Deep sub-micron technologies can pose a problem for conventional electrical probing - obtaining good physical contact between a probe and sub-micron circuitry is a difficult task. To simplify things, a FIB can open probe windows in the appropriate geometries to make positioning electrical probes straightforward, as shown in this optical micrograph.

To the right are images of a semiconductor device before and after probe pads, deposited by the FIB, were formed on its surface. The device was parallel lapped to expose the vias between the appropriate metal layers, and then the FIB was used to deposit conductive tungsten in the required geometries on top of the native dielectric layers of the device.