Method for making specimen and apparatus thereof

A method of making a specimen for observation through a transparent electron microscope, comprising the steps of:

• milling part of the specimen to form a thin film part, which can be observed through a transparent electron microscope, by scanning and irradiating a focused ion beam onto the specimen;
• observing a mark for detection of position provided on said specimen as a secondary charged particle image, by scanning and irradiating said focused ion beam onto said specimen without irradiating said focused ion beam onto said portion to be milled into said thin film part during said step of milling;
• detecting positional drift of said focused ion beam during said step of milling in accordance with a result of said observation of said mark for detection of position in relation to said milled part;
• compensating for said detected positional drift;
• and
• monitoring a tilting angle of the milled surface of said thin film part during milling of said thin film part by said focused ion beam.

A method of making a specimen for observation through a transparent electron microscope, comprising the steps of:

• milling part of the specimen to form a thin film part, which can be observed through a transparent electron microscope, by scanning and irradiating a focused ion beam onto the specimen;
• observing a mark for detection of position provided on said specimen as a secondary charged particle image, by scanning and irradiating said focused ion beam onto said specimen without irradiating said focused ion beam onto said portion to be milled into said thin film part during said step of milling;
• detecting positional drift of said focused ion beam during said step of milling in accordance with a result of said observation of said mark for detection of position in relation to said milled part;
• compensating for said detected positional drift;
• and
• using an electron beam to monitor a thickness of a portion of said specimen which is milled to form the thin film part, said electron beam being scanned and irradiated onto said specimen, without irradiating said electron beam onto said portion to be milled into said thin film part, at a scanning velocity which largely differs from a scanning velocity of said focused ion beam, detecting secondary charged particles generated from said specimen by said irradiation, filtering a signal of said detected secondary charged particles through a filter to eliminate noise, and displaying a scanning electron microscope image or a scanning ion microscope image by using said secondary charged particle signal from which noise is eliminated.

An apparatus for making a specimen for observation through a transparent electron microscope, comprising:

• a high brightness ion source for generating a high brightness ion beam;
• ion beam irradiation means for focusing said generated high brightness ion beam to an extremely small spot and for scanning and irradiating said focused high brightness ion beam onto the specimen for milling a surface of said specimen to a thin film part which is observable through a transparent electron microscope;
• secondary charged particle detection means for detecting secondary charged particles generated from said specimen by irradiation of said specimen by said focused ion beam including an area of said specimen on which a mark for detecting a milling position of said specimen is formed;
• secondary charged particle image displaying means for displaying a secondary charged particle image according to a detection signal of said secondary charged particles detected by said secondary charged particle detection means;
• irradiation area control means for limiting irradiation by said focused ion beam during milling to an area of said specimen other than said area of said specimen on which said mark for detecting a milling position of said specimen is formed and displayed by said secondary charged particle image displaying means;
• detecting means for detecting positional drift of said focused ion beam during milling in accordance with said mark for detecting said milling position on the surface of said specimen displayed by said secondary charged particle image displaying means in relation to said milled specimen surface;
• and
• compensating means for compensating for said detected positional drift.

An apparatus for making a specimen for observation through a transparent electron microscope, comprising:

• a high brightness ion source for generating a high brightness ion beam;
• ion beam irradiation means for focusing said generated high brightness ion beam to an extremely small spot and for scanning and irradiating said focused high brightness ion beam onto specimen for milling a surface of said specimen to a thin film part which is observable through a transparent electron microscope;
• electron beam irradiation means for focusing an electron beam and for scanning and irradiating said electron beam onto said specimen;
• secondary charged particle detection means for separately detecting secondary charged particles generated from said specimen by irradiation of said specimen by said focused ion beam and said focused electron beam;
• secondary charged particle image displaying means for displaying a secondary charged particle image according to a detection signal of said secondary charged particles detected by said secondary charged particle detection means;
• irradiation area control means for limiting irradiation of said focused ion beam during milling to a milling area of said specimen, so that a surface of the specimen to be milled into said thin film part in said milling area is not included in an observing area where said secondary charged particle image is obtained on the surface of said specimen, when said focused ion beam is respectively irradiated onto the milling area where a part of said specimen is milled into the thin film part by said focused ion beam;
• detecting means for detecting positional drift of said focused ion beam in accordance with said secondary charged particle image on the surface of said specimen in relation to said milled part;
• and
• compensating means for compensating for said detected positional drift.

An apparatus for making a specimen for observation through a transparent electron microscope, comprising:

• a high brightness ion source for generating a high brightness ion beam;
• ion beam irradiation means for focusing said generated high brightness ion beam to an extremely small spot and for scanning and irradiating said focused high brightness ion beam onto specimen for milling a surface of said specimen to a thin film part;
• electron beam irradiation means for focusing an electron beam and for scanning and irradiating said electron beam onto said specimen;
• secondary charged particle detection means for detecting secondary charged particles generated from said specimen by irradiation of said specimen by said focused ion beam and/or said focused electron beam;
• secondary charged particle image displaying means for displaying a secondary charged particle image according to a detection signal of said secondary charged particles detected by said secondary charged particle detection means;
• irradiation area control means for limiting irradiation of said focused ion beam during milling to a milling area of said specimen, so that a surface of the specimen to be milled into said thin film part in said milling area is not included in an observing area where said secondary charged particle image is obtained on the surface of said specimen, when said focused ion beam is respectively irradiated onto the milling area where a part of said specimen is milled into the thin film part by said focused ion beam;
• detecting means for detecting positional drift of said focused ion beam in accordance with said secondary charged particle image on the surface of said specimen in relation to said milled part;
• compensating means for compensating for said detected positional drift;
• and
• transparent electron beam intensity detection means for detecting the electron beam which has been scanned and irradiated by said electron beam irradiation means and has passed through said specimen, and transparent scanning electron microscope image displaying means for displaying a transparent image of said specimen according to said electron beam detected by said transparent electron beam intensity detection means.

A method of making a specimen for observation through a transparent electron microscope, comprising the steps of:

• milling part of the specimen to form a thin film part which is observable through a transparent electron microscope by scanning and irradiating a focused ion beam onto said specimen;
• scanning and irradiating an electron beam onto said specimen to observe a surface of the thin film part of said specimen with a different scanning speed from that of said focused ion beam;
• displaying a secondary charged particle image of said focused ion beam and of said electron beam, in which signals of secondary charged particles of said focused ion beam and of said electron beam are filtered to eliminate noise;
• detecting positional drift of said focused ion beam during said step of milling in accordance with a result of said observation of said surface for detection of position in relation to said milled part;
• and
• compensating for said detected positional drift.