Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB-SEM)

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In this proposal, nine working groups from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Göttingen request to acquire a focused ion beam (FIB) microscope for the direct fabrication and characterization of nanoscale specimens. The envisioned instrument would significantly extend the resolution, machining, and throughput capabilities beyond what are currently available with the existing FIB microscope, which is increasingly unreliable.Over the last 10 years, our existing FIB has enabled the development of ambitious research initiatives in Göttingen, including the acquisition of ultrafast and environmental transmission electron microscopes, and the establishment of a collaborative research center on “Atomic Scale Control of Energy Conversion” (CRC 1073). Reliable FIB capacity and increased imaging and machining resolution are now necessary to maintain the strong basis for specimen fabrication and characterization that has allowed us to follow such challenging research directions.We describe here our current FIB-supported research and outline the advancements we expect to achieve with the improved imaging resolution, machining precision and flexibility, and throughput of a new FIB. We also describe a mature concept for operation and use based on highly trained technical staff within a centrally administered facility. We outline the installation plans of the favored microscope in a laboratory space with sufficient specifications for undisturbed performance. Finally we argue that there are excellent FIB systems available that fulfill our needs and we make the case for one of these systems.