Localized, in-vacuum modification of small structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9255339-B2
Application number	US-201113236587-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2011
Priority date	Sep 19, 2011
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

A charge transfer mechanism is used to locally deposit or remove material for a small structure. A local electrochemical cell is created without having to immerse the entire work piece in a bath. The charge transfer mechanism can be used together with a charged particle beam or laser system to modify small structures, such as integrated circuits or microelectromechanical system. The charge transfer process can be performed in air or, in some embodiments, in a vacuum chamber.

First claim

We claim as follows:

1. A method of locally depositing a material onto an insulating surface, comprising:
a. applying an electrolyte to the insulating surface using a nano pen, said nano pen comprising a nanocapillary, a nano syringe, or a nanopipette and including an associated electrode, wherein applying an electrolyte to the insulating surface using a nano pen includes delivering the electrolyte to the insulating surface using the nanocapillary, the nano syringe, or the nanopipette; and
b. applying a current through the electrolyte to initiate an electrochemical reaction to deposit a component of the electrolyte onto the insulating surface by:

applying an electrical potential to the associated electrode; and
directing a charged particle beam to supply electrical charges to the electrolyte.

2. The method of claim 1 in which applying an electrolyte to the insulating surface includes extracting the electrolyte from the nano pen using primarily capillary forces.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising depositing a bubble of electrolyte having a diameter of less than 50 μm to the insulating surface.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the diameter is less than 5 μm.

5. The method of claim 2 in which:
the nano pen comprises a nanocapillary having a diameter of less than 200 nm; and
applying an electrolyte to the insulating surface includes locally applying an electrolyte using the nanocapillary.

6. The method of claim 1 in which locally applying using a nano pen an electrolyte to the insulating surface includes moving the nano pen in a pattern to deposit a material in the pattern.

7. The method of claim 1 in which:
a. applying an electrolyte to the insulating surface using a nano pen includes providing an electrolyte bubble at a position where the nano pen contacts the insulating surface; and
b. directing a charged particle beam to supply electrical charge to the electrolyte includes directing the charged particle beam to a layer of electrolyte at a point on the insulating surface outside of the electrolyte bubble.

8. The method of claim 7 in which the charged particle beam is supplied to a point at a distance from the electrolyte bubble of greater than three times the diameter of the electrolyte bubble.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising moving the nano pen in a pattern to deposit material in the pattern.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising scanning the electron beam in a pattern to deposit material in the pattern.

11. The method of claim 1 in which directing a charged particle beam includes directing an ion beam or an electron beam.

12. The method of claim 1 in which the electrode associated with the nano pen comprises a metallic coating on the nano pen or a wire in or on the nano pen.

13. The method of claim 1 in which:
applying an electrolyte to the insulating surface using a nano pen includes providing an electrolyte bubble at a position where the nano pen contacts the insulating surface; and
directing a charged particle beam to supply electrical charges to the electrolyte includes directing the charged particle beam to the electrolyte bubble or to within one diameter of the electrolyte bubble.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising depositing an electrode on the insulating surface using beam-induced decomposition of a precursor gas and in which directing a charged particle beam to supply electrical charges to the electrolyte includes directing the charged particle beam to the deposited electrode.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
a. forming a charged particle beam image of the nano pen;
b. using pattern recognition software, determine from the image a position of the nano pen;
c. automatically comparing the determined position of the nano pen with a predetermined position; and
d. automatically adjusting the position of the nano pen to reposition the nano pen based on a difference between an observed position and the predetermined position.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising scanning the charged particle beam in a pattern to deposit material in the pattern.

Assignees

• Botman Aurelien Philippe Jean Maclou
• Toth Milos
• Randolph Steven
• Narum David H
• Fei Co

Inventors

• Botman Aurelien Philippe Jean Maclou
• Toth Milos
• Randolph Steven
• Narum David H

Classifications

• H01J2237/2003

  Environmental cells · CPC title

• H01J37/20 Primary

  Means for supporting or positioning the object or the material; Means for adjusting diaphragms or lenses associated with the support · CPC title

• C25D5/02

  Electroplating of selected surface areas · CPC title

• C25D17/10

  Electrodes {, e.g. composition, counter electrode} · CPC title

• C25D21/04

  Removal of gases or vapours {; Gas or pressure control} · CPC title