JPS604652Y2 - ion etching equipment - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] This invention relates to an ion etching apparatus for etching the surface of a sample, such as a scanning electron microscope, by means of electrochemical discharge.

Conventionally, in an ion etching apparatus, the inclination angle with respect to the ion flow is changed while rotating the sample being irradiated with ions in a vacuum in order to uniformly etch the surface of the sample.

In general, the purpose of ion etching is to scale the etching pattern to clarify the composition and crystal structure of the sample, as well as cleaning, sinking, and uniform etching for depth analysis. In this case, it is said to be effective to change the tilt angle of the sample as it rotates as described above.

For this purpose, as shown in the structural explanatory diagram of a conventional ion etching apparatus shown in FIG. The inclination angle of the sample with respect to the ion flow 5 was changed while applying a voltage and rotating the sample stage 4 about two axes.

In order to perform two-axis rotation in this manner, the structure of the drive mechanism for the sample stage 4 is complicated, and the sample stage 4 is housed in a vacuum container and a negative high voltage is applied to the anode side. In the case of grounding, the problem becomes even more complicated.

Furthermore, the ion etching device used exclusively for the above-mentioned scanning electron microscope is often used in conjunction with the microscope as an accessory, and from this point of view as well, an inexpensive device that is easy to construct and handle is strongly desired. was.

In order to solve the above problems and demands, this idea revolves around one axis, has an anode facing the sample stage, and a sample is placed at a position facing the anode on this axis, diagonally crossing the axis. a sample stand that rotates about an axis in a vacuum container, a voltage energizing mechanism that applies a voltage to generate a glow discharge between the sample stand and the anode, and a rotation of the anode; The main part of the structure is a rotation control mechanism that controls the drive so that the rotation speed and the rotation speed of the sample stage are different, and the ion flow irradiation for sample etching from multiple directions can be easily performed with an extremely simple structure. An ion etching apparatus according to an embodiment of this invention will be described below in detail.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of an ion etching apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention, and parts common to those in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals.

The anode 1 is attached to a drive shaft 7 passing through the wall of the vacuum container 6, and its anode surface is rotated above the sample 3 by a rotation control mechanism (not shown).

A sample 3 placed opposite to this anode surface is placed on a sample stage 4 on a rotating shaft 8 that is on the axis of the drive shaft 7 and diagonally intersects with the axis.

Note that the rotational speed of the sample 3 is varied by the rotation control mechanism so that it does not match the rotational speed of the drive shaft 7 that rotates the anode 1, and the ion flow to be irradiated varies as the anode 1 rotates. Irradiates the sample surface position.

The problem in this embodiment is that the distance between the anode 1 and the sample 3 is constant during ion irradiation, and in addition to the effect of rotation, it is possible to perform ion etching more widely and uniformly over the entire surface of the sample.

In addition, by applying a positive high voltage to the anode side and grounding the cathode side to obtain the earth voltage, the high voltage insulation of the rotating shaft 8 on the cathode side, which has a complicated structure, can be omitted, and the removal of the sample 3 is made easier. , safe during installation.

In this way, this invention does not require complicated rotation of only the sample stage side as in the past, but instead rotates both the sample stage and the anode, which suffices with an extremely simple rotation mechanism. Moreover, since the rotational speeds of the two do not match, the sample is irradiated with ions from all directions, making it possible to achieve uniform ion etching suitable for cleaning and sinking, and also for analysis in the depth direction. An etching device capable of uniform ion etching over the entire surface can be realized. Furthermore, when applying a positive high voltage to the anode side and grounding the cathode side, the high voltage insulation on the cathode side can be omitted, and the sample stage can be easily etched. As a result, it is possible to realize an ion etching device which has a simpler structure, has an even simpler structure, has excellent functionality, and is suitable for pretreatment of samples for particle beam analyzers such as scanning electron microscopes.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of an example of a conventional ion etching apparatus, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of an ion etching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1... Anode, 2... Cathode, 3...
... Sample, 4 ... Sample stage, 5 ... Ion flow, 6 ... Vacuum container, 7 ... Drive shaft.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A vacuum vessel includes an anode that rotates around one axis and faces a sample stage, and a sample stage that rotates around an axis obliquely intersecting the axis with a sample placed on the axis. and a voltage energizing mechanism that energizes a voltage to generate a glow discharge between the sample stage and the anode;
An ion etching apparatus comprising: a rotation control mechanism for driving and controlling the rotation speed of the anode and the rotation speed of the sample stage to be different from each other.