The current state-of-the-art performances claimed for nuclear microbeam spatial resolutions are: (a) 400 nm spot sizes for high current (100 pA) proton beams, (b) 400 nm for high current alpha particle beams, (c) 100 nm for low proton current (<0.1 pA) applications such as Scanning Transmission Ion Microscopy (STIM) and Ion Beam Induced Charge (IBIC) and (d) 50 nm for low current alpha particles, These claims, however, have been undermined not only by the lack of a common and generally accepted resolution standard, but also by the lack of a consistent approach between groups regarding a recognised method of beam spot measurement. The lack of a definitive method for assessing spatial resolution is hindering the future development of nuclear microprobes to higher spatial resolutions. We require the manufacture of resolution standards specifically tailored for nuclear microprobe spot size measurements, for both high and low current operations. Until such resolution standards are available, one commercially available standard which has high potential for high current proton beam resolution tests is the Ebeam test chip manufactured for the characterisation of electron beam testers. This chip has patterns as small as 0.5 mu m in size produced in 0.5 mu m thick aluminium by direct electron beam writing. Using both analytical Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) imaging and PIXE line scans, the nuclear microscope facility at the National University of Singapore has demonstrated spatial resolutions of less than 400 nm for a 100 pA beam of 2 MeV protons. Low current resolution standards have more stringent requirements. One potential standard tested in Singapore is a prototype self-supporting X-ray mask used in X-ray lithography. This test standard, however, is not commercially available at the moment, is fragile and therefore difficult to handle and easily fractured. Using off-axis STIM imaging and line scanning over this mask, the NUS nuclear microscope facility has demonstrated beam spot sizes less than 130 nm for a 1 pA 2 MeV proton beam. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.
