Abstract:
A method for acquiring an image, in which an image of an image acquiring region is acquired by radiating an ion beam to a sample having a conducting part with a linear edge on a dielectric substrate, includes performing an equal-width scan of the ion beam in a first direction that obliquely intersects the linear edge and sweep in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The ion beam is sequentially scanned in different patterns on different scan regions of parallelogram shape, each of which includes the image acquiring region. Secondary charged particles are detected to generate image data of all the scan regions, and image data of the scan regions are calculated to generate image data of the image acquiring region. The image data of the image acquiring region are synthesized to display the image data of the image acquiring region.
Abstract:
There is provided an iridium tip including a pyramid structure having one {100} crystal plane as one of a plurality of pyramid surfaces in a sharpened apex portion of a single crystal with orientation. The iridium tip is applied to a gas field ion source or an electron source. The gas field ion source and/or the electron source is applied to a focused ion beam apparatus, an electron microscope, an electron beam applied analysis apparatus, an ion-electron multi-beam apparatus, a scanning probe microscope or a mask repair apparatus.
Abstract:
A focused ion beam apparatus has an ion source chamber in which is disposed an emitter for emitting ions. The surface of the emitter is formed of a precious metal, such as platinum, palladium, iridium, rhodium or gold. A gas supply unit supplies nitrogen gas to the ion source chamber so that the nitrogen gas adsorbs on the surface of the emitter. An extracting electrode is spaced from the emitter, and a voltage is applied to the extracting electrode to ionize the adsorbed nitrogen gas and extract nitrogen ions in the form of an ion beam. A temperature control unit controls the temperature of the emitter.
Abstract:
A method for fabricating a sharpened needle-like emitter, the method including: electrolytically polishing an end portion of an electrically conductive emitter material so as to be tapered toward a tip portion thereof; performing a first etching in which the electrolytically polished part of the emitter material is irradiated with a charged-particle beam to form a pyramid-like sharpened part having a vertex including the tip portion; performing a second etching in which the tip portion is further sharpened through field-assisted gas etching, while observing a crystal structure at the tip portion by a field ion microscope and keeping the number of atoms at a leading edge of the tip portion at a predetermined number or less; and heating the emitter material to arrange the atoms at the leading edge of the tip portion of the sharpened part in a pyramid shape.
Abstract:
There is provided an iridium tip including a pyramid structure having one {100} crystal plane as one of a plurality of pyramid surfaces in a sharpened apex portion of a single crystal with orientation. The iridium tip is applied to a gas field ion source or an electron source. The gas field ion source and/or the electron source is applied to a focused ion beam apparatus, an electron microscope, an electron beam applied analysis apparatus, an ion-electron multi-beam apparatus, a scanning probe microscope or a mask repair apparatus.
Abstract:
A focused ion beam apparatus has an emitter for emitting an ion beam, an ion source chamber accommodating the emitter, a cooling unit and a heating unit for cooling and heating, respectively, the emitter, and an ion source gas supply section for supplying to the ion source chamber an ion source gas that is exchangeable with another ion source gas. A control section controls an operation of the cooling unit such that a temperature of a wall surface contacting the ion source gas in the ion source chamber is maintained at a temperature higher than a temperature at which the ion source gas before and after the exchange freezes. The control section controls an operation of the heater so that the emitter is temporarily heated to release the ion source gas from a surface of the emitter before the ion source gas is exchanged with the other ion source gas.
Abstract:
A method of acquiring an image of an image acquiring region of a sample comprises a first step of irradiating and scanning an ion beam in a first scan pattern on a first scan region of a sample, the scan region including therein the image acquiring region, and a second step of detecting secondary charged particles generated by irradiating and scanning the ion beam on the first scan region of the sample and generating first image data of the image acquiring region. The first and second steps are repeated a plurality of times using different scan patterns on different scan regions that differ from the first scan and the first scan region and from one another, each of the different scan regions including therein the image acquiring region, to generate a plurality of image data of the image acquiring region. Image data of the image acquiring region are generated by synthesizing all the image data generated by scanning the different scan region, and the synthesized image data of the image acquiring region are displayed on a display unit.
Abstract:
There is provided an iridium tip including a pyramid structure having one {100} crystal plane as one of a plurality of pyramid surfaces in a sharpened apex portion of a single crystal with orientation. The iridium tip is applied to a gas field ion source or an electron source. The gas field ion source and/or the electron source is applied to a focused ion beam apparatus, an electron microscope, an electron beam applied analysis apparatus, an ion-electron multi-beam apparatus, a scanning probe microscope or a mask repair apparatus.
Abstract:
There is provided a repair apparatus including a gas field ion source which includes an ion generation section including a sharpened tip, a cooling unit which cools the tip, an ion beam column which forms a focused ion beam by focusing ions of a gas generated in the gas field ion source, a sample stage which moves while a sample to be irradiated with the focused ion beam is placed thereon, a sample chamber which accommodates at least the sample stage therein, and a control unit which repairs a mask or a mold for nano-imprint lithography, which is the sample, with the focused ion beam formed by the ion beam column. The gas field ion source generates nitrogen ions as the ions, and the tip is constituted by an iridium single crystal capable of generating the ions.
Abstract:
A method for fabricating a sharpened needle-like emitter, the method including: electrolytically polishing an end portion of an electrically conductive emitter material so as to be tapered toward a tip portion thereof; performing a first etching in which the electrolytically polished part of the emitter material is irradiated with a charged-particle beam to form a pyramid-like sharpened part having a vertex including the tip portion; performing a second etching in which the tip portion is further sharpened through field-assisted gas etching, while observing a crystal structure at the tip portion by a field ion microscope and keeping the number of atoms at a leading edge of the tip portion at a predetermined number or less; and heating the emitter material to arrange the atoms at the leading edge of the tip portion of the sharpened part in a pyramid shape.