Joy D.C. Helium Ion Microscopy. Principles and Applications

Springer. – New York, Heidelberg, Dordrecht, London, 2013, 64 pages, ISBN: 978-1-4614-8659-6,
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-8660-2.The scanning electron microscope (SEM) has become the most widely used high performance microscope. However because of the fundamental limitations of electron beams the new technology of ion beam microscopy is being developed. Because it supports research in fields as diverse as semiconductor technology, solid state physics, biological materials, and polymers. In every case, it produces high-resolution, eye catching images which are easy even for nonspecialists to appreciate and interpret. However, the smallest feature that can be resolved by an SEM is limited by the diameter of the beam of electrons brought to a focus at the specimen surface, and after 50 years of continuous development, the SEM is now close to reaching its absolute limit of imaging performance which will occur when the diameter of the focused electron beam can be reduced in size no further. This book firstly provides a brief introduction to the history and development of ion microscopy, then discusses how an ion beam can be generated using a gaseous field ionization source (GFIS) gun and how this performance of this system can be optimized. Next, the optics of the scanning ion microscope will be described, and its operation and imaging performance will be described and evaluated, and the various types of signals available in the ion microscope, their generation and spatial resolution, and the information they provide will be examined. The problem of specimen damage in the ion microscope is then discussed, and the origin of specimen charging and methods for its control in the ion beam are investigated. Finally, the properties and problems associated with using ions other than helium are discussed. In addition, a database of He+ ion-induced secondary electron yields as a function of the irradiated element or compound, and the beam energy is provided for reference.Introduction to Helium Ion Microscopy
Microscopy with Ions: A Brief History
Operating the Helium Ion Microscope
Ion–Solid Interactions and Image Formation
Charging and Damage
Microanalysis with HIM
Ion-Generated Damage
Working with Other Ion beams
Patterning and Nanofabrication