FEI Helios Nanolab 600: basic operation

I recently filmed a series of short videos demonstrating operation of our FEI Helios Nanolab 600 so I thought it would be a good idea to compile them into one longer video; this video does not provide a tutorial on making lamellas for TEM, but it does cover basic instrument operation that is necessary to understand prior to delving into the world of lamella prep.
Thanks for watching, and please share, like, subscribe, and comment.
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future video? Please let me know!

[@alexween80]

Hi, I'm also Fei Fib operator. I want to say the information is very usefull. Thanks to share it.

[@NicholasRudawski]

Hi Peter: you're welcome; glad to hear you find the videos useful.

[@starrfiddler]

Really cool. I appreciate your video. Thank you! It is also proof that the more content someone has to offer the lower their volume. ;)

[@NicholasRudawski]

Thanks; though to be sure, it's been a while since I've gotten anything new up on my channel. I actually wanted to film something today on our new Cs corrected instrument and then it decided to have a vacuum leak; go figure!

[@bensonjal]

Turn on ispi when SEM imaging during milling. IT will increase the SEM imaging quality while monitoring milling

[@NicholasRudawski]

Hi Jacob; yes, you can also use iSPI; I actually was not very familiar with it at the time I made this video, but it can indeed be very helpful when you are performing the final milling steps to make sure you don't over-mill.

[@temwithsangjun2792]

This is great introduction for FEI FIB. Do you have some special skill to get thin sample? I usually use FIB to thin my samples but at the end I reallize that the samples are still quite thick. It will be very useful if you show us the lamella preperation.

[@NicholasRudawski]

Thank you; I filmed a lamella prep demo yesterday, but it was very long (over 1 h) and needs a lot of editing. I hope to do this next week and then I will finally have the much requested lamella prep video done!

[@ddmicha]

Hi, on our Nanolab 660 we quite often have the situation that positioning of the sample via double-click in the SEM-image causes some kind of vibrational sound of the stage accompanied by a jump in the stage position (in the range of few µm to about 200 µm), as if the command for the stage movement is not properly executed by the stage. It only happens for rather small movements in x and it never happens when driving the stage continuously. But it also happens when we tilt the stage from 0° to say 45° in one push by setting the tilt target value to 45°, very likely due to the small correcton in x that takes place during this operation. Have you ever encountered a problem like that and found a solution to it? Best regards! Michael

[@NicholasRudawski]

Hi Michael: sorry for the late reply. That is an interesting problem you are describing and not one I have personally come across. Generally, the double click move is most accurate when the sample surface is properly focused on and the WD is linked with Z. If you try to double click with image out of focus, it tends to be less accurate, but not like what you are talking about. What kind of stage do you have? Is it only mechanical or is it an interferometer stage like the one in my video? The later is much more precise and accurate so I'm guessing you have mechanical stage? The other possibility is that there is a maintenance level alignment for the stage that needs to be performed or is otherwise way off kilter; if so, your local FSE should be able to help.

[@ddmicha]

@@NicholasRudawski thanks for your reply! I already had many discussions with various FSEs about that problem, but no solution so far. The stage is only mechanical, but all alignments have always been very well within spec. FYI: My latest tests showed that the ocurrence of the problem is accompanied by jumps in the stage controller voltages, so now the idea is that it is maybe a faulty stage cpu. We are gonna replace that one and see... Best regards! Michael

[@NicholasRudawski]

@@ddmicha I hope it all gets resolved for you; as you mentioned, there may be a circuit board or something else that is causing the problems. Unfortunately, there are an unbelievably large number of parts on a dual FIB/SEM that can break/malfunction and cause problems; it's almost a miracle that a dual FIB/SEM works properly even part of the time (let alone most of it)!

[@AtomicSqeeze]

I like your shirt haha

[@NicholasRudawski]

Ha ha, thanks

[@AtomicSqeeze]

Nicholas Rudawski not to mention the awesome video. Great work, keep it up.