Niedrigenergieionendünnung oder -abscheidung

Details

Veröffentlichungs-Nr.

EP2787523

Aktenzeichen

EP13162084

Anmeldetag

3. April 2013

Veröffentlichung

10. Februar 2016

Erteilung

10. Februar 2016

Rechtsraum

EP

IPC

H01J37/02H01J37/305H01J37/317

Abstract

Samples such as semiconductor samples to be imaged in a Transmission Electron Microscope must, after excavating said sample from a wafer, be thinned to form a lamella with a thickness of, for example, 20 nm. This is commonly done by sputtering with ions in a charged particle apparatus equipped with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) column and Focused Ion Beam (FIB) column, further equipped with one or more Gas Injection Systems (GISses). Likewise metallic samples (comprising for example steel and silicon) are inspected in the material science. A problem when milling a lamella to such a thickness is that a large part of the lamella becomes amorphous due to the bombardment with ions, and that ions get implanted in the sample. The invention provides a solution to said problem by applying a voltage difference between the capillary of the GIS (201) and the sample (200), and directing a beam of ions or electrons (206) to the jet of gas (207). The beam thereby ionizes gas that is accelerated to the sample, where (when using a low voltage between sample and GIS) low energy milling occurs, and thus little sample thickness becomes amorphous.

Anmelder

Firma

FEI COMPANY

Land

🇺🇸 USA

Fachgebiete