A clamping device for a focused ion beam apparatus and a focused ion beam apparatus

Abstract

The application relates to a clamping device for a focused ion beam device, comprising a base; characterized in that it further comprises a rotating member rotatably arranged on the base; a movement mechanism arranged on the base and used for driving the rotating member to rotate; and a chuck head mounted on the rotating member and used for clamping a sample. The application also relates to a focused ion beam device provided with the aforementioned clamping device for a focused ion beam device.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a focused ion beam device, in particular to a clamping device for a focused ion beam device, and to a focused ion beam device using the aforementioned clamping device for a focused ion beam device. BACKGROUND

[0002] Focused ion beam technology is to form an ion stream by accelerating a liquid metal ion source through an electric field, focus the ion stream through a diaphragm aperture, and then pass through a variable diaphragm with different apertures to obtain a controllable ion beam. The ion beam can be scanned along a specific path under the control of a deflection system, and finally passes through an objective lens to be incident on the surface of a sample, thereby performing sputter etching, induced deposition, ion implantation and scanning imaging on the surface of the sample. The ion beam of the current commercial system is a liquid metal ion source (LMIS), and the metal material is gallium (Ga) because gallium has a low melting point, a low vapor pressure, and good oxidation resistance. Due to the high processing precision and good material processing applicability of focused ion beam technology, it is increasingly widely used in the manufacturing of micro-nano structures in different fields.

[0003] When a focused ion beam scans and / or processes a sample, a clamp is needed to fix the sample. For example, a Chinese utility model patent with the patent number ZL202121181366.5 (CN214844915U) discloses a sample stage capable of carrying a micro-nano scale sample, which includes a base, a cover and a wire. The base is in the shape of a cube, and six screw holes are arranged on the six faces of the cube. The cover is fixed to the upper surface of the base by screws. The middle and bottom parts of the wire are located between the cover and the base, and the cover and the base clamp the middle and bottom parts of the wire. The top end of the wire is a flat surface, and a micro-nano scale sample is fixed on the flat surface of the top end of the wire by a micro-deposition welding process.

[0004] The sample stage capable of carrying a micro-nano scale sample described above can only fix the sample on the flat surface of the top end of the wire. If different surfaces of the sample need to be processed, the sample stage needs to be manually rotated outside the focused ion beam device. This not only causes a large workload for the operator, but also leads to a long time consumption when the sample is scanned and / or processed. In addition, the sample stage also determines that the focused ion beam device can only process the flat surface or flat-like surface of the fixed sample, and is not suitable for scanning and / or processing the surface of a rotary member. Therefore, it is necessary to further improve the clamping device of the focused ion beam device. SUMMARY

[0005] The first technical problem to be solved by the present application is to provide a clamping device for a focused ion beam device capable of rotating a sample.

[0006] The second technical problem to be solved by the present application is to provide a focused ion beam device applying the clamping device for the focused ion beam device.

[0007] The technical scheme adopted by the present application to solve the first technical problem is a clamping device for a focused ion beam device, comprising

[0008] a base;

[0009] characterized in that it further comprises

[0010] a rotating member rotatably arranged on the base;

[0011] a movement mechanism arranged on the base and used to drive the rotating member to rotate;

[0012] a chuck head mounted on the rotating member and used to clamp a sample.

[0013] In order to improve the centering accuracy of the rotary sample, the chuck head is a sleeve, and the inner hole of the chuck head is used to insert the sample, so that the center of the rotary sample can be positioned through the inner hole of the chuck head. The rotary sample is convenient and fast to center, and the centering accuracy is high, so that the clamping device is more suitable for clamping small components.

[0014] In order to make the chuck head suitable for samples of different sizes, at least two elastic clamping jaws are distributed along the circumference of the front end of the chuck head. The elastic clamping jaws can contract inwardly or expand outwardly along the radial direction of the chuck head, so that the chuck head can be tensioned outside the sample. In order to facilitate the adjustment of the tension degree of the chuck head after the sample is installed, an adjustment mechanism is arranged between the chuck head and the rotating member for adjusting the tension degree of the chuck head, so that the sample is installed more firmly, and the clamping of the sample is more convenient.

[0015] In order to make the adjustment mechanism structure simpler and the constraint effect on the elastic clamping jaw better, the rotating member is in the shape of a long strip. The adjustment mechanism comprises a socket arranged at the front end of the rotating member along the length direction of the rotating member, and a nut connected to the front end of the rotating member. The socket is used to insert the chuck head therein and has a tapered section for constraining the elastic clamping jaw. The inner diameter of the tapered section gradually decreases from front to back, so that the chuck head can be constrained in the radial direction. The front end of the nut has an end wall which abuts against the front end surface of the chuck head, so that the chuck head can be limited in the axial direction.

[0016] In order to facilitate the adaptation of the elastic clamping jaw and the tapered section, the outer side surface of each elastic clamping jaw is a tapered surface.

[0017] In order to facilitate the rotation of the rotating member, the rotating member is long and rotates around the rotating axis extending along the length direction of the rotating member, and two ceramic angular contact bearings are arranged between the rotating member and the base along the length direction of the rotating member.

[0018] In order to facilitate the reasonable arrangement of the motion mechanism, the motion mechanism comprises a motor, a worm connected with the output shaft of the motor and perpendicular to the rotating member, and a turbine sleeved on the rotating member and matched with the worm, so that the rotating member can be operated at a low speed, and the worm and the rotating member are arranged vertically, so that the clamping device can avoid interfering with other parts of the focused ion beam equipment.

[0019] In order to lubricate the worm and / or the turbine while avoiding contamination of the vacuum chamber of the focused ion beam equipment by the lubricant, the surface of the worm and / or the turbine is provided with a molybdenum disulfide coating.

[0020] The technical solution adopted by the present application to solve the second technical problem is: a focused ion beam equipment comprising a vacuum chamber and a sample table located in the vacuum chamber, characterized in that: the sample table is provided with a clamping device for the focused ion beam equipment as described above; the bottom of the base is provided with a tapered portion with a small upper end and a large lower end, and the sample table is provided with a tapered hole for inserting and mounting the tapered portion therein, so as to facilitate the installation of the clamping device for the focused ion beam equipment on the focused ion beam equipment.

[0021] In order to facilitate the detection and control of the rotation angle of the rotating member, an encoder is arranged on the rotating member, and the encoder and the motor are connected with the controller, so as to realize the constant speed and specified angle operation of the rotating member.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the clamping device for the focused ion beam equipment has the advantages that: the clamping device for the focused ion beam equipment is installed on the rotating member, and the rotating member is driven to rotate by the motion mechanism to drive the chuck to rotate, so that the sample clamped on the chuck can be rotated, the surface of the sample to be processed can be replaced by rotation without taking out or disassembling the clamping device from the focused ion beam equipment, the workload of the operator can be reduced, the scanning and / or processing time of the sample can be shortened, and the clamping device for the focused ion beam equipment can also enable the focused ion beam equipment to realize the scanning and / or processing of the surface of the rotating member, thereby widening the application range of the focused ion beam equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a front view of the clamping device for the focused ion beam equipment in the embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 It is a left view of the clamping device for the focused ion beam equipment in the embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 3 is a top view of the clamping device for a focused ion beam equipment in the embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 4 is Figure 3 is a sectional view along the direction of A-A in the embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the chuck in the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present application will be further described in detail in connection with the drawings of the embodiments.

[0029] As Figures 1-5 shown, it is the best embodiment of the present application.

[0030] The clamping device for a focused ion beam equipment in the embodiment comprises a base 1, a rotating member 2, a chuck 3, a nut 4, a movement mechanism and an encoder 9.

[0031] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the bottom of the base 1 is provided with a lower small and upper large conical part 11, which is used for inserting into the conical hole (not shown in the figure) on the sample table of the focused ion beam equipment, and then locked by fasteners such as screws (not shown in the figure), so as to install the clamping device on the focused ion beam equipment.

[0032] As Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown, the rotating member 2 is in a long strip shape and is arranged in the front and back direction. The rotating member 2 is rotatably arranged on the base 1 along the length direction of the rotating member 2, and along the length direction of the rotating member 2, two ceramic angular contact bearings 5 are distributed between the rotating member 2 and the base 1, so as to facilitate the rotation of the rotating member 2 and to offset the force in the length direction of the rotating member 2 when the rotating member 2 is running. The encoder 9 is installed at the rear end of the rotating member 2, so as to detect the rotation angle of the rotating member 2.

[0033] As Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the front end of the rotating member 2 is provided with a socket 21 extending along the length direction of the rotating member 2, and the chuck 3 is inserted into the socket 21 and used to hold the sample 100, so that the rotating member 2 can drive the chuck 3 to rotate. The chuck 3 is a sleeve, and the central hole of the chuck 3 is used to insert the sample 100, so that the center of the sample 100 can be quickly positioned when the sample 100 is inserted into the chuck 3, and the centering accuracy is high, which makes the clamping device more suitable for clamping small components and makes the clamping of the sample 100 more convenient.

[0034] As shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5 The front end of the chuck 3 is spaced apart along the circumferential direction and provided with five elastic clamping jaws 31, each of which can contract or expand radially inwardly or outwardly, so that the chuck 3 can be tensioned outside the sample 100, so that the chuck 3 can be suitable for samples 100 of different sizes. The front section of the socket 21 has a tapered section 211 for restraining the elastic clamping jaw 31, and the inner diameter of the tapered section 211 gradually decreases from front to back, so that the chuck 3 can be restrained in the radial direction. The front end of the rotating member 2 is connected with a nut 4, and the front end of the nut 4 is provided with an end wall 41 abutting against the front end surface of the chuck 3, so that the chuck 3 can be limited in the axial direction, and the socket 21 and the nut 4 together constitute an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the tensioning degree of the chuck 3, so that the sample 100 is installed more firmly. The outer side surface of each elastic clamping jaw 31 is a tapered surface 311, so that the elastic clamping jaw 31 can be adapted to the tapered section 211.

[0035] As shown in Figure 3 The movement mechanism is used to drive the rotating member 2 to rotate, and the movement mechanism includes a motor 6, a worm 7 and a turbine 8. The motor 6 is a vacuum stepping motor, and the output shaft of the motor 6 is perpendicular to the length direction of the rotating member 2 and is connected with the worm 7 through a shaft coupling 10. The turbine 8 is sleeved on the rotating member 2 and is fixed with the rotating member 2 through fasteners such as screws. The turbine 8 cooperates with the worm 7, so that the rotating member can run at a low speed, which improves the transmission accuracy and output torque. The worm 7 and the rotating member 2 are arranged vertically, which can avoid interference between the clamping device and other parts of the focused ion beam equipment. Since the clamping device is usually installed in the vacuum chamber of the focused ion beam equipment, in order to avoid contamination of the vacuum chamber by lipid lubricant, the surfaces of the worm 7 and the turbine 8 are provided with a molybdenum disulfide coating, so that the transmission of the worm 7 and the turbine 8 can be lubricated.

[0036] The clamping device for the focused ion beam equipment in the embodiment can rotate the sample clamped on the chuck by installing the chuck clamping the sample on the rotatable rotating member 2 and driving the rotating member 2 to rotate by the motion mechanism to drive the chuck 3 to rotate, so that the surface of the sample to be processed can be replaced by rotation without taking or dismounting the clamping device from the focused ion beam equipment, the workload of the operator can be reduced, the time consumption of scanning and / or processing of the sample can be shortened, and the focused ion beam equipment can realize scanning and / or processing of the surface of the rotary member, thereby widening the application range of the focused ion beam equipment.

[0037] The focused ion beam equipment (not shown in the figure) in the embodiment comprises a vacuum chamber and a sample table in the vacuum chamber, and the clamping device for the focused ion beam equipment is installed on the sample table, so that the rotation of the micro component can be realized by the clamping device, the axial scanning of the focused ion beam is realized, and the scanning and / or processing of the cylindrical surface of the micro component is realized. The focused ion beam equipment is also provided with a controller, and the encoder 9 and the motor 6 are connected with the controller, so that the rotating member can rotate at a constant speed and a specified angle.

Claims

1. A chucking device for a focused ion beam equipment, comprising a base (1); characterized in that further comprising a rotating member (2) rotatably arranged on the base (1); a movement mechanism arranged on the base (1) and used to drive the rotating member (2) to rotate; a chuck head (3) mounted on the rotating member (2) and used to hold a sample (100); the chuck head (3) is a sleeve, and an inner hole of the chuck head (3) is used to insert the sample (100) therein; a front end of the chuck head (3) is spaced apart along a circumferential direction of the chuck head (3) and has at least two elastic clamping jaws (31), each of the elastic clamping jaws (31) can contract inwardly or expand outwardly along a radial direction of the chuck head (3), so that the chuck head (3) can be tensioned outside the sample (100), and an adjusting mechanism for adjusting a tensioning degree of the chuck head (3) is arranged between the chuck head (3) and the rotating member (2); the rotating member (2) is in a strip shape, the adjusting mechanism comprises a socket (21) arranged at a front end of the rotating member (2) along a length direction of the rotating member (2), and a nut (4) connected to the front end of the rotating member (2), the socket (21) is used to insert the chuck head (3) therein and has a tapered section (211) used to constrain the elastic clamping jaws (31), an inner diameter of the tapered section (211) gradually decreases from front to back; and the front end of the nut (4) has an end wall (41) abutting against a front end surface of the chuck head (3).

2. The clamping device of claim 1, wherein: An outer side surface of each of the elastic clamping jaws (31) is a tapered surface (311).

3. The clamping device of claim 1, wherein: The rotating member (2) is in a strip shape and rotates around a rotating axis extending along the length direction of the rotating member (2), and along the length direction of the rotating member (2), two ceramic angular contact bearings (5) are spaced apart between the rotating member (2) and the base (1).

4. A clamping device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that: The movement mechanism comprises a motor (6), a worm (7) connected to an output shaft of the motor (6) and perpendicular to the rotating member (2), and a turbine (8) sleeved on the rotating member (2) and matched with the worm (7).

5. The clamping device of claim 4, wherein: Surfaces of the worm (7) and / or the turbine (8) are coated with a molybdenum disulfide coating.

6. A focused ion beam apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber and a sample (100) stage located within the vacuum chamber, characterized in that: A sample (100) table is provided with the chucking device for the focused ion beam equipment as claimed in claim 4 or 5; a bottom of the base (1) is provided with a tapered portion (11) gradually increasing from bottom to top, and the sample (100) table is provided with a tapered hole used to insert the tapered portion (11) therein.

7. The focused ion beam apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: Further comprising a controller, an encoder (9) is arranged on the rotating member (2), and the encoder (9) and the motor (6) are connected to the controller.

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