Gas injection system for ion beam device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9865433-B1
Application number	US-201715489182-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 17, 2017
Priority date	Dec 19, 2016
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

A gas injection system, including an extraction plate having an extraction aperture for allowing passage of an ion beam through the extraction plate, the extraction plate further having a gas slot for expulsion of a residue removal gas from the extraction plate. The gas injection system may include a gas conduit extending through the extraction plate between the gas slot and a gas manifold, a gas source connected in fluid communication with the gas manifold, the gas source containing the residue removal gas. The gas manifold may include a valve adjustable between a first position, wherein the residue removal gas is allowed to flow into the extraction plate, and a second portion, wherein the residue removal gas can be vented from the extraction plate. The gas injection system may further include a manifold cover coupled to the gas manifold.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gas injection system for an ion beam device, the gas injection system comprising an extraction plate having an extraction aperture for allowing passage of an ion beam through the extraction plate, the extraction plate further having a gas slot formed therein for facilitating expulsion of gas from the extraction plate.

2. The gas injection system of claim 1 , further comprising a gas conduit extending through the extraction plate between the gas slot and a gas manifold mounted to the extraction plate.

3. The gas injection system of claim 2 , further comprising a first gas source connected in fluid communication with the gas manifold, the first gas source containing a first residue removal gas.

4. The gas injection system of claim 3 , further comprising a second gas source connected in fluid communication with the gas manifold, the second gas source containing a second residue removal gas different than the first residue removal gas.

5. The gas injection system of claim 2 , wherein the gas conduit is defined by a bore extending from an edge of the extraction plate through the extraction plate.

6. The gas injection system of claim 2 , wherein the gas conduit is defined by a channel formed in at least one of a front surface and a rear surface of the extraction plate.

7. The gas injection system of claim 2 , wherein the gas manifold includes a valve selectively adjustable between a first position, wherein the gas is allowed to flow into the extraction plate, and a second position, wherein the gas can be vented from the extraction plate to a surrounding atmosphere.

8. The gas injection system of claim 7 , further comprising a manifold cover coupled to the gas manifold, the manifold cover including an electronically-controllable drive mechanism coupled to the valve and adapted to move the valve between the first position and the second position.

9. The gas injection system of claim 1 , wherein the gas slot is directed away from the ion beam.

10. The gas injection system of claim 1 , wherein the gas slot is a first gas slot located on a first side of the extraction aperture, the gas injection system further comprising a second gas slot located on a second side of the extraction aperture opposite the first side.

11. A gas injection system for an ion beam device, the gas injection system comprising:
an extraction plate having an extraction aperture for allowing passage of an ion beam through the extraction plate, the extraction plate further having a gas slot for facilitating expulsion of a residue removal gas from the extraction plate;
a gas conduit extending through the extraction plate between the gas slot and a gas manifold mounted to the extraction plate;
a gas source connected in fluid communication with the gas manifold, the gas source containing the residue removal gas, the gas manifold including a valve selectively adjustable between a first position, wherein the residue removal gas is allowed to flow into the extraction plate, and a second position, wherein the residue removal gas can be vented from the extraction plate; and
a manifold cover coupled to the gas manifold, the manifold cover including an electronically-controllable drive mechanism coupled to the valve and adapted to move the valve between the first position and the second position.

12. A method of manufacturing an extraction plate for a gas injection system, the method comprising:
forming an elongated extraction aperture in a plate;
forming a gas slot in a first side of the plate on a first side of the extraction aperture; and
forming a network of conduits in the plate for putting the gas slot in fluid communication with a gas source, the network of conduits including a slot conduit intersecting the gas slot.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the network of conduits further comprises:
a manifold conduit extending from an edge of the plate; and
an interconnect conduit extending between the manifold conduit and the slot conduit.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein forming the network of conduits comprises cross-drilling bores into the plate in a direction parallel to the first side of the plate.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising plugging at least one of the bores.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein forming the network of conduits comprises routing channels into at least one of the first side of the plate and a second side of the plate opposite the first side.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the channels intersect with one another.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising sealing the channels by coupling a sealing plate to the second side of the plate.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein the gas slot is a first gas slot, the method further comprising forming a second gas slot in the first side of the plate on a second side of the extraction aperture opposite the first side of the extraction aperture.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the gas source is a first gas source and the network of conduits is a first network of conduits, the method further comprising forming a second network of conduits in the plate for putting the second gas slot in fluid communication with a second gas source different from the first gas source.

Assignees

• Varian Semiconductor Equipment Ass Inc
• Varian Semiconductor Equipment Ass Inc

Inventors

• Wallace Jay
• Allen Ernest E
• Hertel Richard J
• Kontos Alexander C
• Liang Shurong
• Krampert Jeffrey E
• Rockwell Tyler

Classifications

• H01J37/32449 Primary

  Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow · CPC title

• H01J2237/3174

  Etching microareas · CPC title

• H01J37/3056

  for microworking, e. g. etching of gratings or trimming of electrical components · CPC title

• H01J2237/31749

  Focused ion beam · CPC title

• H01J2237/006

  Details of gas supplies, e.g. in an ion source, to a beam line, to a specimen or to a workpiece, (H01J37/3244 takes precedence; environmental cells for electron microscopes H01J2237/2003; microscopes with environmental specimen chamber H01J2237/2608) · CPC title