Development of Integrated FIB/SEM/Femtosecond Laser Tri-Beam Platform for Nanofabrication and Study of Nanostructures

To create the world-first tri-beam platform for high-productivity nanofabrication by integrating FIB/SEM Dual Beam system with femtosecond laser.

Through extensive researches in the past few years using FIB/SEM Dual Beam and femtosecond laser, we have succeeded in producing micro-components and various nanostructures (ripples, gratings, nano-rods, and nano-wells) either by direct writing or by self-organization or by controlled self-organization. FIB/SEM Dual Beam can achieve nanoscale precision but only in a small area at extremely slow rate. Femtosecond Laser can ablate material rapidly over a large area but with only microscale precision. The tri-beam platform will allow fast nanofabrication by a combination of high-resolution on-line monitoring with SEM, fast rough machining with ultrafast laser, and nanoscale precision finishing with FIB. The new platform will provide a versatile tool for a wide range of applications in nanoelectronics, nano-photonics, nanobiology, etc.