Automatic sample preparation system IM4000II

for SEMcoolingion beam milling

IM4000II supports both cross section milling and flat-milling to prepare specimens depending on the purpose. Cooling Temperature Control, Air Protection Holder Unit, and Various options enable preparation of various cross section specimens. Features High Milling Rate The cross section milling rate*1 of the IM4000II is 500 µm/h or greater. It is effective for hard materials that conventionally require extended processing. When the swing angle during cross section milling changes, the corresponding processing width and depth change. The figure below shows the SEM images of a Si wafer after cross section milling. Processing conditions are the same as shown above except the swing angle has been reduced from ±30˚ to ±15˚. It is demonstrated that the processing depth is deeper than the above results and therefore very effective for rapid cross section preparation of specimens with a target structure far from the top surface. Hybrid Milling Cross section Milling A pristine surface can be achieved by sputtering (milling) protruding parts of the specimen that extend beyond the maskedge. By irradiating the ion-beam parallel to the processed surface of the specimen, flat and smooth milling is possible even with complex materials of different compositions. Main Uses Prepare a cross section specimen in a localized region of interest (ROI) Prepare a cross section specimen that is difficult to polish by other methods (composite materials, multi-layer interface, papers/films, etc.) Flat-milling In flat-milling, a wider area can be processed than in cross section milling via eccentricity of the ion-beam and rotating specimen center points.