The term itself was coined by Golovchenko and co-workers at Harvard in the paper "Ion-beam sculpting at nanometer length scales.
This method of nanopore fabrication relies on the ion beam to remove (sputter) some of the material from the back of the sample, revealing part of the hole underneath.
Of paramount importance in this method is the ability to utilize a feedback-controlled system to monitor nanopore fabrication in real time.
Unlike for the other two methods, the holes closed in this technique are not smooth or accurately circular; they appear jagged under TEM photos.
If the membrane is too thin or the scan area too small, then the rate of sputtering will win, and the hole will open up.
An alternative ion beam sculpting technique has been developed using a commercially available FIB system.
Dependent on the resolution and working condition of the instrument, this method can produce symmetrically shaped nanopores with diameters below 10 nm.