Speed up sample preparation with a femtosecond laser in your FIB-SEM

Advances in FIB-SEM and ultra-fast lasers have radically transformed sample preparation, characterization, and failure analysis for semiconductor devices and packages.

Access deep and buried regions of interest with unprecedented speed and versatility, allowing for detailed structural analysis across diverse sample types.
Precisely target multiple ROIs with integrated, automated movements, achieving high accuracy and efficiency.
Explore new methods to gain deeper insights into semiconductor package research, development, and failure analysis.

Ultrafast Laser-Enhanced Material Removal for Efficient Sample Preparation

The addition of a femtosecond laser to the ZEISS Crossbeam FIB-SEM increases material removal rates to up to 15 million µm³ per second.

With the ultrashort pulse duration of the femtosecond laser, sample preparation is highly efficient, producing a minimal heat-affected zone.

This advancement reduces preparation time from hours or days to mere minutes, with no artifacts. The laser preparation process is compatible with various materials, including silicon carbide and glass.

Achieve large-volume, contamination-free milling with an isolated laser chamber and Cross-Jet system

Accessing structures buried millimeters deep within the package and removing several cubic millimeters is now routinely feasible, enabling large cross-sections of entire components such as capacitors and TIM interfaces through the metal lid.

An isolated laser chamber separates ablation contaminants from the main imaging chamber, preserving high-resolution imaging quality and keeping maintenance costs low.

The new cross-jet, featuring a nitrogen or argon gas flow, prevents ablated material from depositing on the protective glass, allowing continuous operation for several hours with consistent laser power and ablation rates.

Automation enhances precision and productivity by enabling accurate targeting of multiple ROIs and efficient cross-section preparation

Automated shuttling and laser processing in a separate chamber save time and increase throughput, while scripting allows for the creation of automated workflows, enhancing experimental efficiency.

Automation enables precise targeting of multiple ROIs and supports the preparation of cross-sections, H-bars, TEM lamellae, and Atom Probe Tomography samples.

Achieve micron-scale precision with the ZEISS Crossbeam Laser

ZEISS Crossbeam laser tools use calibrated laser positioning in a separate chamber to achieve precise, targeted sample preparation.

When combined with 3D X-ray data and surface feature registration via SEM imaging in the main chamber, these tools allow for routine targeting of surface and deeply buried defects within semiconductor packages with sub-2-micron accuracy. This enables high-throughput, targeted sample preparation, surpassing the efficiency of conventional techniques.