New TEM preparation platform with industry-leading automation yield

• Hands-free lamella preparation from bulk to thinned – create 10 lamellae in under 8 hours
• New and user-friendly control software improves stability and usability
• Thinning down to 100 nm on a variety of semiconductor sample types
• Proprietary lift-out technology provides superior automation yield

ZEISS announces the new ZEISS Crossbeam 550 Samplefab, a focused ion beam scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) optimized for fully automated preparation of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) samples (lamellae). Built for efficiency and throughput in the semiconductor lab, ZEISS Crossbeam 550 Samplefab provides recipe-based automation for the routine TEM sample preparation work of bulk milling, lift-out and thinning at any number of target points on the sample. The solution promises an automation yield of >90% for processing lamellae from bulk to TEM grid without operator intervention. Automated checks allow human interventions to ensure no lamellae are lost during processing, driving lamella success rates towards 100%.

TEM imaging provides essential information for understanding semiconductor device defects and improving process yield. However, the accuracy of the data from TEM analysis is dependent upon producing high-quality lamellae accurately, repeatedly and with high throughput. 

“To address the growing industry need for TEM sample preparation, we have built a dedicated FIB-SEM, the ZEISS Crossbeam 550 Samplefab. Our focus is to offer the most robust automation available on the market today, allowing fully unsupervised operation of down to 100 nm thin lamellae with high accuracy and throughput,” said Dr. Thomas Rodgers, head of business sector electronics at ZEISS Microscopy. “The system’s user interface is completely new, designed for a rapid learning curve and intuitive operation by both novices and experts. With the new Crossbeam 550 Samplefab, customers can automatically process ten lamellae in under eight hours, starting from a bulk sample and ending with a thinned lamella ready for the TEM.”

ZEISS Crossbeam 550 Samplefab uses the Gemini 2 electron column, allowing the operator to observe the sample live with the SEM during FIB milling to achieve the highest final lamella quality and endpointing outcomes when thinner samples are required than what is provided by the automation.  

“Our FIB column is extremely stable, and while we have an automated calibration routine, users report rarely needing to calibrate or align the system over multiple weeks, especially if it is working on routine processes. This dramatically reduces the operator effort, and the time spent setting up the tool prior to an automated run,” said Rodgers. “What’s more, the workflow is so robust that dozens of lamellae can be created using a single probe tip, which only needs reshaping after a few days of heavy use. The tip can be sharpened with a simple reshaping operation that takes less than 30 minutes, and the needle can be reshaped multiple times before needing to be replaced; a new tip exchange takes only half an hour. This dramatically increases the productive uptime of the tool, and lowers the cost spent on consumables.” 

About ZEISS

ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the fields of optics and optoelectronics. In the previous fiscal year, the ZEISS Group generated annual revenue totaling 10 billion euros in its four segments Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology and Consumer Markets (status: 30 September 2023).

For its customers, ZEISS develops, produces and distributes highly innovative solutions for industrial metrology and quality assurance, microscopy solutions for the life sciences and materials research, and medical technology solutions for diagnostics and treatment in ophthalmology and microsurgery. The name ZEISS is also synonymous with the world's leading lithography optics, which are used by the chip industry to manufacture semiconductor components. There is global demand for trendsetting ZEISS brand products such as eyeglass lenses, camera lenses and binoculars.

With a portfolio aligned with future growth areas like digitalization, healthcare and Smart Production and a strong brand, ZEISS is shaping the future of technology and constantly advancing the world of optics and related fields with its solutions. The company's significant, sustainable investments in research and development lay the foundation for the success and continued expansion of ZEISS' technology and market leadership. ZEISS invests 15 percent of its revenue in research and development – this high level of expenditure has a long tradition at ZEISS and is also an investment in the future.

With over 44,000 employees, ZEISS is active globally in around 50 countries with more than 60 sales and service locations, 35 research and development facilities, and 35 production facilities worldwide (status: 31 March 2024). Founded in 1846 in Jena, the company is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany. The Carl Zeiss Foundation, one of the largest foundations in Germany committed to the promotion of science, is the sole owner of the holding company, Carl Zeiss AG.

ZEISS Research Microscopy Solutions

ZEISS Research Microscopy Solutions is the leading provider of light, electron, X-ray microscope systems, correlative microscopy and software solutions leveraging AI technologies. The portfolio comprises of products and services for life sciences, materials and industrial research, as well as education and clinical routine applications. The unit is headquartered in Jena. Additional production and development sites are located in Germany, UK, USA and China. ZEISS Research Microscopy Solutions is part of the Industrial Quality & Research segment.

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