July 7, 2006 – FEI Co. of Hillsboro, Ore., released the V600FIB, an all-new focused ion beam (FIB) system designed to provide optimum flexibility for high-throughput applications including circuit modification, cross-sectioning, sample prep and failure analysis for semiconductor devices with designs down to 90 nm.

The upgradeable platform of the V600FIB is designed to ultimately provide advanced circuit edit applications for designs below 65 nm. The rapid time-to-data for defect analysis and shortened cycles for device debugging provided by FEI’s FIB and DualBeam (FIB/SEM) tools are intended to help semiconductor manufacturers finalize chips designs and achieve full production ramps faster and more efficiently.

The V600FIB replaces FEI’s FIB 200 which has more than 200 systems installed worldwide. The V600FIB features FEI’s Sidewinder 30kV ion column, a versatile gas delivery system to suit specific application requirements, and a 5-axis tilt stage for stable site-specific cross sectioning for failure analysis applications. The system also accommodates a variety of samples from packaged parts to eight inch wafers.

The first V600FIB, the initial system available on the new platform, has already shipped to Philips Semiconductors in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, which plans to use the V600FIB as a multiple-user, high throughput circuit edit FIB.