Conditional diffusion model predicts variability in focused-ion-beam fabrication
Researchers at the University of Southampton developed a diffusion model that predicts a distribution of possible outcomes for micro- and nanostructures milled by focused ion beam, rather than a single result. It was trained on 100 paired designs and scanning-electron-microscope images.
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Focused-ion-beam milling can produce different edge and linewidth outcomes from repeated runs of the same design because of effects such as beam-current fluctuations and redeposition. The team conditioned a diffusion model on a binary design mask and generated a set of plausible scanning-electron-microscope-like outputs instead of one deterministic prediction.
For line trenches in a gold film, the model reproduced measured linewidth distributions and orientation-dependent defect behavior. Yet milling often failed for narrow trenches aligned parallel to the beam’s raster lines. The results use 100 paired training examples and a limited set of test geometries; this is a research tool for studying process tolerances, not a guarantee of fabrication performance.
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| Paired mask and sample images in the training data | 100 | 100 design/SEM-image pairs from focused-ion-beam milling experiments on gold film; model outputs are simulations, not additional fabricated samples. |
Methodology
Quantity and scope are taken from the methods and results of the first arXiv version dated 9 October 2026; they should not be generalized beyond the study.
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