Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Other

Tsuyoshi Ohnishi

Tohru Ishitani

Hideo Todokoro

Toshio Kobayashi

Hisashi Takano

Hideo Tanabe

Naoki Koyama

Kazuo Shiiki

Isamu Yuito

Eijin Moriwaki

Chiaki Ishikawa

Yoshimi Kawanami

Uki Kabasawa

Mitsugu Sato

Hiroyuki Shinada

Kaoru Umemura

Yasutsugu Usami

Taku Ninomiya

Shunroku Taya

Hiroyuki Muto

Toshie Yaguchi

Isamu Sekihara

Koichiro Takeuchi

Moritoshi Yasunaga

Masahiro Yamaoka

Takeo Kamino

Yuuichi Madokoro

Megumi Aizawa

Yuya Suzuki

Mitsuru Konno

Hiroji Iwata

Tooru Habu

As sample sizes have decreased to microscopic levels, it has become desirable to establish a method for thin film processing and observation with a high level of positional accuracy, especially for materials which are vulnerable to electron beam irradiation. The technological problem is to judge a point at which to end FIB processing and perform control so that the portion to be observed ends up in a central portion of the thin film. The present invention enables display of structure in cross-section by setting a strip-like processing region in an inclined portion of a sample cross-section and enlarging the display of the strip-like processing region on a processing monitor in a short-side direction. It is then possible to check the cross-sectional structure without additional use of an electron beam. Since it is possible to check the processed section without using an electron beam, electron beam-generated damage or deformation to the processed section is avoided. Further, performing the observation using a high-speed electron beam after forming the thin film enables observation with suppressed sample damage. Processing of even thinner thin films using the FIB while observing images of the sample generated using an electron beam is then possible.

Micro-sample processing method, observation method and apparatus

An object of the present invention relates to realizing the processing of a sample by charged particle beams and the monitoring of the processed cross-section with a high throughput. It is possible to process an accurate sample without an intended region lost even when the location and the size of the intended region are unknown by: observing a cross-sectional structure being processed by FIBs by using a secondary particle image generated from a sample by the ion beams shaving a cross section; forming at least two cross sections; and processing the sample while the processing and the monitoring of a processed cross section are carried out.

Charged particle beam apparatus, and sample processing and observation method

It is possible to carry out a highly accurate thin film machining by irradiation of an ion beam to a sample and a high-resolution STEM observation of the sample by irradiating an electron beam with a high throughput almost without moving the sample. The FIB irradiation system has an irradiation axis almost orthogonally intersecting an irradiation axis of the STEM observation electron beam irradiation system. The sample is arranged at the intersection point of the irradiation axes. The FIB machining plane of the sample is extracted from the thin film plane of the STEM observation sample. The transmitting/scattered beam detector are arranged at backward of the sample on the electron beam irradiation axis viewed from the electron beam irradiation direction.

Charged particle beam apparatus and sample manufacturing method

In an SEM observation in a depth direction of a cross section processed by repeated FIB cross-sectioning and SEM observation to correct a deviation in an observation field of view and a deviation in focus, are corrected, the deviations occurring when a processed cross section moves in the depth direction thereof; information on a height and a tilt of a surface of cross section processing area is calculated before the processing, the above information is used, the deviation in a field of view and the deviation in focus in SEM observation, which correspond to an amount of movement of the cross section at a time of the processing, are predicted, and the SEM is controlled based on the predicted values.

Methods for sample preparation and observation, charged particle apparatus

When a sample includes repeated cells, a scale pattern corresponding to the repeated cells is generated. Next, the scale pattern generated is superimposed on the image of the repeated cells of the sample, thereby identifying a destination cell. Moreover, disposition of the repeated cells of the sample is determined based on positions of at least three ends of the repeated cells. Then, the position of the destination cell is identified from this disposition of the repeated cells. Furthermore, a zoom image is generated by a combination of a zoom based on beam deflection function and a zoom based on software. Then, the image shift is performed by software without displacing a sample stage.

Charged particle beam apparatus

A focused ion beam system capable of acquiring surface structure information, internal structure information, and internal composition information about a sample simultaneously from the same field of view of the sample. A method of sample preparation and observation employs such focused ion beam system to accurately set a sample processing position based on information about the structure and composition of the sample acquired from multiple directions of the sample, and to process and observe the sample. The system includes, in order to acquire the sample structure and composition information simultaneously, a secondary electron detector, a transmission electron detector, and an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope or an electron energy loss spectroscope, and employs a stub having the sample rotating and tilting function. The method includes a marking process.

Focused ion beam system and a method of sample preparation and observation

In a composite magnetic head comprising a magnetoresistive read head including a magnetic thin film having a magnetoresistive effect and soft magnetic members interposing the soft magnetic film between them through a non-magnetic insulation layer, an induction type write head including poles formed in a moving direction of a medium and a conductor crossing the poles, and disposed in the proximity of the magnetoresistive head, and a substrate supporting these heads, the present invention discloses a composite magnetic head characterized in that part of a floating surface inclusive of the magnetic head constituent members has recesses and the read/write operations to and from the medium are effected by the portion interposed by these recesses.

Combination perpendicular magnetic head having shield material formed at both ends of an upper pole of a write element

Magnetic head having track width defined by trench portions filled with magnetic shield material

In a composite magnetic head comprising a magnetoresistive read head including a magnetic thin film having a magnetoresistive effect and soft magnetic members interposing the soft magnetic film between them through a non-magnetic insulation layer, an induction type write head-including poles formed in a moving direction of a medium and a conductor crossing the poles, and disposed in the proximity of the magnetoresistive head, and a substrate supporting these heads, the present invention discloses a composite magnetic head characterized in that part of a floating surface inclusive of the magnetic head constituent members has recesses and the read/write operations to and from the medium are effected by the portion interposed by these recesses.

Method of fabricating a magnetic head by focused ion beam etching

When SIM image data D&lsqb;n&rsqb; of a mark is compared with reference SIM image data in calculating a displacement of machining position in the nth time, image data D&lsqb;n&minus;1&rsqb; just before the nth time is employed as the reference image data and a position displacement of the image is obtained from matching processing of the two kinds of image data of D&lsqb;n&rsqb; and D&lsqb;n&minus;1&rsqb; to calculate a displacement of machining position.

Focused ion beam machining method and focused ion beam machining apparatus

An irradiation electron beam emitted from an electron gun is deflected by an energy filter, and passes through a first projective lens and an objective lens, and then irradiated onto a sample to produce secondary electrons. The secondary electron beam accelerated by a negative voltage applied to the sample passes through the objective lens and the first projective lens, and deflected by the energy filter to be energy dispersed. Only the secondary electrons having a specified energy pass through energy selecting aperture, and further pass through a second projective lens to form a projected image of the secondary electrons on an imager. Such an electron-optical system may be used for dimension evaluation or inspection of semiconductor substrates.

Projecting type charged particle microscope and projecting type substrate inspection system

Narrow track thin film head including magnetic poles machined by focused ion beam etching

Growing community of inventors

Hitachinaka, Japan

Tsuyoshi Ohnishi