X12 - Focused Ion Beam Theory & Methods

Separate registration required — Registration information coming January 2026.

INCLUDED IN REGISTRATION FEE:
Breakfast, Lunch, AM & PM Coffee Breaks

PROGRAM ORGANIZERS:

Lucille Gianuzzi, TESCAN USA
Joseph MIchael, Sandia National Laboratory (Retired)

The use of FIB instruments in materials- and biological-science laboratories is growing rapidly. The versatility and capabilities of these tools are also rapidly improving. This course will first cover ion/solid interactions, which must be understood for successful application of these tools. The attendees will learn of the variety of commercial ion sources and ion species available in FIB instruments, and explore their benefits for a range of applications. Applications of femtosecond laser micromachining in conjunction with FIB will be discussed. Techniques of sample preparation for SEM and TEM, 3D applications, micro- and nanofabrication and cryo-methods will be presented.

Topics within this Short Course will include:

Theory of ion-solid interactions
A review of ion sources: LMIS (Ga and others), PFIB (Xe and others), and other commercial ion sources.
2D and 3D (FIB SEM tomography) sample preparation
TEM and APT specimen preparation
Cryo FIB TEM specimen preparation
Micro and nano-fabrication using ion beams
Introduction to PFIB and Laser for specimen preparation