FIB SEM | Laser Ablation | Thermo Fisher Scientific

Focused ion beam milling and femtosecond 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 sample 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

Key Features of Helios 5 Focused Ion Beam Milling and Laser Ablation

15,000x faster rate of material removal via laser

Millimeter-scale cross sections with up to 15,000x faster material removal than a typical focused ion beam.

Statistically relevant subsurface and 3D data analysis

Data acquisition for much larger volumes within a shorter amount of time.

Accurate and repeatable cut placement

Same coincident point for all tree beams (SEM / (P)FIB / laser) enables accurate and repeatable cut placement and 3D characterization.

Fast characterization of deep subsurface features

Extraction of subsurface TEM lamella or chunks for 3D analysis.

High throughput processing of challenging materials

Includes non-conductive or ion-beam-sensitive samples.

Fast and easy characterization of air-sensitive samples

No need to transfer samples between different instruments for cross-sectioning and imaging.

Shares all capabilities of the Helios 5 platform

High-quality TEM and APT sample preparation and high-resolution imaging capabilities.

Specifications of Helios 5 Focused Ion Beam Milling and Laser Ablation Systems

产品表格规范样式表

Laser specifications
Laser integration	Fully integrated in the chamber with the same coincident point of all 3 beams (SEM/FIB/laser), enabling accurate and repeatable cut placement and 3D characterization.
First Harmonic	Wavelength Pulse duration	1030 nm (IR) <280 fs
Second Harmonic	Wavelength Pulse duration	515 nm (green) <300 fs
Optics	Coincident point Objective lens Polarization	WD = 4 mm (same as SEM/FIB) Variable (motorized) Horizontal/vertical
Repetition rate	• 1 kHz – 1 MHz
Beam position accuracy	• <250 nm
Protective shutter	• Automated SEM/PFIB protective shutter
Software	• Laser control software • Laser 3D serial sectioning workflow • Laser 3D serial sectioning workflow with EBSD • Laser Scripting*
Safety	• Interlocked laser enclosure (Class 1 laser safety)
* With optional Thermo Scientific AutoScript 4 Software.

Style Sheet for Komodo Tabs

Resources

On demand webinar: Discover the all new Helios 5 Laser PFIB

Register for our recorded webinar and learn how the combination of fs-Laser and PFIB provides mm-scale subsurface and 3D analysis at nm resolution and enables new workflows such as fast characterization of air sensitive samples and multi-scale correlative microscopy with deep subsurface sample extraction.

Latest application developments of multiple ion species plasma FIB technology

Register for our live webinar and learn how leading research labs are using our new Thermo Scientific Helios 5 Laser PFIB and Thermo Scientific Helios 5 Hydra DualBeam to advance their materials characterization.

Solder bump 3D reconstruction created with plasma FIB laser SEM tool

3D reconstruction of a solder bump acquired with the Helios 5 Laser PFIB System.

GPU stack cross section created with plasma FIB laser SEM tool.

Large area cross-section of a GPU stack created with the Helios 5 Laser PFIB System. A fast polishing step with the plasma FIB allows you to resolve fine details at the nanometer scale.

Nylon sample cross section created with laser on a plasma FIB laser SEM tool.

Cross-section of a nylon sample. This material is challenging for FIB milling as it is non-conductive and beam sensitive, but it can easily be processed with the femtosecond laser.

Carbon fiber reinforced composite 3D reconstruction created with plasma FIB laser SEM tool.

Large-volume 3D reconstruction of a carbon-fiber-reinforced epoxy composite. The data was acquired using the Helios 5 Laser PFIB System, then processed and visualized with Avizo Software.

Steel sample cross section produced with laser on a plasma FIB laser SEM tool.

Large area (0.6 mm) cross-section of an additive manufacturing steel, milled by the femtosecond laser in less than 5 minutes.

Nickel superalloy sample 3D reconstruction, data obtained with plasma FIB laser SEM tool.

Large volume 3D EBSD reconstruction of a nickel superalloy sample. The data was acquired with the Helios 5 Laser PFIB System.

Glass fiber cross section produced with laser on a plasma FIB laser SEM tool.

Cross-sections of glass fibers. The femtosecond laser offers improved processing performance for challenging (non-conductive, thermally sensitive, shock-sensitive) materials such as this.

Solid state battery cross section produced with a plasma FIB laser SEM tool.

Large-area cross-section of a packaged solid-state battery. The Helios 5 Laser PFIB System enables fast characterization of air-sensitive materials by combining millimeter-scale cross-sectioning with high-resolution SEM imaging in the same vacuum chamber, eliminating the need for sample transfer.

Webinar