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US 2019/0172680 A1Published application
Endpointing for focused ion beam processing
AssigneeFEI Company
InventorsScott Edward FULLER, Jason DONALD, Termsupt SEEMUNTCHAIBOWORN
Life of this patent
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Abstract
To expose a desired feature, focused ion beam milling of thin slices from a cross section alternate with forming a scanning electron image of each newly exposed cross section. Milling is stopped when automatic analysis of an electron beam image of the newly exposed cross section shows that a predetermined criterion is met.
Claims17
-17. (canceled)
A method comprising:
- milling, by an ion mill, a face of a sample to remove a layer of material, the sample including one or more features, the one or more features having edges;
- imaging, by a charged particle beam, the face of the sample;
- determining, based on the image, a geometric relationship between one or more edges;
- comparing the geometric relationship between the one or more edges to a criteria, the criteria specifying when at least one of the features is exposed;
- and
- based on the comparison being unsatisfied, milling, by the ion beam, the face of the sample to remove additional material.
3 more elements
The method of claim 22, wherein the criteria defines a reference angle for the angle of the at least two edges.
An apparatus comprising:
- an electron beam column coupled to provide an electron beam;
- an ion beam column coupled to provide an ion beam;
- a controller at least coupled to the electron and ion beam columns;
- and
- a computer readable medium storing code that, when executed by the controller, causes the controller to:
- mill, by the ion beam, a face of a sample to remove a layer of material, the sample including one or more features, the one or more features having edges;
- image, by the electron beam, the face of the sample;
- determine, based on the image, a geometric relationship between one or more edges;
- compare the geometric relationship between the one or more edges to a criteria, the criteria specifying when at least one of the features is exposed;
- and
- based on the comparison being unsatisfied, mill, by the ion beam, the face of the sample to remove additional material.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.