IP Library Granted Patent US 11,721,517
Granted Patent B2
US 11,721,517 · App. 17/207,184 · Granted Aug 8, 2023

Focused ion beam processing apparatus

Inventors: Hiroshi Oba (Tokyo, JP); Yasuhiko Sugiyama (Tokyo, JP); Yoshitomo Nakagawa (Tokyo, JP); Koji Nagahara (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
H01J37/12H01J37/08H01J37/09H01J37/20H01J37/21H01J37/3175H01J2237/31788
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 11,721,517
App. No.
17/207,184
Granted
Aug 8, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided is a focused ion beam processing apparatus including: an ion source; a sample stage a condenser lens; an aperture having a slit in a straight line shape; a projection lens and the sample stage, wherein, in a transfer mode, by Köhler illumination, with an applied voltage of the condenser lens when a focused ion beam is focused on a main surface of the projection lens scaled to be 100, the applied voltage is set to be less than 100 and greater than or equal to 80; a position of the aperture is set such that the focused ion beam is masked by the aperture with the one side of the aperture at a distance greater than 0 μm and equal to or less than 500 μm from a center of the focused ion beam; and the shape of the slit is transferred onto the sample.

Claims (19)

1. A focused ion beam processing apparatus for processing a cross-section parallel to an irradiation direction of a focused ion beam with respect to a sample comprising:

an ion source;

a sample stage holding a sample;

a condenser lens focusing ions emitted from the ion source into a focused ion beam;

an aperture having a slit with at least one side in a straight line shape, the slit being used to mask a part of the focused ion beam focused by the condenser lens to process the sample into a desired shape;

a projection lens placed in a beam path between the aperture and the sample stage, and focusing the focused ion beam that passed through the aperture on a predetermined position on the sample; and

a computer as a control means configured to control elements of the focused ion beam processing apparatus,

wherein, in a transfer mode, the computer is configured to set:

an applied voltage of the condenser lens to be 80% or more and less than 100% relative to an initial applied voltage of the condenser lens, wherein the initial applied voltage is set when the focused ion beam is focused on a main surface of the projection lens by Köhler illumination;

a position of the aperture such that the focused ion beam is masked by the aperture with the at least one side of the aperture at a distance greater than 0 μm and equal to or less than 500 μm from a center of the focused ion beam; and

an applied voltage of the projection lens such that an image formed by the slit of the aperture is focused on a surface of the sample, and

wherein the surface of the sample is irradiated at once with the focused ion beam that is formed in a shape of the slit without scanning with the focused ion beam so that the shape of the slit is transferred onto the sample in the transfer mode.

2. The focused ion beam processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a beam size of the focused ion beam is adjustable by adjusting applied voltage of the projection lens.

3. The focused ion beam processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the slit of the aperture is in a rectangular shape.

4. The focused ion beam processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the slit of the aperture is in a rectangular shape.

5. The focused ion beam processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ion source is a plasma ion source.

6. The focused ion beam processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the ion source is a plasma ion source.

7. The focused ion beam processing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the ion source is a plasma ion source.

8. The focused ion beam processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the ion source is a plasma ion source.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 17, 2025
From: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
To: HITACHI HIGH-TECH ANALYSIS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 072903/0672 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 21, 2023
From: OBA, HIROSHI; SUGIYAMA, YASUHIKO; NAKAGAWA, YOSHITOMO; NAGAHARA, KOJI
To: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 064012/0139 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2020-050997 · Mar 23, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210296080A1 · Sep 23, 2021