Seiko Instruments Inc

Sii Nanotechnology Inc.

Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation

Japan Science and Technology Agency

Jsr Corporation

Yoshihiro Koyama

Takashi Ogawa

Kenichi Nishinaka

Tatsuya Shimoda

Tatsuya Asahata

Yasuhiko Sugiyama

Masahiro Kiyohara

Yasuo Matsuki

Takashi Kaito

Kazuo Aita

Kouji Iwasaki

Anto Yasaka

Tatsuya Adachi

Ryoji Hagiwara

Ryo Kawajiri

Tsunghan Yang

A liquid metal ion source () includes: a reservoir () configured to hold an ion material (M) forming a liquid metal; a needle electrode (); an extraction electrode () configured to cause an ion of the ion material to be emitted from a distal end of the needle electrode; a beam diaphragm (), which is arranged on a downstream side of the extraction electrode, and is configured to limit a beam diameter of the ion; and a vacuum chamber () configured to accommodate and hold the reservoir, the needle electrode, the extraction electrode, and the beam diaphragm in vacuum, wherein the liquid metal ion source further includes an oxidizing gas introducing portion (), and wherein the oxidizing gas introducing portion communicates to the vacuum chamber, and is configured to introduce an oxidizing gas into a periphery of the needle electrode.

Liquid metal ion source and focused ion beam apparatus

A charged particle beam apparatus is provided that enables faster semiconductor film deposition than the conventional deposition that uses silicon hydrides and halides as source gases. The charged particle beam apparatus includes a charged particle source, a condenser lens electrode, a blanking electrode, a scanning electrode, a sample stageon which a sampleis mounted, a secondary charged particle detectorthat detects a secondary charged particlegenerated from the samplein response to the charged particle beam irradiation, a reservoirthat accommodates cyclopentasilane as a source gas, and a gas gunthat supplies the source gas to the sample

Charged particle beam apparatus, thin film forming method, defect correction method and device forming method

A focused ion beam apparatus includes a gas field ion gun unit having an emitter, an ion source gas supply unit for supplying different ion source gases to the emitter, a heater for heating the emitter, and an extraction electrode. A storage section stores, for each gas of a plurality of different types, set values of emitter temperature, gas pressure, extraction voltage to be applied to an extraction electrode, image contrast and image brightness. An input section selects and inputs one of the gas types. A control section reads, from the storage section, the set values of emitter temperature, gas pressure, extraction voltage, image contrast and image brightness, which correspond to the input gas type, and sets a heater, a gas control section, a voltage control section, and an adjustment section for the contrast and brightness of the image.

Focused ion beam apparatus

The crystal structure of the emitter can be accurately grasped from a FIM image without being influenced by disturbances, such as contamination, and even if the rearrangement of atoms has been performed, whether or not the crystal structure of the emitter has returned to the original state can also be accurately determined. There is a provided a focused ion beam apparatus including an emitter, a gas sourcewhich supplies gas G, a cooling unitwhich cools the emitter, a heating unitwhich heats the tip of the emitter, an extraction power source unitwhich applies an extraction voltage to ionize the gas into gas ions at the tip of the emitter, and then extract the gas ions, a beam optical systemwhich makes the extracted gas ions into a focused ion beam (FIB), and then radiates the focused ion beam onto a sample S, an image acquiring mechanismwhich acquires a FIM image of the tip of the emitter, and a control unithaving a display unit and a storage unit. A guide which displays an ideal crystal structure of the tip of the emitter is stored in advance in the storage unit. The control unit is enabled to display the guide in the state of overlapping the acquired FIM image on the display unit.

A focused ion beam apparatus includes an ion gun unit having an emitter tip, a gas supply unit that supplies gas to the tip, and an ion source gas supply source. An extracting electrode ionizes the gas adsorbed onto the surface of the tip and extracts ions by applying a voltage between the extracting electrode and the tip. A cathode electrode accelerates the ions toward a sample. An aperture member has an opening that passes therethrough a part of the ion beam ejected from the ion gun unit, and a lens system focuses the ion beam onto the sample.

A method is provided for repairing a phase shift mask. The phase shift mask has a substrate and a shifter containing a defect and disposed on the substrate. An ion beam is irradiated onto the defect while a region of the shifter that includes the defect is supplied with a first gas containing silicon, an oxidizing second gas, and a third gas for controlling an amount of ions from the ion beam which penetrate the region of the shifter to form a silicon thin film on the defect and thereby repair the phase shift mask.

Method for repairing a phase shift mask and a focused ion beam apparatus for carrying out method

A focused ion beam apparatus has a gas injector provided with a plurality of gas supply pipes each having a nozzle at one end for ejecting a gas and a housing in which the plurality of gas supply pipes are slidably accommodated. The housing has a tip portion with a hole provided at a terminal end thereof and the hole has a size set so that only one of the nozzles can extend therefrom. In addition, the housing has a tapered nozzle guide portion for guiding a selected nozzle from a retracted position at which the selected nozzle does not extend from the hole to an extended position at which the selected nozzle extends from the hole.

Focused ion beam apparatus having a gas injector in which one of a plurality of nozzles can be selectively driven for elevation

A method for preparing a sample for observation, by the steps of: contacting a first predetermined area of the sample surface with an organic compound vapor while irradiating the first predetermined area with an ion beam to decompose the organic compound into a layer having a mask function, the layer covering the first predetermined area; and contacting a second predetermined area of the sample surface with an etching gas while irradiating the second predetermined area with an ion beam in order to remove material from the sample surface at the second predetermined area, wherein the second predetermined area includes at least part of the first predetermined area and the layer covering the first predetermined area prevents removal of material from the sample surface in the first predetermined area.

Micromachining method for workpiece observation

In a charged particle beam apparatus comprising an ion optical system for focusing ions, a secondary charged particle detector for detecting secondary charged particles produced by beam irradiation of scanning a focused ion beam focused by the ion optical system to a predetermined region of a sample , a display unit for displaying an image of the sample surface based on a signal of the secondary charged particle detector, and a gas injector for blowing a gas to the sample surface , a focused ion beam processing apparatus is characterized by conducting processing by cooling a gas trap provided between a reservoir or cylinder and a valve to control an assist gas having a high vapor pressure and blowing it through the gas injector simultaneously with irradiating a focused ion beam.

Focused ion beam processing apparatus

A charged particle beam apparatus has a heater for heating an internal component to a sufficient temperature to prevent solidification of particles thereon and to thus improve the reliability of the apparatus. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus is a focused ion beam apparatus having an ion source and a focusing optical system contained in a housing. A scanning electrode contained in the housing scans the focused ion beam across a desired region of a sample surface. The heater maintains the temperature of the focusing optical system at a sufficient temperature to prevent a gas contained in the housing from solidifying in the heated internal component. A secondary charged particle detector detects secondary charged particles generated in response to the ion beam irradiation and outputs a corresponding signal, and a display unit displays an image of the sample surface based on the output signal of the secondary charged particle detector. A gas injection gun blows a gas toward the sample surface. The gas may be an etch-assist gas which cooperates with the focused ion beam to etch the region of the sample surface irradiated by the focused ion beam, or a deposition-assist gas which cooperates with the focused ion beam to deposit a film on the region of the sample surface irradiated by the focused ion beam.

A charged beam system is provided which includes: a focusing lens system for focusing an ion beam emitted from an ion source; scanning electrodes for applying the focused ion beam onto a predetermined area on a surface of a specimen while scanning the predetermined area on the surface of the specimen with the focused ion beam; a secondary charged particle detector for detecting secondary charged particles which are generated from the surface of the specimen by the application of the focused ion beam thereonto; and a display device for displaying thereon an image on the surface of the specimen on the basis of signals outputted from the secondary charged particle detector, wherein the lens system is made of a material which has corrosion resistance against a halogen series gas or high resistance resistors are inserted between the lens and a control power source for applying high voltages to the lens.

Focused ion beam system

An ion beam working apparatus which can carry out a plurality of workings with good accuracy automatically is provided. When an ion beam current is changed, by setting differences in ion beam optical conditions, working without focal point shift or working position shift becomes possible and throughput increases can be expected. Differences in ion beam optical conditions of when an ion beam current is changed are stored in a computer and when the ion beam current amount is changed midway through automatic working those stored differences in ion beam optical conditions are set in the ion beam optical system.

Growing community of inventors

Chiba, Japan

Yoshihiro Koyama