Application of focused ion beam method to polymer materials

In our previous study, we found that the polymer(s) can be milled and fabricated by a Focused Ion Beam (FIB) method, which would open new possibility for nano-fabrication of polymeric materials in the near future. Thus, a fundamental set of information, e.g. etching rate and degree of penetration of gallium ion in materials during milling ("Ga penetration"), will be required for polymeric materials. In the present study, the two fundamental parameters above were actually measured for (stained) polymeric samples. It turned out that the etching rate for the polymers were similar to that for Si substrate and the Ga ions were penetrated down to ca. 15 nm beneath the milled surface of the polymeric samples.