IP Library Granted Patent US 8,431,891
Granted Patent B2
US 8,431,891 · App. 12/731,910 · Granted Apr 30, 2013

Dual beam apparatus with tilting sample stage

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,431,891
App. No.
12/731,910
Granted
Apr 30, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

An ion beam processing apparatus includes an ion beam irradiation optical system that irradiate a rectangular ion beam to a sample held on a first sample stage, an electron beam irradiation optical system that irradiates an electron beam to the sample, and a second sample stage on which a test piece, extracted from the sample by a probe, is mounted. An angle of irradiation of the ion beam can be tilted by rotating the second sample stage about a tilting axis. A controller controls the width of skew of an intensity profile representing an edge of the rectangular ion beam in a direction perpendicular to a first direction in which the tilting axis of the second sample stage is projected on the second sample stage surface so that the width will be smaller than the width of skew of an intensity profile representing another edge of the ion beam in a direction parallel to the first direction.

Claims (46)

1. An ion beam processing apparatus comprising:

a first sample stage that holds a sample;

an ion source that generates an ion beam;

an ion beam irradiation optical system that irradiates the ion beam along an ion beam irradiation axis to the sample held on the first sample stage;

an electron beam irradiation optical system that irradiates an electron beam along an electron beam irradiation axis to the sample;

a probe that carries a test piece extracted from the sample by performing ion beam processing; and

a second sample stage on which the test piece is mounted,

wherein the ion beam processing apparatus is configured to have a tilting ability to vary an angle of irradiation, at which the ion beam is irradiated to the sample, by tilting the second sample stage;

the ion beam irradiation optical system comprises an irradiation optical system that irradiates the ion beam to the sample through a mask including an opening of a d rectangular shape to form a rectangular ion beam; and

the ion beam processing apparatus further comprises a control device configured to control widths of edges of an intensity profile representing edges of the rectangular beam so that a width of an edge of the intensity profile representing an edge of the rectangular ion beam, which is irradiated to the sample, in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which a tilting axis of the second sample stage is projected on the second sample stage surface will be smaller than a width of an edge of an intensity profile representing another edge of the rectangular ion beam in a direction parallel to the direction in which the tilting axis of the second sample stage is projected on the second sample stage surface,

wherein said control device controls said widths of said edges of the intensity profile independently of the shape of the rectangular ion beam, and

wherein said control device includes at least one of an ion source aperture plate and a stencil mask.

2. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the electron beam irradiation axis and the ion beam irradiation axis intersect substantially above the sample.

3. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein a tilt angle at which both the electron beam irradiation axis and the ion beam irradiation axis are tilted relative to the first sample stage is substantially 45°.

4. An ion beam processing apparatus comprising:

a first sample stage that holds a sample;

an ion source that generates a first ion beam;

a first ion beam irradiation optical system that irradiates the first ion beam along a first ion beam irradiation axis to the sample held on the first sample stage;

a second ion beam irradiation optical system that irradiates a second ion beam along a second ion beam irradiation axis to the sample from a field ionization ion source;

a probe means that carries a test piece extracted from the sample by performing ion beam processing; and

a second sample stage on which the test piece is mounted,

wherein the ion beam processing apparatus is configured to have a tilting ability to vary an angle of irradiation, at which the first ion beam is irradiated to the sample, by tilting the second sample stage;

the first ion beam irradiation optical system comprises an irradiation optical system that irradiates the first ion beam to the sample through a mask including an opening of a rectangular shape to form a rectangular ion beam; and

the ion beam processing apparatus further comprises a control device configured to control widths of edges of an intensity profile representing edges of the rectangular beam so that a width of an edge of the intensity profile representing an edge of the rectangular ion beam, which is irradiated to the sample, in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which a tilting axis of the second sample stage is projected on the second sample stage surface will be smaller than a width of an edge of an intensity profile representing another edge of the rectangular ion beam in a direction parallel to the direction in which the tilting axis of the second sample stage is projected on the second sample stage surface,

wherein said control device controls said widths of said edges of the intensity profile independently of the shape of the rectangular ion beam, and

wherein said control device includes at least one of an ion source aperture plate and a stencil mask.

5. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein the second ion beam irradiation axis and the first ion beam irradiation axis intersect substantially above the sample.

6. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein a tilt angle at which both the second ion beam irradiation axis and the first ion beam irradiation axis are tilted relative to the first sample stage is substantially 45°.

7. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the width of the edge of the intensity profile representing an edge of the rectangular ion beam is a distance between a point indicating a first percentage of maximum beam intensity and a point indicating a second higher percentage of a maximum beam intensity to quantitatively indicate a steepness of the edge of the rectangular ion beam.

8. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the width of the edge of the intensity profile representing an edge of the rectangular ion beam is a distance between a point indicating a first percentage of maximum beam intensity and a point indicating a second higher percentage of a maximum beam intensity to quantitatively indicate a steepness of the edge of the rectangular ion beam.

9. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the width of the edge of the intensity profile representing an edge of the rectangular ion beam is a distance between a point indicating a first percentage of maximum beam intensity and a point indicating a second higher percentage of a maximum beam intensity to quantitatively indicate a steepness of the edge of the rectangular ion beam.

10. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the width of the edge of the intensity profile representing an edge of the rectangular ion beam is a distance between a point indicating a first percentage of maximum beam intensity and a point indicating a second higher percentage of a maximum beam intensity to quantitatively indicate a steepness of the edge of the rectangular ion beam.

11. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the width of the edge of the intensity profile representing an edge of the rectangular ion beam is a distance between a point indicating a first percentage of maximum beam intensity and a point indicating a second higher percentage of a maximum beam intensity to quantitatively indicate a steepness of the edge of the rectangular ion beam.

12. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the width of the edge of the intensity profile representing an edge of the rectangular ion beam is a distance between a point indicating a first percentage of maximum beam intensity and a point indicating a second higher percentage of a maximum beam intensity to quantitatively indicate a steepness of the edge of the rectangular ion beam.

13. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the first percentage is substantially 16% and the second percentage is substantially 84%.

14. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the first percentage is substantially 16% and the second percentage is substantially 84%.

15. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the first percentage is substantially 16% and the second percentage is substantially 84%.

16. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the first percentage is substantially 16% and the second percentage is substantially 84%.

17. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the first percentage is substantially 16% and the second percentage is substantially 84%.

18. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the first percentage is substantially 16% and the second percentage is substantially 84%.

19. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device further comprises a condenser lens for projecting the ion source aperture plate or the stencil mask onto the sample.

20. The ion beam processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the control device further comprises a condenser lens for projecting the ion source aperture plate or the stencil mask onto the sample.

Assignments (1)
CHANGE OF NAME AND ADDRESS Recorded Mar 30, 2020
From: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
To: HITACHI HIGH-TECH CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 052259/0227 →