FIB-SEM and Laser Ablation

Thermo Scientific Helios 5 PFIB Laser Systems combine plasma focused ion beam milling with femtosecond laser ablation and SEM (scanning electron microscopy) imaging. This “TriBeam” combination enables high-resolution imaging and analysis with in situ ablation capability, offering unprecedented material removal rates for fast millimeter-scale characterization at nanometer resolution.

The femtosecond laser can cut many materials at rates that are orders of magnitude faster than a typical FIB. A large cross-section (hundreds of micrometers) can be created in less than five minutes. Because the laser has a different removal mechanism (ablation versus the ion sputtering of FIB), it can easily process challenging materials, such as non-conductive or ion-beam-sensitive samples.

The extremely short duration of the femtosecond laser pulses introduces almost no artifacts such as heat impact, microcracking, melting, or those typical of traditional mechanical polishing. In most cases, the laser-milled surfaces are clean enough for direct SEM imaging and even for surface-sensitive techniques such as electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) mapping.

We offer a broad product portfolio and advanced automation capabilities for applications such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample preparation, atom probe tomography (APT) sample preparation, and 3D structural analysis.

Transmission electron Microscopy and atom Probe Tomography sampe preparation

Built on the proven Helios 5 DualBeam platform, these instruments incorporate a suite of state-of-the-art technologies to provide high-performance, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atom probe tomography (APT) sample preparation and extremely high-resolution SEM imaging with precise materials contrast.

3D Structural Analysis

When combined with Thermo Scientific Auto Slice & View Software, TriBeam instruments provide 3D insight into sample structure by selectively removing (milling) the material for subsurface characterization. Digital reconstruction generates multi-modal 3D datasets that can consist of a variety of signals, including backscattered electron (BSE) imaging for maximum materials contrast, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) for compositional information, and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) for microstructural and crystallographic information. The SEM capability of TriBeam instruments offers nanoscale details across a wide range of working conditions, from structural information obtained at 30 keV in STEM mode to charge-free, detailed surface information at lower energies. With unique in-lens detectors, TriBeam systems are designed for simultaneous acquisition of angular/energy-selective secondary-electron and BSE data. Fast, accurate, and reproducible results are provided by our unique SEM column design, which features fully automated lens alignments.

Helios 5 Laser FIB-SEM Product Family

Thermo Fisher Scientific offers a broad range of (P)FIB-SEM systems with fully integrated femtosecond lasers. This TriBeam product family consists of three models, all featuring the best-in-class Thermo Scientific Elstar SEM Column, a high-precision 150 mm piezo stage, and a large chamber. The main difference between these models is the FIB column:
Helios 5 Laser System comes with high-throughput Tomahawk HT FIB
Helios 5 Laser PFIB System has a high-performance Xe+ PFIB column
Helios 5 Laser Hydra System is a unique solution featuring multi-ion species PFIB technology

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