IP Library Granted Patent US 11,257,654
Granted Patent B2
US 11,257,654 · App. 16/316,289 · Granted Feb 22, 2022

Ion milling apparatus

Inventors: Kengo Asai (Tokyo, JP); Hiroyasu Shichi (Tokyo, JP); Toru Iwaya (Tokyo, JP); Hisayuki Takasu (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH CORPORATION
H01J37/08H01J37/09H01J37/3053H01J2237/0473
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,257,654
App. No.
16/316,289
Granted
Feb 22, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

To provide an ion milling apparatus adapted to suppress the contamination of a beam forming electrode. The ion milling apparatus includes: an ion gun containing therein a beam forming electrode for forming an ion beam; a specimen holder for fixing a specimen to be processed by irradiation of an ion beam; a mask for shielding a part of the specimen from the ion beam; and an ion gun controller for controlling the ion gun.

Claims (45)

1. An ion milling apparatus comprising:

an ion gun containing therein a beam forming electrode for forming an ion beam;

a specimen holder for fixing a specimen to be processed by irradiation of the ion beam;

a mask for shielding a part of the specimen from the ion beam; and

an ion gun controller for controlling the ion gun,

wherein the ion gun includes:

an anode disposed inside the ion gun;

a permanent magnet disposed around the anode via an insulator;

a cathode ring disposed around the permanent magnet;

a first cathode and a second cathode disposed at places above and below the anode and connected to the cathode ring; and

an acceleration electrode disposed in a manner to cover the first cathode, the second cathode and the cathode ring and operative to accelerate generated ions for radiating the ions to the outside of the ion gun, and

the beam forming electrode is disposed between the acceleration electrode and the second cathode disposed on the side of the acceleration electrode.

2. The ion milling apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the ion gun is a penning discharge type ion gun.

3. The ion milling apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the beam forming electrode includes at least one pair of electrodes opposed to each other.

4. The ion milling apparatus according to claim 3 ,

wherein the beam forming electrode includes two pairs of electrodes, each pair of electrodes opposed to each other, and the two pairs of electrodes are arranged on lines orthogonal to each other.

5. The ion milling apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein based on a relation between a voltage applied to the beam forming electrode and a deformation amount of the ion beam, the relation stored in a storage unit, the ion gun controller provides control in which a predetermined voltage is applied to the beam forming electrode according to a set deformation amount of the ion beam.

6. The ion milling apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein the ion gun controller controls the beam forming electrode to form the ion beam elongated in a direction of an edge face of the mask and shortened in a direction orthogonal to the edge face of the mask.

7. The ion milling apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein the ion gun controller controls the beam forming electrode to form the ion beam shortened in a direction of an edge face of the mask and elongated in a direction orthogonal to the edge face of the mask.

8. An ion milling apparatus comprising:

an ion gun containing therein a beam forming electrode for forming an ion beam;

a specimen holder for fixing a specimen to be processed by irradiation of the ion beam;

a mask for shielding a part of the specimen from the ion beam;

an electron microscope column for radiating an electron beam; and

an ion gun controller for controlling the ion gun,

wherein the ion gun includes:

an anode disposed inside the ion gun;

a permanent magnet disposed around the anode via an insulator;

a cathode ring disposed around the permanent magnet;

a first cathode and a second cathode disposed at places above and below the anode and connected to the cathode ring; and

an acceleration electrode disposed in a manner to cover the first cathode, the second cathode and the cathode ring and operative to accelerate generated ions for radiating the ions to the outside of the ion gun, and

the beam forming electrode is disposed between the acceleration electrode and the second cathode disposed on the side of the acceleration electrode.

9. The ion milling apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein

the acceleration electrode is formed of a ferromagnetic material.

10. The ion milling apparatus according to claim 8 ,

wherein the beam forming electrode includes two pairs of electrodes, each pair of electrodes opposed to each other, and the two pairs of electrodes are arranged on lines orthogonal to each other, and

wherein the ion gun controller controls the beam forming electrode to form the ion beam elongated in a direction of an edge face of the mask and shortened in a direction orthogonal to the edge face of the mask.

11. The ion milling apparatus according to claim 8 ,

wherein the beam forming electrode includes two pairs of electrodes, each pair of electrodes opposed to each other, and the two pairs of electrodes are arranged on lines orthogonal to each other, and

wherein the ion gun controller controls the beam forming electrode to form the ion beam shortened in a direction of an edge face of the mask and elongated in a direction orthogonal to the edge face of the mask.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 14, 2020
From: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
To: HITACHI HIGH-TECH CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 052662/0726 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 9, 2019
From: ASAI, KENGO; SHICHI, HIROYASU; IWAYA, TORU; TAKASU, HISAYUKI
To: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 047944/0651 →
Continuity (1)
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