Short manual for Nova 200, ch. 2

Short manual for Nova 200, details of GUI

This is the main controlling screen in "quad"-mode, with the SEM-detector quadrant active. The image collection is paused, indicated by the green "pause"-symbol in the upper left corner of that quadrant.

The selected quadrant (with blue info area at the bottom) can be made full screen by key F5. This is a toggle function, to get back to quad-mode, press F5 again.

Short list of adjustments for an imaging session

This is a short memory list for users already familiar with the system.

Load sample, check height of sample with tool
Start SEM quadrant scanning
Turn on E-beam
Set minimum magnification (on dial-box)
Adjust Contrast and Brightness for an image, you should see a circular shape at the edges of the image field.
Check Source Tilt using the Crossover button (see below for details).
Check the detector adjustment (detector settings, suction tube voltage)
1. Click the eye icon, see picture at right.
2. Adjust the suction tube voltage for maximum brightness, usually maximum voltage.
Zoom in on some feature, scalebar 10-50 µm.
Adjust focus.
Click icon for Lock Z to WD, see below.
Check Lens Alignment by clicking button, adjust for minimal shift of image.
Set Z-value in Stage Control to 5 mm, this is close to the Eucentric height
Zoom in further and and adjust focus and stigmation for sharpest possible image.
Please note that for SEM-column in normal mode you will see some unsharpness at a scale bar of 2-5 µm. You cannot get sharper image.
For SEM-column in Immersion mode (high resolution) you will see some unsharpness at scalebar of about 0.5 µm.
Note that only the TLD detector works in Immersion Mode.
Check the setting for image size, it should normally be at 1024x884 for most efficient scanning.

Now the SEM is set up for close to optimum imaging.

Here is the SEM-quadrant. At the top are several drop-down menues, more on these later. Below these is a row of function buttons. From left to right:

Symbol of electrons indicating that the SEM column is assigned to this quadrant, this button is depressed.
Symbol of ions for assigning the FIB column to a quadrant.
Symbol of lamp for assigning the CCD-camera to a quadrant.
Quick selector for predefined magnifications
Quick selector for predefined voltages
Quick selector for predefined currents. This system has a condenser lens, which makes it possible to get continuously variable current from one aperture. To actually change aperture a mechanical knob must be rotated on the SEM column.
Focus wobble for lens alignment.
Sub-window scanning, only part of the image field is scanned. Good for reducing noise and still keep a reasonable image frequency.
Locking Z-position to Working Distance. This is for telling the software how high the sample really is, i.e. allowing the software to autmatically calculate a new WD when Z is changed, thereby keeping a good focus. It is greyed out when the scanning is suspended (paused).
Auto-brightness and contrast
Auto-focus
"Oscilloscope"-mode, intensity profile displayed over image during scanning.

At the bottom there is a blue information area, it turns blue when the quadrant is activated, otherwise it is grey. This info field is configurable, here are displayed the voltage, Working Distance (WD), magnification, date, scalebar and location of system.
To the very left there is a symbol indicating this quadrant is assigned to the SEM column (electrons in an atom).

Here is the next quadrant, the FIB, still with SEM-quadrant selected. The function buttons are:

Slow scan, to get a good, noise-free image when all settings have been optimised.
Scan-rate selector, indicated is the time spent in each pixel to collect signal (electrons or ions).
Quick scan rate, to get a rather noisy image with high update rate, good for making adjustments.
Image size selector, can be set to bigger sizes that screen can show, but image is saved in the resolution set here.
Pause the scanning for the selected quadrant.
Select mode of scanning, continuous averaging, scan and average a predefined number of images. This mode is important when scanning images with FIB column, since the ion beam can be very destructive to the sample.
Select "Immersion"-mode, high resolution mode, only usable for SEM column. Warning! Immersion mode turns on a very strong magnetic field at the end of the SEM column, thus making it very dangeruos to use lumps of magnetic material as samples!
Start etching or deposit defined patterns.
Stop etching or deposit defined patterns.
Start recording GUI actions as a macro.

At the bottom is the greyed info area with about the same info as for the SEM-quadrant, except here is tilt added. This is an important parameter when using the FIB column; in order to get perpendicular impact of the ion beam, the tilt must be 52°.

Adjustment interface

Adjustments of the beam in different ways is usually done in this area.

Point and press left mouse button on horizontal line, BESIDE small square, to adjust ONLY in vertical direction.

Point and press left mouse button on vertical line, ABOVE/BELOW small square, to adjust ONLY in horizontal direction.

Point and press left mouse button on the small square and drag, then you adjust both horizontally and vertically.

Rightmost parameter area

The rightmost area of the screen is showing various parameters for the selected quadrant.

These various buttons select which parameters are shown in the area below. Here the first button is active, it is half electron symbol and half ion beam symbol. When this button is active the field below shows either SEM or FIB column parameters depending on which quadrant is activated.

Here are the parameters for the SEM column indicated by the "electrons"-symbol, .

Select buttons for parameter sets below
Pump or Vent for loading/unloading samples
Wake Up starts both SEM column and FIB column, Sleep shuts them both off.
Please use Sleep when you have finished using the ion-source. It prolongs the lifetime.
Status for the selected column, in this case SEM, the FEG (Field Emmision Gun) is fully operational, indicated by the green bar.
The High Voltage is not on, indicated by the Beam On button is not active and the red indicator light.
Adjustment of the beam passing through aperture. Lens Alignment wobbles the focus and adjustment is made so that the image does not shift in X or Y while going in and out of focus. Source Tilt aims the FEG source through one of the upper apertures, maximizing beam current. Important for higher currents, especially when doing SEM imaging concurrently with FIB milling. Crossover gives an image "backwards" through the column, sometimes good for adjusting Source Tilt.
Adjust magnification. Couple Magnifications means that the magnification is kept the same when switching between SEM imaging and ion beam imaging. Any graphic drawn in the ion beam quadrant will change size when the magnification is changed in the SEM quadrant (and vice versa).
Stigmation adjustment. Beam Shift is for adjusting image position without moving the stage, important when milling and imaging.
Rotation of image by changing the direction of scanning.
Contrast and brightness of the active detector.
Status of SEM and FIB column, their respective currents.???
Symbol for vacuum status in the three main parts, the FIB column tilted to the left, the up-right SEM column, and the main chamber below. Green means vacuum OK. The lock symbol ????????

Here are the parameters for the FIB column indicated by the "ions"-symbol, .

Select buttons for parameter sets below
Pump or Vent for loading/unloading samples
Wake Up starts both SEM column and FIB column, Sleep shuts them both off.
Please use Sleep when you have finished using the ion-source. It prolongs the lifetime.
Status for the FIB column, the source is not started, indicated by the grey bar. Starting will take a couple of minutes, heating the gallium.
The High Voltage is not on, indicated by the Beam On button is not active and the red indicator light.
Lens Alignment and Source Tilt are not applicable to the FIB column.
Adjust magnification. Couple Magnifications means that the magnification is kept the same when switching between SEM imaging and ion beam imaging. Any graphic drawn in the ion beam quadrant will change size when the magnification is changed in the SEM quadrant (and vice versa).
Stigmation adjustment. Beam Shift is for adjusting image position without moving the stage, important when milling and imaging.
Rotation of image by changing the direction of scanning.
Contrast and brightness of the active detector.
Status of SEM and FIB column, their respective currents.???
Symbol for vacuum status in the three main parts, the FIB column tilted to the left, the up-right SEM column, and the main chamber below. Green means vacuum OK. The lock symbol ????????

The "Naviagtion"-button is now active.
The stage can be moved interactively in several ways:

Click in the image with left mouse-button, stage centers that point in the image.
Press and hold down middle button, drag mouse in the desired direction of the stage. The longer the mouse arrow is from the round center dot, the faster the stage is moving. (Missing screenshot)
Arrow-keys move the stage one image field at a time.

Select buttons for parameter sets below
Here the coordinates for the stage can be set and the stage moved. There is a red arrow beside the Z-coord., indicating that the Z-position is not yet locked to the working distance. This means that the software does not know how high the sample is, and there is a risk of crashing the sample into the SEM-column. To lock Z to WD, focus on the sample at the current Z, then click the "lock Z to WD"-button. Compucentric rotation means that rotation is made so that center of rotation is in the center of the scanned image. Specific stage positions can be stored in a position list with the Add-button. The stage can always be stopped by pressing 'Esc" on keyboard.
How to adjust eucentric position Eucentric position means that when tilting the stage, the same area of the sample is imaged. This is necessary when milling and imaging the milled area. Please note that right mouse-button pressed and moving mouse controls the focus. Also of course the focus-knob on the panel. Set Z to 5.02 mm Focus the sample, lock Z to WD. Tilt the stage about 5°. Compensate the vertical shift in the image with the Z-knob on the chamber. Tilt the stage back to 0°. Compensate the vertical shift in the image with the Y-knob. Repeat for tilt of 10°. Repeat for tilt of 52°.
Contrast and brightness of the active detector.
Status of SEM and FIB column, their respective currents.???
Symbol for vacuum status in the three main parts, the FIB column tilted to the left, the up-right SEM column, and the main chamber below. Green means vacuum OK. The lock symbol ????????

The Map-tab is now displayed.

Select buttons for parameter sets below
Coordinates for the stage can be set in a graphic way.
The big circle is the stub circumference, the smaller circle in the upper right corner shows the tilt of the stage.
Positions can be defined and stored in lists, saved to and opened from files.

The Tilt Correction-tab is now displayed.

Select buttons for parameter sets below
Dynamic Focus means that when the SEM is scanning across the tilted sample, the WD (focus) is continuously varied while the scan is moving from upper part of image to lower part of image. In this way optimum focus is maintained over the whole image area, despite the upper areas being farther away from the column and the lower area being closer to the column. The image is sharp in all areas.
Tilt Correction means that the SEM image is "streched" in vertical direction, thus showing "correct" geometry as though the image was scanned while being perpendicular to the SEM column.
Tilt Angle on Automatic means that the tilt angle is taken from the value set in the T-field in the Coordinates tab. Otherwise it can be set arbitrarily with the value-bar below.
Specimen Pre-tilt is a value to tell the system if the sample is mounted on a slanted stub.

Center of the door to main chamber, where the
motors and control knobs are for the sample stage.

The Pattern tab

Here the patterning, either milling or depositioning, is done.

Select buttons for parameter sets below

Different type of patterns can be selected including images (bitmaps) and CAD-files (Stream File).
The pattern is drawn in the image area in the active quadrant.

Several patterns can be defined, detailed information about each pattern is shown (and can be modified) in the fields below.
Patterns can be deleted, hidden and patterning can be made in serial or parallell.

Two Progress bars, one for each single pattern, and one for the total progress of all patterns.

Gas Injection, to activate click on Cold, in about XX minutes the platinum source is hot and emits gas.
To insert nozzle, click in the In-checkbox.
The nozzle is adjusted to a position 125 µm from the sample surface if sample is in Eucentric position! Otherwise the nozzle might crash into the sample!!!

End Point Monitor

Status of SEM and FIB column.

Symbol for vacuum status in the three main parts, the FIB column tilted to the left, the up-right SEM column, and the main chamber below. Green means vacuum OK.

The Pattern-tab with selector for different patterning methods

Select buttons for parameter sets below
After a pattern has been defined, it can be selected and various parameters for it can be set. Here the method for patterning is chosen, Pt dep is platinum deposition, Si would be good for milling a silicon surface.
Please note that the Pt-source should be active at least one hour for stabilizing, before depositioning.

Measurement and annotation

Anders Liljeborg Nanostructure Physics, KTH.

Select buttons for parameter sets below
Pump or Vent for loading/unloading samples
Wake Up starts both SEM column and FIB column, Sleep shuts them both off. Please use Sleep when you have finished using the ion-source. It prolongs the lifetime.
Status for the selected column, in this case SEM, the FEG (Field Emmision Gun) is fully operational, indicated by the green bar. The High Voltage is not on, indicated by the Beam On button is not active and the red indicator light.
Adjustment of the beam passing through aperture. Lens Alignment wobbles the focus and adjustment is made so that the image does not shift in X or Y while going in and out of focus. Source Tilt aims the FEG source through one of the upper apertures, maximizing beam current. Important for higher currents, especially when doing SEM imaging concurrently with FIB milling. Crossover gives an image "backwards" through the column, sometimes good for adjusting Source Tilt.
Adjust magnification. Couple Magnifications means that the magnification is kept the same when switching between SEM imaging and ion beam imaging. Any graphic drawn in the ion beam quadrant will change size when the magnification is changed in the SEM quadrant (and vice versa).
Stigmation adjustment. Beam Shift is for adjusting image position without moving the stage, important when milling and imaging.
Rotation of image by changing the direction of scanning.
Contrast and brightness of the active detector.
Status of SEM and FIB column, their respective currents.???
Symbol for vacuum status in the three main parts, the FIB column tilted to the left, the up-right SEM column, and the main chamber below. Green means vacuum OK. The lock symbol ????????

Select buttons for parameter sets below
Coordinates for the stage can be set in a graphic way. The big circle is the stub circumference, the smaller circle in the upper right corner shows the tilt of the stage. Positions can be defined and stored in lists, saved to and opened from files.