an image of the surface of the sample. The ion beam allows the milling of small holes in the sample at well localized sites, so that cross-sectional images of the structure can be obtained or that modifications in the structures can be made.

View equipment using this technology.