# US 2014/0191128 A1 · Emitter, gas field ion source, and ion beam device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0191128 A1 - Document ID: US20140191128A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/238,718 - Filed: 2012-06-20 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2011-09-05 - Assignees: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation - Inventors: Yoshimi Kawanami; Hironori Moritani; Hiroyuki Muto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140191128A1 ## CPC - H01J 37/26: Electron or ion microscopes; Electron or ion diffraction tubes - H01J 9/50: Repairing or regenerating used or defective discharge tubes or lamps - H01J 37/08: Ion sources; Ion guns - H01J 49/16: using surface ionisation, e.g. field-, thermionic- or photo-emission - H01J 2237/0807: Gas field ion sources [GFIS] - Y02W 30/82: Recycling of waste of electrical or electronic equipment [WEEE] - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) - Y02W: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT ## Abstract Provided is an ion source emitter that does not cause significant extraction voltage changes even when an apex portion of the emitter is repeatedly regenerated. The emitter has a shape of a triangular pyramid with the single atom at the apex. An apex portion of the emitter is substantially shaped like a hexagon when viewed from the apex side. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An emitter used for an ion source for an ion beam device, the emitter comprising: a base part formed of a single crystal metal; and a needle-like apex portion, wherein the vicinity of the apex is shaped like a triangular pyramid, and wherein the end of the apex portion is substantially shaped like a hexagon as viewed from the apex side. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The emitter according to claim 1, wherein, when the structure of the apex portion is broken, the apex portion can be regenerated by performing a regeneration process that includes an annealing step. ### Claim 3 A gas field ion source comprising: an emitter having a base part formed of a single crystal metal and a needle-like apex portion; an extraction electrode having an opening at a location distant from the apex of the emitter; a gas supply piping that supplies a gas to the vicinity of the apex of the emitter; and an extraction voltage application section that applies an extraction voltage between the emitter and the extraction electrode to form an electric field for ionizing the gas, wherein the vicinity of the apex of the emitter is shaped like a triangular pyramid, and wherein the end of the apex portion is substantially shaped like a hexagon as viewed from the apex side. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The gas field ion source according to claim 3, wherein, when the structure of the apex portion is broken, the apex portion can be regenerated by performing a regeneration process that includes an annealing step. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The gas field ion source according to claim 3, wherein, when the structure of the apex portion is broken, the shape of the apex portion of the emitter can be regenerated by performing a regeneration process that includes an annealing step, and wherein a cumulative change caused by the regeneration process in the extraction voltage required for ion emission from the emitter is not greater than 1%. ### Claim 6 An ion beam device comprising: a gas field ion source that emits ions; an ion optical system that accelerates ions emitted from the gas field ion source to irradiate a sample with the accelerated ions; a secondary particle detector that detects secondary particles emitted from the sample when the sample is irradiated with the ions; an image generation section that generates a secondary particle image by associating a detection signal from the secondary particle detector with the positions of the ions irradiated on the sample; and an indicator that displays the secondary particle image, wherein the gas field ion source includes an emitter having a base part formed of a single crystal metal and a needle-like apex portion, an extraction electrode having an opening at a location distant from the apex of the emitter, a gas supply piping that supplies a gas to a space between the apex of the emitter and the extraction electrode, and an extraction voltage application section that applies a voltage between the emitter and the extraction electrode, and wherein the vicinity of the apex of the emitter being shaped like a triangular pyramid and the end of the apex portion being substantially shaped like a hexagon as viewed from the apex side. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The ion beam device according to claim 6, wherein, when the structure of the apex portion of the emitter is broken, the apex portion can be regenerated by performing a regeneration process that includes an annealing step. ### Claim 8 An ion beam device comprising: a gas field ion source including an emitter that emits ions and an extraction electrode having an opening at a location distant from the apex of the emitter; an ion optical system that accelerates ions emitted from the gas field ion source to irradiate a sample with the accelerated ions; a secondary particle detector that detects secondary particles emitted from the sample when the sample is irradiated with the ions; an image generation section that generates a secondary particle image by associating a detection signal from the secondary particle detector with the positions of the ions irradiated on the sample; and an indicator that displays the secondary particle image, wherein the ion beam device further includes an emitter regeneration means that regenerates the apex portion of the emitter by performing a regeneration process including an annealing step when the structure of the apex portion of the emitter of the gas field ion source is broken; and a controller that compares the ratio between the amount of cumulative change in a voltage applied between the emitter and the extraction electrode and an acceleration voltage of the ion optical system against a predefined reference value to determine whether the axis of the ion optical axis needs to be adjusted.