Object preparation device and particle beam device having an object preparation device and method for operating the particle beam device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10483084-B2
Application number	US-201815906039-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2018
Priority date	Mar 4, 2017
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

The system described herein relates to an object preparation device for preparing an object in a particle beam apparatus. By way of example, the particle beam apparatus is an electron beam apparatus and/or an ion beam apparatus. The system described herein moreover relates to a particle beam apparatus having such an object preparation device and to a method for operating the particle beam apparatus. The object preparation device may have an object receptacle device for receiving the object, a cutting device and a cutting bevel for cutting the object, wherein the cutting bevel may be arranged at the cutting device. The cutting bevel may lay in a cutting plane. Further, an axis of rotation may lay in the cutting plane. The cutting bevel may be embodied to be rotatable about the axis of rotation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A particle beam apparatus for analyzing and/or for processing an object, comprising:
at least one beam generator for generating a particle beam comprising charged primary particles;
an optical axis;
at least one objective lens for focusing the particle beam onto the object, wherein interaction particles and/or interaction radiation arise/arises during an interaction of the particle beam with the object;
at least one detector for detecting the interaction particles and/or the interaction radiation; and
at least one object preparation device for preparing an object in the particle beam apparatus, the at least one object preparation device having:
at least one object receptacle device for receiving the object,
at least one cutting device, and
at least one cutting bevel for cutting the object, wherein the cutting bevel is arranged at the cutting device,

wherein:
the cutting bevel lies in a cutting plane,
an axis of rotation lies in the cutting plane, and
the cutting bevel is embodied to be rotatable about the axis of rotation in such a way that the cutting plane is aligned perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of the particle beam apparatus.

2. The particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one cutting bevel and the at least one object receptacle device are movable in a linear fashion relative to one another in a direction of the axis of rotation.

3. The particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one object receptacle device is embodied to be movable.

4. The particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one object preparation device has at least one of the following features:
at least one first adjustment unit for rotating the cutting bevel about the axis of rotation;
at least one second adjustment unit for rotating the at least one object receptacle device about an object receptacle rotation axis.

5. The particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one object preparation device is mountable on a movably embodied object stage of the particle beam apparatus.

6. The particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the axis of rotation is aligned perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the cutting bevel.

7. The particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the particle beam apparatus has at least one of the following features:
the at least one object preparation device is arranged at a movably embodied object stage of the particle beam apparatus, wherein the object stage is embodied to be movable along a first stage axis, a second stage axis and a third stage axis, wherein the first stage axis, the second stage axis and the third stage axis are aligned perpendicular to one another; and
the at least one object preparation device is arranged at a movably embodied object stage of the particle beam apparatus, wherein the object stage is embodied to be movable along a first stage axis, a second stage axis and a third stage axis, wherein the first stage axis, the second stage axis and the third stage axis are aligned perpendicular to one another, wherein the object stage is embodied to be rotatable about a first stage rotation axis and/or about a second stage rotation axis, wherein the first stage rotation axis is aligned perpendicular to the second stage rotation axis.

8. The particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the particle beam apparatus has at least one mirror corrector for correcting chromatic and/or spherical aberration.

9. The particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the particle beam apparatus is designed as an electron beam apparatus and/or as an ion beam apparatus.

10. The particle beam apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one beam generator for generating the particle beam comprising charged primary particles is embodied as a first beam generator for generating a first particle beam comprising first charged primary particles and the at least one objective lens is embodied as a first objective lens for focusing the first particle beam, and wherein the particle beam apparatus further comprises:
at least one second beam generator for generating a second particle beam comprising second charged primary particles, and
at least one second objective lens for focusing the second particle beam onto the object.

11. The particle beam apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein:
the first beam generator for generating the first particle beam with first charged primary particles and the first objective lens for focusing the first particle beam are arranged in a first particle beam column, wherein the first particle beam column has a first beam axis,
the at least one second beam generator for generating the second particle beam with second charged primary particles and the at least second objective lens for focusing the second particle beam are arranged in a second particle beam column, wherein the second particle beam column has a second beam axis,
the first beam axis and the second beam axis include a beam axis angle that differs from 0° and 180°, and
the cutting plane is aligned perpendicular to the first beam axis in a first position of the cutting device and is aligned perpendicular to the second beam axis in a second position of the cutting device.

12. A method for operating a particle beam apparatus for analyzing and/or for processing an object, the particle beam apparatus having at least one beam generator for generating a particle beam comprising charged primary particles, an optical axis, at least one objective lens for focusing the particle beam onto the object, wherein interaction particles and/or interaction radiation arise/arises during an interaction of the particle beam with the object, at least one detector for detecting the interaction particles and/or the interaction radiation, and at least one object preparation device for preparing an object in the particle beam apparatus, the at least one object preparation device having at least one object receptacle device for receiving the object, at least one cutting device, and at least one cutting bevel for cutting the object, wherein the cutting bevel is arranged at the cutting device, wherein the cutting bevel lies in a cutting plane, an axis of rotation lies in the cutting plane, and the cutting bevel is embodied to be rotatable about the axis of rotation in such a way that the cutting plane is aligned perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of the particle beam apparatus, the method comprising the following steps:
rotating the cutting bevel about the axis of rotation through an angle of rotation into a position in which the cutting plane is aligned perpendicular to the optical axis, and
moving the cutting bevel relative to the object in the cutting plane.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the at least one object receptacle device is rotated through an object receptacle angle of rotation in such a way that a surface of the object is aligned perpendicular to the optical axis.

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Microscopy Gmbh

Inventors

• Biberger Josef

Classifications

• H01J37/222

  Image processing arrangements associated with the tube · CPC title

• H01J37/28 Primary

  with scanning beams {(H01J37/268, H01J37/292, H01J37/2955 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H01J2237/20214

  Rotation · CPC title

• H01J2237/2801

  Details · CPC title

• H01J2237/221

  Image processing · CPC title