Hitachi-High-Technologies Corporation

Hitachi High-Tech Corporation

Hirobumi Muto

Atsushi Kamino

Hisayuki Takasu

Asako Kaneko

Toru Iwaya

An ion milling device of the present invention is provided with a tilt stage () which is disposed in a vacuum chamber () and has a tilt axis parallel to a first axis orthogonal to an ion beam, a drive mechanism () which has a rotation axis and a tilt axis parallel to a second axis orthogonal to the first axis and rotates or tilts a sample (), and a switching unit which enables switching between a state in which the ion beam is applied while the sample is rotated or swung while the tilt stage is tilted, and a state in which the ion beams is applied while the tilt stage is brought into an untilted state and the sample is swung. Consequently, the ion milling device capable of performing cross-section processing and flat processing of the sample in the same vacuum chamber is implemented.

Ion milling device

This ion milling device is provided with a vacuum chamber (), an exhaust device () for evacuating the interior of the vacuum chamber, a sample stage () for supporting a sample () to be irradiated inside the vacuum chamber, a heater () for heating the interior of the vacuum chamber, a gas source () for introducing into the vacuum chamber a gas serving as a heating medium, and a controller () for controlling the gas source, the controller controlling the gas source so that the vacuum chamber internal pressure is in a predetermined state during heating by the heater. This enables the control in a short time of the temperature for suppressing condensation, or the like, occurring at atmospheric release after cooling and ion milling a sample.

Ion milling device and processing method using the ion milling device

The present invention advantageously provides an ion milling device that can set a high-precision processing area with a simple structure. The ion milling device includes a sample holder that holds a sample and a mask partially restricting irradiation of the sample with an ion beam. The sample holder includes a first contact surface that contacts an end surface of the sample located on a passing orbit side of the ion beam, and a second contact surface that contacts an end surface of the mask so that the mask is located at a position spaced apart from the ion beam more than the first contact surface.

Disclosed is a shield () disposed between an ion source () of an ion milling device and a sample () so as to be in contact with the sample. The shield is characterized by having a circular shape having an opening at the center, and by being capable of rotating about an axis () extending through the opening. Further, a groove is provided in the ion source-side surface of an end portion of the shield, and an inclined surface is provided on an end portion of the shield. Thus, an ion milling device having a shield, wherein the maximum number of machining operations can be increased, and the position of the shield can be accurately adjusted.

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Hitachinaka, Japan

Hirobumi Muto