Prakt. Met. Sonderband 38 (2006) 163 
ounting If the gas ions and target atoms produce non-volatile compounds, the reaction products 
change will stay on the target surface, i.e. ion beam assisted deposition. The deposition process 
nounted and the sputtering process coexist and compete, but the deposition rate can be adjusted to 
5. In the be greater than the sputtering rate. Since the deposition only takes place where an 
level of incident ion impacts, controlling the ion beam scanning can produce arbitrary shaped 3-D 
1e resin structures. Commonly used gases are organic metal-compound gases and the deposited 
In our materials are organic compounds (containing Ga in case of gallium ion source) of Pt, Al, 
| as the Au or W. Also non-metallic materials such as SiO, can be deposited. 
20g and Sputtering, deposition and doping can be controlled with nanometre-precision. Therefore 
uce the FIB is truly a microfabrication tool with many applications. In serial production of IC 
etching (integrated circuit) chips FIB is applied as a diagnostic tool (cross-sectioning of chips for 
age the failure analysis) as well as a tool for repair of IC chips through sputtering or deposition [1]. 
paration By sputtering or deposition also chromium layers of optical masks, needed in production of 
sing the IC chips can be repaired [1]. FIB implantation can be used to dope the substrates in 
transistor production [1]. The ability of sputtering is one of the most frequently used features 
ns. Both of FIB that can be used directly as a tool for micro-milling of electronic components like 
vacuum read/write heads for modern high density computer hard discs [1], for production of micro- 
are both optic switches [2], production of microsurgical manipulators [3], to produce micro-milling 
The only tools made of steel, diamond or carbides [3, 4], etc. One of the earliest and still most 
important applications of FIB systems is preparation (cutting and thinning) of TEM samples 
re in the for routine inspections in production (electronics) as well as in different fields of science [1, 
dent ion 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] - with exception of life sciences. But also in this field, although in an early stage 
One is of application [10], the FIB/SEM system provides more comprehensive microscopy results 
m either than any conventional microscopy technique in biomedicine [11]. In dual beam instruments 
ce. The (FIB/SEM) secondary electron and secondary ion emission caused by ion bombardment can 
type is be used to produce an image which can provide information that conventional SEM-images 
. These do not contain. In case of multi-phase samples, but also single phase polycrystalline 
ipped of materials with random orientation of crystal grains, the sputtering rate is not equal over the 
etration scanned area (channelling effect). Although this phenomenon has been referred to be a 
ses with drawback when preparing a TEM sample or ion-polishing the surface [1], it can also be 
loosing applied very usefully as an etching technique to reveal the microstructure. 
dify the 
doping. 
aterials, 2 EXPERIMENTAL 
, deeper 
innelling To investigate the capability of FIB to avoid difficulties, pointed out in chapter 1, two Cu-Al-Ni 
ates on alloys were melt-spun: Cu — 13 wt% Al — 4 wt% Ni (alloy 1) and Cu — 15 wt% Al — 4 wt% Ni 
t in the (alloy 2). All investigated samples were in the as-cast condition. The ribbons of alloy 1 were 
: in the martensitic state and the ribbons of alloy 2 consisted of two phases, martensite and 1. 
uttering which are normal as-cast conditions for the chosen chemical compositions [12]. In the 
ches the following text “alloy 1” and “alloy 2” mean a sample made from the ribbon of alloy 1 and from 
ns alloy 2, respectively. Some samples of both alloys were mechanically polished (diamond, "a 
} poe um), the majority was as-received. The FIB/SEM system used was a FEI Quanta 200 3D 
scan 2 equipped with a gallium liquid ion source and a Pt-gas injection system. The following 
tip the experiments were carried out: 
Spas FIB-etching of diamond-polished cross-section and as-cast wheel-side and free 
ihe as surfaces of alloy 1, 
hich gas FIB-etching of diamond-polished cross-section and as-cast free and wheel-side 
surfaces of alloy 2, 
or every. FIB-cutting, -polishing and -etching of alloy 1 and alloy 2 cross-sections.