Abstract
The helium ion microscope has emerged as a multifaceted instrument enabling a broad range of applications beyond imaging in which the finely focused helium ion beam is used for a variety of defect engineering, ion implantation, and nanofabrication tasks. Operation of the ion source with neon has extended the reach of this technology even further. This paper reviews the materials modification research that has been enabled by the helium ion microscope since its commercialization in 2007, ranging from fundamental studies of beam–sample effects, to the prototyping of new devices with features in the sub-10 nm domain.
Highlights
Since the helium ion microscope (HIM) was introduced 15 years ago [1,2,3], over one hundred HIMs have been installed worldwide and over one thousand research papers enabled by the HIM have been published
The microscopy functionality is primarily based on the detection of the secondary electrons that are generated by the finely focused ion beam as it is scanned across the sample
Dose series were conducted and the interaction volumes directly visualized by preparing cross sections by gallium focused ion beam milling that were inspected by transmission electron microscopy (TEM)
Summary
Since the helium ion microscope (HIM) was introduced 15 years ago [1,2,3], over one hundred HIMs have been installed worldwide and over one thousand research papers enabled by the HIM have been published. In addition to the small probe size, the interaction volume of the helium ions (beam energy of typically 10–30 keV) is characteristically narrow, especially over the first 100 nm or so in depth in the material (see Figure 1b) This means that defect creation, implantation, sputtering, and deposition can all be very localized. Dose series were conducted and the interaction volumes directly visualized by preparing cross sections by gallium focused ion beam milling that were inspected by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) In this way, the microstructural effect of increasing the helium ion-induced defect density was probed, and threshold doses for a series of structural changes, such as amorphization and subsurface swelling, were established (Figure 1c). The final applications using the highest doses (many orders of magnitude higher than the largest dose shown in Figure 1c) are milling and gas-assisted ion beam-induced deposition
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
