Apparatus and techniques for scanning electron beam based chip repair

A method and apparatus for editing an integrated circuit by bombarding a feature in need of editing with either a low-energy or high-energy electron beam in the presence of a gas whereby low energy electrons activate reactants adsorbed on the surface of the feature in need of editing to form active species on the feature surface. The reaction products from the process can be easily removed whereby IC damage, leakage between metal features, wafer contamination and physical sputtering of undesired material can be significantly minimized while still possessing nanometer-scale spatial resolution. The low energy electrons for activating the reactants adsorbed on the surface of the feature to be edited may be emitted from the electron beam itself or they may be secondary low energy is electrons emitted from the surface of the feature being edited.