]> http://www.4m-net.org/taxonomy/term/643/0 en http://www.4m-net.org/KnowledgeBase/papers/PID366530 <p>Georgi Lalev(a), Stefan Dimov(a), Jeff Kettle(a), Falco van Delft(b) and Roussi Minev(a)<br /> a: Manufacturing Engineering Centre, Cardiff University, Queen's Buildings, The Parade, Newport Road, Cardiff, CF24 3AA, UK<br /> b: Philips Research Europe, MiPlaza, High Tech Campus 4, 5656 AE Eindhoven, The Netherlands</p> <h3 >Abstract</h3> <p>The realization of complex three-dimensional structures at micro- and nano-meter 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 3D 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 3D 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.</p> <p>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.</p> Beam-based Focussed Ion Beam (FIB) Ion beam lithography Lithography Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:23:32 +0000