Data preparation for focused ion beam machining of complex three-dimensional structures

Abstract

The realization of complex three-dimensional structures at micro- and nanometre scale in various materials is of great importance for a number of micromechanical, microoptical, and microelectronic applications. Focused ion beam (FIB) patterning is one of the promising technologies for producing such three-dimensional structures utilizing layer-by-layer fabrication methods. A novel and efficient data preparation approach is proposed in this paper for layer-based FIB processing. By applying it, complex surfaces can be designed easily in any three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) package and then converted into GDSII streams for FIB sputtering or deposition. To validate the proposed CAD/CAM approach an experimental study was conducted. The factors that can affect the accuracy of the structures produced by layer-based FIB processing are also discussed. By assessing all stages of the proposed approach and the results of its experimental validation, conclusions are drawn about its applicability.