# US 11,482,398 B2 · Focused ion beam apparatus

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- Number: US 11,482,398 B2
- Document ID: US11482398B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/028,488
- Filed: 2020-09-22
- Published: 2021-03-25
- Granted: 2022-10-25
- Earliest claimed: 2019-09-25
- Assignees: Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation
- Applicants: Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation
- Inventors: Haruyuki Ishii; Atsushi Uemoto; Tatsuya Asahata
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11482398B2

## CPC

- H01J 37/20: Means for supporting or positioning the object or the material; Means for adjusting diaphragms or lenses associated with the support
- H01J 37/28: with scanning beams {(H01J37/268, H01J37/292, H01J37/2955 take precedence)}
- H01J 37/3005: {Observing the objects or the point of impact on the object}
- H01J 2237/20207: Tilt
- H01J 2237/20214: Rotation
- H01J 2237/20242: Eucentric movement
- H01J 2237/31749: Focused ion beam
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)

## Abstract

The focused ion beam apparatus includes: an electron beam column; a focused ion beam column; a sample stage; a coordinate acquisition unit configured to acquire, when a plurality of irradiation positions to which the focused ion beam is to be applied are designated on a sample, plane coordinates of each of the irradiation positions; a movement amount calculation unit configured to calculate, based on the plane coordinates, a movement amount by which the sample stage is to be moved to a eucentric height so that the eucentric height matches an intersection position at which the electron beam and the focused ion beam match each other at each of the irradiation positions; and a sample stage movement control unit configured to move, based on the movement amount, the sample stage to the eucentric height at each of the irradiation positions.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A focused ion beam apparatus, comprising:
an electron beam column configured to irradiate a sample with an electron beam;
a focused ion beam column configured to irradiate the sample with a focused ion beam;
a sample stage, on which the sample is to be placed in one of a direct manner and an indirect manner, and which is tiltable about a tilt axis perpendicular to the electron beam and the focused ion beam and movable in a height direction;
a coordinate acquisition unit configured to acquire, when a plurality of irradiation positions to which the focused ion beam is to be applied are designated on the sample, plane coordinates of each of the plurality of irradiation positions;
a movement amount calculation unit configured to calculate, based on the plane coordinates, a movement amount by which the sample stage is to be moved to a first eucentric height (Zs) so that the first eucentric height (Zs) matches an intersection position at which the electron beam and the focused ion beam match each other at each of the plurality of irradiation positions;
a memory configured to store a second eucentric height (Zse) at predetermined plane coordinates on the surface of the sample placed on the sample stage; and
a sample stage movement control unit configured to move, based on the movement amount, the sample stage to the eucentric height (Zs) at each of the plurality of irradiation positions,
wherein the movement amount calculation unit is configured to estimate the first eucentric height (Zs) at each of the plurality of irradiation positions from the second eucentric height (Zse) stored in the memory based on a difference in coordinate between the predetermined plane coordinates and each of the plurality of irradiation positions.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The focused ion beam apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movement amount calculation unit is configured to estimate the first eucentric height (Zs) at each of the plurality of irradiation positions from the second eucentric height (Zse) stored in the memory, based on an arrangement order in coordinate among the predetermined plane coordinates and each of the plurality of irradiation positions.