A focused ion beam (FIB) interface attached to a column of 200 keV
transmission electron microscope (TEM) was developed for in situ
micropatterning to semiconductors. TEM specimens of Si and GaAs, and those
of a thin Ni2Si layer on a Si substrate were micromilled in the
TEM during observation. A set of 6 x 6-um squares and alphabet letters
were patterned with a 25 keV Ga+-FIB of 0.2-μm beam diameter
at room temperature. The effect of FIB irradiation on the structural
evolution was observed simultaneously by a TV-rate video camera and
sequentially by regular film. FIB micropatterning to semiconductor
specimens caused amorphization and Ga injection. The excess Ga in the
specimens precipitated as metastable solid γ-phase for Si and as liquid
phase for GaAs. Ni2Si/Si specimens lost silicide crystallinity
after FIB patterning. Annealing of these bilayer specimens at 673K
resulted in the precipitation of Ni-rich silicide.