Circuit edit has been instrumental to the development of focused ion beam (FIB) systems. FIB tools for advanced circuit edit play a major role in the validation of design and manufacture. This chapter begins with an overview of value, role, and unique capabilities of FIB circuit edit tools for first silicon debug. The etching capabilities of circuit edit FIB tools are then discussed, providing information on chemistry assisted etching in silicon oxides and low-k dielectrics. The chapter also discusses the requirements and procedures involved in edit operation: high aspect ratio milling, endpointing, and cutting copper. It then provides an introduction to FIB metal/conductor deposition and FIB dielectric deposition. Edit design rules that can facilitate prototype production from first silicon are also provided. The chapter concludes with a discussion on future trends in circuit edit technology.

A first-stage compressor blade failed prematurely in an aircraft engine, fracturing at the midpoint of the root transition region. An examination of the fracture surface revealed beach marks, striations, and pitting, indicating that the blade failed by fatigue due to a crack initiated by corrosion pits in the root transition region. The chapter recommends further investigations to determine the cause of pitting, which appears to be confined to the dovetail region.

This chapter discusses the failure of a first-stage compressor blade in an aircraft engine and explains how investigators determined that it was caused by fatigue, with a crack originating from corrosion pits that developed in the root transition region on the convex side of the airfoil.