ABSTRACT
The interaction of ions with samples is very different than electron interactions with samples so that different information is available through the focused ion beam (FIB)-generated images. The use of FIB for lithography with resist exposure is the direct analog of electron beam lithography. There have been some fairly comprehensive reviews of FIB technology and its applications in the analysis and modification of semiconductors. The chapter presents the constraints of history, nature, and demand, to derive the formation and evolution of FIB, provides a foundation of theory guided by FIB being used for, and describes those applications in detail. The most useful interaction in the FIB, physical sputtering, used to modify the structural landscape of the sample by removing material, which occurs when the incident ions transfer sufficient momentum to surface or near-surface atoms to free one or more target atoms.
