Abstract
Reducing FIB induced damage on TEM samples is very important in order to preserve the sample structure, especially on modern semiconductor devices. We have compared the damage caused by Ga ion beam to our measurements of the damage caused by Xe ion beam and came to the conclusion that Xe ion beam induced damage is significantly lower at 30 keV beam energy. This has been proven by several independent analytical methods. Our results show that TEM sample preparation by Xe ion beam causes less amorphous damage and increase the quality of the lamella and in many cases it will allow to prepare the lamella by finishing it even at 30 keV, without the final cleaning step at the low beam energy. Final polishing step by Xe beam at beam energy 3 keV further reduces the amorphous layer, but the difference against Ga beam is not so significant like at 30 keV.
