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US 12,665,165 B2Granted
Method for preparing a microscopic sample for FIB/SEM tomography
AssigneeCarl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH
InventorLorenz Lechner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for preparing a volume of interest from a bulk sample uses a particle beam system configured to accommodate and to image the bulk sample and configured to provide a particle beam for the removal of material from the bulk sample. Moreover, the particle beam system is configured to define trimming regions. A trimming region determines location and size of a volume to be removed from the bulk sample.
Claims15
A method of exposing a volume of interest (VOI) present in a bulk sample, the method comprising:
- arranging the bulk sample in a first orientation relative to an optical axis of a particle beam system configured to provide a particle beam along its optical axis;
- recording an image of the bulk sample while the bulk sample is in the first orientation;
- based on the first image, defining a first trimming region which determines a location and a size of a first volume of the bulk sample;
- using the particle beam to remove the first volume from the bulk sample to expose a first surface of the VOI;
- arranging the bulk sample in a second orientation relative to the optical axis of the particle beam system, the second orientation being different from the first orientation;
- recording a second image of the bulk sample while the bulk sample is in the second orientation;
- based on the second image of the bulk sample, defining a second trimming region which determines a location and a size of a second volume of the bulk sample;
- using the particle beam to remove the second volume from the bulk sample to expose a second surface of the VOI, the second surface being different from the first surface, the second surface directly contacting the first surface;
- based on the second image, defining a third trimming region which defines a location and a size of a third volume of the bulk sample;
- and
- using the particle beam to remove the third volume from the bulk sample to expose a third surface of the VOI, the third surface being different from both the first and second surfaces, the third surface directly contacting the first surface.
8 more elements
One or more machine-readable hardware storage devices comprising instructions that are executable by one or more processing devices of a particle beam system to perform operations comprising:
- arranging a bulk sample in a first orientation relative to an optical axis of the particle beam system configured to provide a particle beam along its optical axis, a volume of interest (VOI) being present in the bulk sample;
- recording an image of the bulk sample while the bulk sample is in the first orientation;
- based on the first image, defining a first trimming region which determines a location and a size of a first volume of the bulk sample;
- using the particle beam to remove the first volume from the bulk sample to expose a first surface of the VOI;
- arranging the bulk sample in a second orientation relative to the optical axis of the particle beam system, the second orientation being different from the first orientation;
- recording a second image of the bulk sample while the bulk sample is in the second orientation;
- based on the second image of the bulk sample, defining a second trimming region which determines a location and a size of a second volume of the bulk sample;
- using the particle beam to remove the second volume from the bulk sample to expose a second surface of the VOI, the second surface being different from the first surface, the second surface directly contacting the first surface;
- based on the second image, defining a third trimming region which defines a location and a size of a third volume of the bulk sample;
- and
- using the particle beam to remove the third volume from the bulk sample to expose a third surface of the VOI, the third surface being different from both the first and second surfaces, the third surface directly contacting the first surface.
8 more elements
A particle beam system comprising:
- one or more processing devices;
- and
- one or more machine-readable hardware storage devices comprising instructions that are executable by the one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising:
- arranging a bulk sample in a first orientation relative to an optical axis of the particle beam system configured to provide a particle beam along its optical axis, a volume of interest (VOI) being present in the bulk sample;
- recording an image of the bulk sample while the bulk sample is in the first orientation;
- based on the first image, defining a first trimming region which determines a location and a size of a first volume of the bulk sample;
- using the particle beam to remove the first volume from the bulk sample to expose a first surface of the VOI;
- arranging the bulk sample in a second orientation relative to the optical axis of the particle beam system, the second orientation being different from the first orientation;
- recording a second image of the bulk sample while the bulk sample is in the second orientation;
- based on the second image of the bulk sample, defining a second trimming region which determines a location and a size of a second volume of the bulk sample;
- using the particle beam to remove the second volume from the bulk sample to expose a second surface of the VOI, the second surface being different from the first surface, the second surface directly contacting the first surface;
- based on the second image, defining a third trimming region which defines a location and a size of a third volume of the bulk sample;
- and
- using the particle beam to remove the third volume from the bulk sample to expose a third surface of the VOI, the third surface being different from both the first and second surfaces, the third surface directly contacting the first surface.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.