Integration of a Scanning Microwave Microscope and a Scanning Electron Microscope: Towards a new instrument to imaging, characterizing and manipulating at the nanoscale

The author reports on the concept and design of a hybrid microscope by embedding different microscopy systems in a nanoautomation environment. A Scanning Microwave Microscope incorporated in the vacuum chamber of a Scanning Electron Microscope with a Focused Ion Beam will be capable of imaging the topography, measuring the electromagnetic properties at microwave frequencies and manipulating “samples under test”. By simultaneously detecting secondary electrons coming out of the probing area, the observer will get additionally a live overview while measuring Scattering Parameters and surface topography. This hybrid instrument will be script-controlled inside an automation software framework to allow imaging, characterizing and manipulating in defined sequences on an open-source basis.