Temperature and energy spread investigations of alloy LMIS

Emitters wetted with Ga, Au₇₃Ge₂₇, Au₇₇Ge₁₄Si₉ and Co₃₆Nd₆₄ alloys were investigated with regard to the influence of the source temperature on the current-voltage characteristics and the energy spread of the different emitted ions. The latter was measured using a system that includes an ExB mass filter and a retarding field energy analyser. The energy spread significantly affects the available FIB spot size and depends also on the emission current, the charge state, and the mass of the ions or clusters. The influence of the source parameters, temperature and energy spread, on the beam performance in terms of spot size measurements is demonstrated with a 70 keV Ge²⁺ beam using the FIB system IMSA - 100.