Plasma Focused Ion Beam Milling of High-Aspect-Ratio Holes in Diamond

Plasma focused ion beam (PFIB) technology has a great potential for applications requiring rapid micro-machining of high-aspect-ratio features. Here, we use 30-keV Ar, Xe, and O² ion beams to study PFIB milling of high-aspect-ratio circular holes in polycrystalline diamond. Our results show that Xe and O² ion beams have the highest milling efficiency for low-aspect-ratio and high-aspect-ratio hole milling, respectively. Each ion beam species produces holes with its characteristic shape and wall surface morphology. Based on these results, we demonstrate a “hybrid” hole milled in a two-step process with Xe and O² ion beams with the geometry and wall morphology attractive for the attachment of a fuel fill tube to the inertial confinement fusion capsule.