Commentary—Are There Still Places for Gallium FIB?

Abstract

Since developed in the mid-1980s, focused ion beam (FIB) technology has become quite mature. From the initial single Ga ion beam system to nowadays dual-beam FIB, and from application only in semiconductor industry to applications to biological, mineral and materials engineering, FIB systems seemed to have almost maxed out their capability. The question arises is if the Ga FIB will still hold its place after the release of the new generation of plasma FIB in 2015. This paper provides a high-level overview of the two FIB systems.