IP Library Granted Patent US 10,622,187
Granted Patent B2
US 10,622,187 · App. 16/279,628 · Granted Apr 14, 2020

Charged particle beam apparatus and sample processing observation method

Inventors: Yo Yamamoto (Tokyo, JP); Shota Torikawa (Tokyo, JP); Hidekazu Suzuki (Tokyo, JP); Hiroyuki Suzuki (Tokyo, JP); Mamoru Okabe (Tokyo, JP); Tatsuya Asahata (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
H01J37/3005H01J37/08H01J37/09H01J37/14H01J37/1472H01J37/28
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,622,187
App. No.
16/279,628
Granted
Apr 14, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed are a charged particle beam apparatus wherein the charged particle beam apparatus can efficiently performs finish processing of a sample and acquisition of a high-precision SEM image of a processing surface of the sample in a short time, and a sample processing observation method using the same. The charged particle beam apparatus includes: a gallium ion beam column radiating a gallium ion beam toward a sample to form a cross-section of the sample; an electron beam column having a semi-in-lens type objective lens and radiating an electron beam toward the sample; a gas ion beam column radiating a gas ion beam toward the sample to perform finish processing of the cross-section of the sample, wherein the gas ion beam has a beam diameter larger than a maximum diameter of the cross-section of the sample.

Claims (15)

1. A charged particle beam apparatus, comprising:

a gallium ion beam column irradiating a sample with a gallium ion beam to form a cross-section of the sample;

an electron beam column having a semi-in-lens-type objective lens and irradiating the sample with an electron beam;

a gas ion beam column irradiating the cross-section of the sample with a gas ion beam to perform finish processing of the cross-section of the sample,

wherein the gas ion beam has a beam diameter larger than a maximum diameter of the cross-section of the sample.

2. The charged particle beam apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a distance between an intersection point where each of beam optical axes of the gallium ion beam, the electron beam, and the gas ion beam intersects at one point and a front end portion of the gas ion beam column is longer than a distance between the intersection point and a front end portion of the gallium ion beam column and a distance between the intersection point and a front end portion of the electron beam column.

3. The charged particle beam apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gas ion beam column has an objective lens and a deflection means deflecting the gas ion beam, the deflection means being disposed closer to the front end portion of the gas ion beam column than the objective lens.

4. The charged particle beam apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the deflection means comprises at least one set of parallel planar electrodes arranged opposite to each other and deflects the gas ion beam in a direction opposite to a deflection direction in which the gas ion beam is deflected by a magnetic-field leakage from the electron beam column.

5. The charged particle beam apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the deflection means has a deflection capability equal to or greater than 1.5 mm.

6. The charged particle beam apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a beam energy of the gas ion beam can be from 0.5 keV to 1.0 keV and a beam diameter of the gas ion beam can be from 50 μm to 1000 μm.

7. The charged particle beam apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gas ion beam column has a shielding plate shielding the gas ion beam deflected by an external magnetic field of the electron beam column.

8. A sample processing observation method using the charged particle beam apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising:

a real-time processing observation process of acquiring SEM images of the cross-section of the sample using the electron beam column in a semi-in-lens mode while simultaneously performing finish processing of the cross-section of the sample using the gas ion beam.

9. A sample processing observation method using the charged particle beam apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising:

alternately performing a finish processing process of performing finish processing of the cross-section of the sample using the gas ion beam and a SEM acquisition process of acquiring SEM images of the cross-section of the sample using the electron beam in a semi-in-lens mode.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 17, 2025
From: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
To: HITACHI HIGH-TECH ANALYSIS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 072905/0225 →
CHNAGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Sep 17, 2025
From: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
To: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 072909/0725 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 29, 2019
From: YAMAMOTO, YO; TORIKAWA, SHOTA; SUZUKI, HIDEKAZU; SUZUKI, HIROYUKI; OKABE, MAMORU; ASAHATA, TATSUYA
To: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 048736/0871 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2018-028166 · Feb 20, 2018 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20190259574A1 · Aug 22, 2019