JPS5848769Y2 - Electron microscopes and similar equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electron microscope and similar devices capable of performing print-out cleaning of the aperture.

Generally, an electron microscope has an aperture within the electron lens, but since this aperture receives electron bombardment, organic molecules are sintered on its surface, forming a contaminating film.

Since the contaminated film is an electrical insulator, electrons are charged, causing astigmatism or incorrect deflection of the electron beam.

Conventionally, the dirty aperture is removed from the apparatus, placed on an electric heater in the vacuum evaporation apparatus, and heated to, for example, 1500° C. or higher to remove (bake out) the attached molecules.

However, if a vacuum evaporation device is not provided, sufficient aperture cleaning cannot be performed, resulting in the inconvenience of having to dispose of the aperture or sacrificing the performance of the electron microscope.

Therefore, the present invention provides an electron microscope and similar devices that can easily perform heating cleaning of the aperture without the need for a vacuum evaporation device.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a simple scanning electron microscope, and 1 is a microscope column.

Inside the column is an electron gun 2. Electron optical means such as electron lenses 3 and 4 and deflection coils 5 a and 5 b are housed.

A sample chamber 6 is connected to the lower part of the column 1, and a sample stage 8 holding a sample 7 is arranged inside the sample chamber 6.

This sample stage is held by a sample device 9 that is removably mounted on the side wall of the sample chamber 6.

This sample apparatus includes a mechanism for horizontally moving the sample stage 8 and rotating the sample table nine times in the tilt direction.

There is an exhaust pipe 1 in the room where the electron gun 2 of the column 1 is housed.
0a is connected, and an exhaust pipe 10b is also connected to the opposite side of the sample chamber 6 from the sample device 9, and these are connected to the exhaust pipe 10c.
Connected to the vacuum pump through.

The feature of the present invention is that, as shown in FIG. 2, the evaporation chamber 11 is inserted into the side wall of the sample chamber 6 in place of the sample device 9.

An electric heater 12 is provided in the evaporation chamber, and the aperture is inserted into this heater and heated to a high temperature.

In addition, a pipe 13 is airtightly fixed to this evaporation chamber.
This pipe is deeply inserted into the exhaust pipe 10b for exhausting the sample chamber described above.

Figure 3. FIG. 4 is a detailed view showing a specific example of the evaporation chamber, and the evaporation chamber is composed of a fixing member 14 fitted into the sample chamber 6 and a cylinder 15 rotatably fitted to the fixing member 14. A vacuum seal is provided between the fixed body and the sample chamber and between the fixed body and the cylindrical body.

Further, a glass window 16 is provided at the center of the end face of the cylinder 15 for observing the inside.

A pipe 13 passes through the fixed body and communicates the evaporation chamber with the exhaust pipe 10b.

Electrodes 17a and 17b are planted on the side of the fixed body facing the evaporation chamber, and an electric heater 18 is stretched between them.

Then, the aperture and evaporation material 19 are placed on top of this.

The electrodes are connected to a power source 21 via lead wires 20a and 20b, and a predetermined current is supplied thereto.

When conducting scanning electron microscope observation, the sample device 9 is mounted in the sample chamber 6 as shown in FIG.
If the aperture used for the electron lenses 3 and 4 becomes dirty during long-term observation, remove the aperture from the apparatus and replace the evaporation chamber 11 with the sample apparatus 9 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. If the contaminated aperture is held in the electric heater 12 (18) and heated to 1500°C or higher,
The aperture is bakeout cleaned and cleaned.

At this time, the inside of the evaporation chamber is connected to the exhaust pipe 10 through the pipe 13.
b, and is exhausted by the exhaust system of the scanning electron microscope. However, since the pipe 13 is inserted deep into the exhaust pipe 10b, the contaminated gas burnt out from the aperture is immediately exhausted and flows into the column 1. Since there is almost no penetration, the electron lens or other electro-optical means will not be contaminated again.

Of course, the evaporation chamber described above can also be used as a normal evaporation apparatus.

In this case, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the material 19 to be evaporated may be placed on the heater 18, the test sample 22 placed at the bottom of the cylinder 15, and the material 19 evaporated.

At this time, by rotating the cylindrical body 15, vapor deposition can be performed on the sample surface from different directions, and the shadowing effect can be improved.

With the configuration as described above, it is possible to perform printout cleaning of the aperture without the need for an expensive vacuum evaporation device, and the uneconomical problem of wasting the aperture can also be solved.

Incidentally, in the above embodiment, instead of the pipe 13, the column 1
It is also possible to configure the sample chamber 6 so that communication between the sample chamber 6 and the sample chamber 6 is cut off.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a simple scanning electron microscope, Figure 2 is a diagram showing the features of the present invention, Figure 3 is a detailed view showing a specific example of the main part of the present invention, and Figure 4 is the AA of Figure 3. FIG. 1 is a column, 2 is an electron gun, 3 and 4 are electron lenses, 5a
and 5b is a deflection coil, 6 is a sample chamber, 7 is a sample, 8 is a sample stage, 9 is a sample device, 10a, 10b and 10
C is an exhaust pipe, 11 is an evaporation chamber, 12 is an electric heater, and 13 is a pipe.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A column containing an electron optical means such as an electron lens, a sample chamber coupled to the column, and a sample chamber for holding and holding a sample in the sample chamber.
In an apparatus equipped with a sample device for movement and a means for evacuating the column and sample chamber, it is possible to install an evaporation chamber with a built-in electric heater in place of the sample device, and related to the installation of the evaporation chamber. and the evaporation chamber is substantially isolated from the column and evacuated by the evacuation means.