Big Vacuum Chamber, Deep Insights

OBERKOCHEN, Germany – Today, Carl Zeiss SMT introduced a new family member of AURIGA CrossBeam (FIB-SEM) workstation featuring a large 6 inch stage vacuum chamber and a total of 23 free accessory ports. This results in an extraordinarily high level of versatility and flexibility, which has been the hallmark for the AURIGA platform already and now reaches a new level.

AURIGA CrossBeam workstations were launched in March 2009. Since then they have emerged to become the most successful CrossBeam system worldwide. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) based on the GEMINI e-beam column from Carl Zeiss enables users to carry out nano scale imaging of specimen surfaces—giving a deep insight to sample topography and composition. A focused ion beam (FIB) acts like a nano scale scalpel, being able to cut into the substrate or remove extremely thin slices of material. With the combination of both technologies users can simultaneously mill the specimen, as well as image and control the processing. Additionally, by automatically assembling images of the consecutive milling steps the system creates a complete 3D-model of the sample (voxel size: about 10 x 10 x 10 cubic nanometers).

The new AURIGA 60 platform essentially broadens the application spectrum of the well established ZEISS CrossBeam technology. Its vacuum chamber is large enough to handle wafers of up to 6 inch diameter, at the same time, the huge chamber offers the capability to attach up to 23 analytical or other attachments for diverse chemical or physical experiments. For example, external imaging and analytic detectors like EDX, EBSD und SIMS can be connected. In particular, the novel workstation permits a direct cryogenic transfer and examination of deep-frozen specimen. The extended range of utilization options is exceptionally useful in multi-purpose environments where several experimenters with different research objects share the workstation. Thus, the introduction of the new system remarkably boosts the flexibility of AURIGA CrossBeam technology.

Besides, the AURIGA 60 CrossBeam workstation is capable of being simply and very flexibly upgraded—depending on the overall necessities or budgetary requirements of the user. Thanks to a modular assembly of the system one can even start with a stand-alone high-performance FE-SEM platform which can be upgraded later on by stepwise integration of additional components like FIB column, detectors and a gas injection system for etching the sample surface or deposition of thin material layers—to finally have a fully equipped CrossBeam workstation.