WO2000057452A2 - Corrugated style anode element for ion pumps - Google Patents
Corrugated style anode element for ion pumps Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2000057452A2 WO2000057452A2 PCT/EP2000/002550 EP0002550W WO0057452A2 WO 2000057452 A2 WO2000057452 A2 WO 2000057452A2 EP 0002550 W EP0002550 W EP 0002550W WO 0057452 A2 WO0057452 A2 WO 0057452A2
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- anode
- cells
- cell
- ion pump
- cylindrical
- Prior art date
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Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J41/00—Discharge tubes for measuring pressure of introduced gas or for detecting presence of gas; Discharge tubes for evacuation by diffusion of ions
- H01J41/12—Discharge tubes for evacuating by diffusion of ions, e.g. ion pumps, getter ion pumps
- H01J41/18—Discharge tubes for evacuating by diffusion of ions, e.g. ion pumps, getter ion pumps with ionisation by means of cold cathodes
- H01J41/20—Discharge tubes for evacuating by diffusion of ions, e.g. ion pumps, getter ion pumps with ionisation by means of cold cathodes using gettering substances
Definitions
- Corrugated style anode element for ion pumps is Corrugated style anode element for ion pumps.
- the invention relates to ion pumps used primarily in high and ultra-high vacuum systems.
- Ion pumps are used in a variety of systems that require a high or ultra-high vacuum. Such systems include focused ion beam systems, electron microscopes, accelerators, molecular beam epitaxial deposition systems, and other analytical, fabrication and research systems and instruments. Ion pumps are typically used at pressures of between 10- 4 Torr and 10-" Torr, with pressures of between 10- 7 Torr and 10- 9 Torr being common in, for example, focused ion beam systems.
- One type of ion pump is the diode sputter ion pump.
- FIG. 1 shows a typical diode sputter ion pump 10 consists of two cathodes 12, one on either side of an anode 14.
- FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 show cross-section of prior art anodes of differing design.
- Each anode typically includes multiple anode cells 16, each having a longitudinal axis perpendicular to the planes of the cathodes.
- a positive voltage is applied to the anode 10
- a negative voltage or ground potential is applied to the cathodes 12
- a magnetic field is applied parallel to the longitudinal axes of the anode cells.
- electrons are trapped by the magnetic field, creating a stable electron cloud commonly known as a space charge cloud.
- the electron cloud is stable because the applied magnetic field constrains the electrons to travel in circular orbits each having a radius known as the cyclotron radius.
- anode sheath tends to act as
- CONRR * ⁇ ON COPV a boundary between the edge of the space charge cloud and the anode.
- the electrons tend to remain in the cloud until they migrate to the anode, where they are counted as anode current.
- Electrons in the cloud collide with and ionize gas molecules that migrate into the cloud.
- the ionized gas molecules accelerate toward the cathodes 12, sputtering cathode material, typically titanium.
- the sputtered titanium strikes and adheres to the anode, the cathodes, or elsewhere.
- the titanium is chemically active, gas molecules stick to and/or react with the titanium atoms, and are thereby fixed into a solid state and removed from the gas phase thus lowering the gas pressure in the vacuum chamber, essentially pumping gas from the chamber to create a better vacuum.
- Noble gas molecules that are not chemically active are removed from the gas phase by being buried under sputtered cathode material or by migrating into the crystal structure of the cathode after impact and being trapped within crystal structure defects in the cathodes.
- the pumping characteristics of an ion pump are determined primarily by the gas pressure in the vacuum chamber, the magnetic field, the voltages on the anode and cathodes, the shape of the anode cells, the distances between the anode cells and the cathodes, and the types of gases present.
- the pump cells are characterized by a sensitivity, which is defined as the ion current divided by the pressure and generally given in amps per Torr.
- the pump is generally characterized by a pumping speed which varies with the particular gas being pumped because of the different chemical reactions between the sputter cathode material and the particular gas molecule. The pumping speed is generally given in liters per second.
- the ion pump anode of FIG. 2 is constructed as a series of rectangular cells, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3.319,875 to Jepsen.
- the anode sheath does not conform well to the walls of a rectangular anode cell at the normal operating pressures of the ion pump, causing the anode sheath to be positioned away from the wall over much of the cell. Because the distance from the edge of the space charge cloud to the anode in many parts of its orbit is beyond the cyclotron radius, electrons in orbit around the edge of the space charge cloud do not have a high probability of striking the anode. Thus, the square cell anode is intrinsically inefficient, that is, has a low sensitivity, and square cell anodes have therefore been largely abandoned in favor of anodes that include a gathered cluster of cylindrical sectors as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
- the edge of the space charge cloud more closely follows the contour of the anode and therefore more electrons can be within the cyclotron radius of the anode while the parameters that determine the sheath, such as magnetic field, pressure, and voltage, are also conducive to effective pumping.
- the cylindrical cell maximizes the opportunity of the electrons to make their way to the anode itself, which is in close proximity to the space charge cloud.
- ion pumps having cylindrical diode cells are more sensitive than ion pumps having rectangular cells.
- Diode sputter ion pumps having cylindrical cell anodes display instabilities typically following pumping exposure to gas doses greater than the ultimate pressure of the vacuum system in which the pump is operating.
- the instabilities include current bursts, leakage currents, and arcs.
- the instabilities are disruptive to the devices to which the sputter ion pump is attached. For example, a current burst may stimulate a high voltage discharge that disrupts the electronic sub-systems of the system in which the pump is used. Such disruptions are a known cause of system failure.
- Another object of the invention is to enhance the stability of systems into which ion pumps are incorporated.
- a further object of the invention to produce an efficient ion pump anode that minimizes or eliminates instabilities caused by the inter-cylindrical cells.
- Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a method of efficiently manufacturing a stable ion pump.
- inter-cylindrical cellular regions typically having the shape of a hyper-extended square.
- inter-cylindrical cellular regions or cells contribute to instabilities and are a liability to the clean and quiet operation of the diode sputter ion pump.
- the inter-cylindrical cells have been found, by one of the applicants, to support a very dense plasma, which encourages the growth of dendrites on the cathode below the inter-cylindrical cell.
- the present invention relates to a sputter ion pump that minimizes or eliminates instabilities caused by the inter-cylindrical cells.
- the instabilities caused by the inter-cylindrical cells can be eliminated by eliminating or minimizing the inter-cylindrical cell, or by altering the inter-cylindrical cells so that they do not support a dense plasma.
- a preferred anode cell design eliminates the inter-cylindrical cells entirely, while maintaining substantial conformance of the anode sheath to the anode cell wall to allow electrons leave the electron space charge cloud.
- a preferred anode cell is quasi-cylindrical, that is, it approximates a cylinder to the extent consistent with eliminating the inter-cylindrical cell.
- the difference between the major and minor axes of the quasi-cylinder should preferably be less than or equal to approximately two electron cyclotron radii.
- the curved walls of the present invention allow the anode sheath to conform sufficiently to the anode wall so that electrons can efficiently leave the electron space charge cloud and strike the anode, while the quasi- cylindrical shape allows the anodes to fill the space of the anode without creating inter- cylindrical cells.
- Anode cells of the present invention are non-rectangular, thereby eliminating the inefficiencies inherent in prior art rectangular cell anodes.
- the present invention also includes a method of making the inventive anode by connecting curved metal strips to form the anode cells.
- the present invention also encompasses a charged particle beam system that uses the inventive ion pump and therefore exhibits increased stability. Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description and drawings of the invention.
- FIG. 1 shows a schematically typical diode ion sputter pump.
- FIG. 2 shows a cross section of a rectangular cell prior art anode for a diode ion pump such as the one shown in FIG. 1.
- FIG. 3 shows a cross section of cylindrical cell prior art anode for a diode ion pump such as the one shown in FIG. 1.
- FIG. 4 shows a cross section of close-packed cylindrical cell prior art anode for a diode ion pump such as the one shown in FIG. 1.
- FIG. 5 shows a cross section of an anode embodying the present invention.
- FIG. 6 is a graph showing four measurements of ion pump leakage current over time of an ion pump having anodes as shown in FIG. 3
- FIG. 7 is a graph showing ion pump leakage current over time of an ion pumps having an anodes as shown in FIG. 4.
- FIG. 8 is a graph showing ion pump leakage current over time of the anode of FIG. 5.
- the dendrites formed in ion pumps have found four major properties of the dendrites formed in ion pumps: 1) the dendrites are formed both inside of and within near proximity of the well known cathode crater that is formed by ion sputtering; 2) the dendrites do not exist outside of the visible zone of the cathode crater; 3) the dendrites are of sufficient aspect ratio
- RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91) ISA/EP to provide the field enhancement necessary to the achievement of field emission of electrons from the dendrites; and 4) the dendritic population density appears to be directly related to the plasma density of the cell.
- anode 14 of FIG. 3 At the junctions between linked cylindrical cells 16 of an ion pump anode 14 of FIG. 3 are formed hyper-square inter-cylindrical cells 18 that support plasma densities greater than those of the standard cylindrical cells 16.
- the higher plasma density causes the cathode crater associated with the inter-cylindrical cells to have a greater dendritic population density than that found on the cathode plate opposite a standard cylindrical anode cell. It has been found that the dendrites are clustered in a zone directly about the cathode crater formed by the plasma of an inter-cylindrical cell.
- the crater is about 1 mm in diameter and the zone about the crater which encloses the forest of dendrites is about 2.5 mm in diameter.
- dendrites are markedly different than any feature shown in the M. Audi paper.
- Such dendritic protrusions will field emit electrons under the applied field of the anode, particularly at lower operating pressures where the electric field at the cathode surface is greatest.
- the field emitted electrons lead to the macroscopically observable performance limitations of diode sputter ion pumps, namely instabilities, current bursts, leakage currents, and arcs.
- FIG. 5 A preferred embodiment, shown in FIG. 5, is a corrugated-style anode 20, that efficiently eliminates the inter-cylindrical cells.
- a sputter diode ion pump employing anode 20 is both efficient and stable than prior art anode structure 14 of FIG. 3, which incorporates the inter-cylindrical cells.
- anode 20 of the diode sputter ion pump is fashioned in a pattern so that each cell 26 is of a regular size and shape and that there are no gaps between anode cells 26. That is, a cross section of the anode shows a repeating pattern that fills a cross-sectional plane within the anode without inter-cylindrical spaces.
- the variation in diameter within anode cell 26 is, to the extent possible, on the order of two electron cyclotron radii.
- the electron cyclotron radius is determined by the strength of the applied magnetic field and the electron energy, which is based on its point of separation and the full acceleration potential given by the potential difference between the cathode and the anode. It will be recognized that along the long axis, the cell deviates most from a cylinder and the long dimension 30 varies from the shorter dimension 32 by more than the electron
- the corrugated anode element design of FIG. 5 reduces ion pump current instability by eliminating the inter-cylindrical cell and thus eliminating the buildup of cathode dendrites due to the inter-cylindrical cell, while simultaneously maintaining high discharge efficiency by ensuring that the electron striking distance to the anode is within the cyclotron orbital radius.
- the cell dimensions are similar to those anode cell dimensions of typical prior art cylindrical anode cells yet without the intervening inter-cylindrical cell, Typical cell dimensions are for the length of the anode cylinder approximately 1-1.13 inch (25 mm to 29 mm), and for the diameter of the anode cylinder to be approximately .7 inch (18 mm). Further, the dimensions of the corrugated anode are to be such that the variation in diameter over most of the corrugated cell is to be on the order of the twice the electron cyclotron radius, which is typically 4 mm.
- the corrugated anode of said diode sputter ion pump is to be fixed equidistant between two cathode plates as is typical for diode sputter ion pumps.
- the anode of the preferred embodiment can be manufactured more efficiently than prior art anodes.
- the multiple cells of the anode can be constructed of strips of metal, which are appropriately curved and attached together, for example, by welding.
- the anode could also be fabricated from a single strip of metal that is curved and folded back onto itself to form multiple rows of anode cells.
- a typical operating condition for a pump of the present invention in a focused ion beam system include a cathode voltage of about 0 Volts ( held at ground potential), an anode voltage of about 5000 Volts, a magnetic field value of about 1200 Gauss, a gas pressure of about 3 x 10 "8 Torr, and an anode-to-cathode spacing of 14 mm.
- the operating parameters vary with the application.
- Cathode voltages are typically at about 0 Volts, anode voltages ranging from about 3000 to about 7500 Volts, magnetic field values ranging from about 1000 Gauss to about 1300 Gauss, pressures ranging from about 10 " to about 10 ' Torr, and anode-to-cathode spacing ranges from about mm to about 18 mm. Skilled persons can determine the proper setting for any particular application without undue experimentation.
- the high sputtering density upon the cathode causes the growth of dendritic protrusions.
- the electric field at the flat cathode surface is relatively low due to space charge depression. As the pressure in the pump is decreased, the space charge density near the cathode nearly disappears so that the electric field at the cathode surface is that due to the electric field determined directly by the
- RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91) geometry of the cell.
- the field emission causes leakage currents in ion pumps at low pressures after the pump has been exposed to higher pressures.
- Data on ion pump stability are measured, therefore, by monitoring the leakage current in an ion pump for a given period of time following a controlled exposure of the ion pump to a higher pressure of N 2 (Nitrogen) gas.
- N 2 Nonrogen
- ion pumps will typically have leakage currents that tend to decay, to some degree, over time, perhaps by an annealing process.
- the minimum leakage current, Ip that is achieved in the pump within the monitoring time is then plotted versus the pump exposure lifetime. The plots reveals the lifetime response of the leakage current of the pump and provides a convenient graphical method to understand pump stability performance.
- FIG. 6 shows four sets of measurements of the lifetime response of prior art pumps with prior art anode structures such as that shown in FIG. 3. One can see that these pumps had significant leakage currents as a result of their gas exposures.
- FIG. 7 shows the lifetime response of an ion pump as shown in FIG. 4 having a close packed anode structure with minimal inter-cylindrical cells. One can see that the leakage currents in the pump of FIG. 4 is significantly less over the lifetime of the pump than the leakage currents in the pumps of FIG. 3, which have larger inter-cylindrical cells.
- FIG. 8 shows the lifetime response of a pump with a corrugated style anode structure of FIG. 5.
- the corrugated anode structure offers a significant improvement over the anode structure of FIG. 3 and possibly some improvement over the closely-packed anode configuration of FIG. 4, thereby verifying the concept that a minimization of the inter-cylindrical anode cell reduces the leakage current in ion pumps.
- the low leakage current of the pump of FIG. 4 may indicate that the reduced inter-cylindrical cells do not support a dense plasma under the testing conditions.
- the inventive pump not having inter-cylindrical cells at all, will never have a problem with a high density plasma in inter-cylindrical cells.
- the electric field at the cathode in a pump incorporating the anode design of FIG. 5 may be less than that in a pump incorporating the anode design of FIG. 4, thereby reducing another factor that contributes to the leakage current.
- any configuration that reduces the effects of the inter-cylindrical cell while allowing the anode sheath to substantially conform to the anode would be useable.
- substantially conform meant conforming better than the anode sheath of a rectangular anode at normal pump operating conditions.
- RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91) radii throughout a substantial portion of the anode cell is meant having a diameter variation less than or equal to about two electron cyclotron radii over a larger portion of the cell than in a comparable rectangular cell, wherein the diameter variation in a rectangular cell is determined by a diameter through the cell center and rotated around the cell.
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP00916992A EP1200983A2 (en) | 1999-03-19 | 2000-03-17 | Corrugated style anode element for ion pumps |
JP2000607246A JP2002541618A (en) | 1999-03-19 | 2000-03-17 | Corrugated anode element for ion pump |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12531799P | 1999-03-19 | 1999-03-19 | |
US60/125,317 | 1999-03-19 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2000057452A2 true WO2000057452A2 (en) | 2000-09-28 |
WO2000057452A3 WO2000057452A3 (en) | 2002-03-07 |
Family
ID=22419170
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP2000/002550 WO2000057452A2 (en) | 1999-03-19 | 2000-03-17 | Corrugated style anode element for ion pumps |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1200983A2 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2002541618A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2000057452A2 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP1047106A2 (en) * | 1999-04-02 | 2000-10-25 | VARIAN S.p.A. | Sputter ion pump |
WO2001043162A2 (en) * | 1999-12-08 | 2001-06-14 | MAX-PLANCK-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V. | Ion getter pump |
Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3319875A (en) * | 1965-03-22 | 1967-05-16 | Varian Associates | Ion vacuum pumps |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
SU595808A1 (en) * | 1976-07-19 | 1978-02-28 | Предприятие П/Я А-3634 | Magnetic discharge pump anode |
SU712870A1 (en) * | 1978-07-31 | 1980-01-30 | Предприятие П/Я А-3634 | Magnetic discharge pump anode |
US5412207A (en) * | 1993-10-07 | 1995-05-02 | Marquette Electronics, Inc. | Method and apparatus for analyzing a gas sample |
-
2000
- 2000-03-17 JP JP2000607246A patent/JP2002541618A/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2000-03-17 WO PCT/EP2000/002550 patent/WO2000057452A2/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 2000-03-17 EP EP00916992A patent/EP1200983A2/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3319875A (en) * | 1965-03-22 | 1967-05-16 | Varian Associates | Ion vacuum pumps |
Non-Patent Citations (3)
Title |
---|
DATABASE WPI Section EI, Week 197904 Derwent Publications Ltd., London, GB; Class V05, AN 1979-A7655B XP002184753 & SU 595 808 A (RESHETNYAK N P), 30 March 1978 (1978-03-30) * |
DATABASE WPI Section EI, Week 198038 Derwent Publications Ltd., London, GB; Class V05, AN 1980-J1906C XP002185141 & SU 712 870 A (RESHETNYAK N P), 30 January 1980 (1980-01-30) * |
See also references of EP1200983A2 * |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP1047106A2 (en) * | 1999-04-02 | 2000-10-25 | VARIAN S.p.A. | Sputter ion pump |
US6264433B1 (en) * | 1999-04-02 | 2001-07-24 | Varian, Inc. | Sputter ion pump |
EP1047106A3 (en) * | 1999-04-02 | 2004-01-07 | VARIAN S.p.A. | Sputter ion pump |
WO2001043162A2 (en) * | 1999-12-08 | 2001-06-14 | MAX-PLANCK-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V. | Ion getter pump |
WO2001043162A3 (en) * | 1999-12-08 | 2002-07-25 | Max Planck Gesellschaft | Ion getter pump |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP2002541618A (en) | 2002-12-03 |
EP1200983A2 (en) | 2002-05-02 |
WO2000057452A3 (en) | 2002-03-07 |
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