Focused ion beam system

Abstract

The invention provides a focused ion beam system, and relates to the technical field of microdissection instruments. Wherein the sample platform comprises a planing base, a preset inclination angle is formed between the upper surface of the planing base and the horizontal plane, and the upper surface of the planing base is used for placing a sample to be cut; the control platform is used for sending a cutting instruction to the cutting ion gun according to the cutting operation of a user; the cutting ion gun is used for emitting a focused ion beam to a specified cutting position of the to-be-cut sample according to the cutting instruction and sending a cutting completion response to the control platform after cutting is completed; the control platform is used for generating a monitoring instruction according to the cutting completion response and sending the monitoring instruction to the electronic gun of the scanning electron microscope; and the scanning electron microscope electronic gun is used for scanning the specified cutting position according to the monitoring instruction to obtain a monitoring image, the contact area between the specified cutting position and the ion beam can be increased through the preset inclination angle, and the degree of tool marks can be delayed and the number of the tool marks can be reduced by increasing the contact area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of microdissection instruments, and in particular to a focused ion beam system. Background Art

[0002] Focused ion beam (FIB) is a micro-dissection instrument that uses an electric lens to focus an ion beam into a very small size. Its working principle is that FIB accelerates the ion beam generated by the ion source through an ion gun, focuses it, and acts on the sample surface to further achieve cutting.

[0003] In the prior art, when a focused ion beam instrument is used for cutting, the cutting is generally performed perpendicular to the sample.

[0004] However, since the ion beam has different cutting speeds for materials of different hardness, severe knife marks often occur on the cut surface, resulting in poor cutting effects and affecting the analysis results. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide a focused ion beam system to address the deficiencies in the above-mentioned prior art, which can delay the degree of tool marks and reduce the number of tool marks.

[0006] To achieve the above purpose, the technical solution adopted in the embodiment of the present application is as follows:

[0007] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a focused ion beam system, comprising: a machine, a control platform, a cutting ion gun, a scanning electron microscope electron gun, and a sample platform located in a vacuum chamber, wherein the control platform is electrically connected to the cutting ion gun and the scanning electron microscope electron gun, respectively, and the sample platform comprises a flattened base, the upper surface of the flattened base has a preset inclination angle with a horizontal plane, and the upper surface of the flattened base is used to place a sample to be cut;

[0008] The control platform is used to send cutting instructions to the cutting ion gun according to the user's cutting operation;

[0009] The cutting ion gun is used to emit a focused ion beam to a designated cutting position of the sample to be cut according to the cutting instruction, perform ion cutting at the designated cutting position by the focused ion beam, and send a cutting completion response to the control platform after the cutting is completed;

[0010] The control platform is used to generate a monitoring instruction according to the cutting completion response and send it to the electron gun of the scanning electron microscope;

[0011] The electron gun of the scanning electron microscope is used to scan the designated cutting position according to the monitoring instruction to obtain a monitoring image.

[0012] In an optional embodiment, the sample platform further includes: a fixed base, the fixed base includes a first positioning hole, a first positioning pin is provided on the lower surface of the flattened base, and the flattened base is inserted and fixed in the first positioning hole on the fixed base by the first positioning pin.

[0013] In an optional embodiment, the fixed base further includes a first embedded hole, the setting direction of the first embedded hole is perpendicular to the insertion direction of the first positioning pin, a first positioning piece is passed through the first embedded hole, and the first positioning piece is abutted against the first positioning pin.

[0014] In an optional embodiment, the sample platform further includes: a sample base, the sample base includes a second positioning hole, a third positioning hole is provided on the upper surface of the flattened base, and a second positioning pin is passed between the second positioning hole and the third positioning hole.

[0015] In an optional embodiment, the flattened base further includes a second embedded hole, the setting direction of the second embedded hole is perpendicular to the setting direction of the third positioning hole, a second positioning piece is passed through the second embedded hole, and the second positioning piece is abutted against the second positioning pin.

[0016] In an optional embodiment, it further comprises: an angle adjustment component and an angle controller, wherein the angle adjustment component is drivingly connected to the sample base, and the angle controller is electrically connected to the control platform;

[0017] The control platform is used to send a first adjustment instruction to the angle controller according to the angle user adjustment operation;

[0018] The angle controller is used to drive the sample base to move in a preset direction to adjust the angle between the lower surface of the sample base and the lower surface of the flattened base according to the first adjustment instruction when the sample base is not fixed to the flattened base.

[0019] In an optional embodiment, it further includes: an adjustment mechanism and a position adjustment unit, wherein the position adjustment unit is electrically connected to the control platform;

[0020] The control platform is used to send an adjustment instruction to the position adjustment unit according to the user's adjustment operation;

[0021] The position adjustment unit is used to adjust the position and / or tilt angle of the sample platform through the adjustment mechanism according to the adjustment instruction.

[0022] In an optional embodiment, it further includes: a vacuum pump and a monitoring unit, wherein the vacuum pump and the monitoring unit are electrically connected to the control platform respectively, and the monitoring unit is disposed in the vacuum chamber;

[0023] The monitoring unit is used to monitor and obtain the environmental parameters of the vacuum chamber and send them to the control platform;

[0024] The control platform is used to control the operating state of the vacuum pump according to the environmental parameters of the vacuum chamber so that the environmental parameters in the vacuum chamber meet preset requirements.

[0025] In an optional embodiment, the focused ion beam is a gallium ion beam, or a xenon ion beam.

[0026] In an optional implementation, the preset tilt angle is any angle value between 0 and 15 degrees.

[0027] The beneficial effects of this application are:

[0028] The focused ion beam system provided in the embodiment of the present application includes: a machine, a control platform, a cutting ion gun, a scanning electron microscope electron gun and a sample platform located in a vacuum chamber, wherein the control platform is electrically connected to the cutting ion gun and the scanning electron microscope electron gun respectively, and the sample platform includes a flattened base, the upper surface of the flattened base has a preset inclination angle with the horizontal plane, and the upper surface of the flattened base is used to place the sample to be cut; the control platform is used to send a cutting instruction to the cutting ion gun according to the user's cutting operation; the cutting ion gun is used to emit a focused ion beam to a specified cutting position of the sample to be cut according to the cutting instruction, and the sample is cut at the specified cutting position by the focused ion beam. Ion cutting is performed at the cutting position, and a cutting completion response is sent to the control platform after the cutting is completed; the control platform is used to generate a monitoring instruction according to the cutting completion response and send it to the electron gun of the scanning electron microscope; the electron gun of the scanning electron microscope is used to scan the designated cutting position according to the monitoring instruction and obtain a monitoring image. When applying the embodiment of the present application, since the sample to be cut can be placed on a flat base with a preset inclination angle, the designated cutting position of the sample to be cut can be inclined during the cutting process. The contact area between the designated cutting position and the ion beam can be increased by the inclined cutting. By increasing the contact area, the degree of the knife mark can be delayed and the number of the knife marks can be reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0030] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a cutting result of a prior art provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a focused ion beam system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 3 A cutting effect comparison diagram provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a flat-cut base provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 5 One of the side views of a flat-cut base and a fixed base provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 6 A second side view of a flat-cut base and a fixed base provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 7 The third side view of a flattened base and a sample base provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the arrangement of a flattened base and an angle adjustment assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0038] Figure Number:

[0039] 10-control platform; 20-cutting ion gun; 30-scanning electron microscope electron gun; 40-sample platform; 50-flat base; 51-first positioning pin; 52-third positioning hole; 53-second embedded hole; 60-fixed base; 61-first positioning hole; 62-first embedded hole; 70-sample base; 71-second positioning hole; 80-angle adjustment assembly; 90-vacuum pump. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0041] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present application for which protection is sought, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0042] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, further definition and explanation thereof is not required in subsequent drawings.

[0043] In the prior art, when using a focused ion beam instrument for cutting, the cutting is generally performed perpendicular to the sample. However, due to the different cutting speeds of the ion beam for materials of different hardness, the uneven surface of the cut sample and the different hardness of the material will result in serious cutting marks.

[0044] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a cutting result of the prior art provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 The vertical white lines shown are the knife marks left when a chip is cut using existing technology. It can be seen that there are many knife marks and they are severe. The presence of knife marks will cause the structural morphology of the chip to deform, and the process structure of the chip cannot be observed, making it impossible to perform accurate data measurement and defect morphology observation.

[0045] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a focused ion beam system that can perform inclined cutting on the designated cutting position of the sample to be cut. The inclined cutting can increase the contact area between the designated cutting position and the ion beam. By increasing the contact area, the degree of the cut marks can be delayed and the number of cut marks can be reduced.

[0046] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of functional modules of a focused ion beam system provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, the focused ion beam system includes: a machine, a control platform 10, a cutting ion gun 20, a scanning electron microscope electron gun 30 arranged in the machine, and a sample platform 40 located in a vacuum chamber, wherein the control platform 10 is electrically connected to the cutting ion gun 20 and the scanning electron microscope electron gun 30 respectively, and the sample platform 40 includes a flattened base 50, the upper surface of the flattened base 50 has a preset inclination angle with the horizontal plane, and the upper surface of the flattened base 50 is used to place the sample to be cut.

[0047] Optionally, the focused ion beam system can be applied to the semiconductor field, biological field, geological exploration material analysis field, steel metallurgy field, etc., which are not limited here. In some embodiments, depending on the application scenario, the sample to be cut can be a chip, geological exploration material, etc., which are not limited here.

[0048] Optionally, the preset inclination angle between the upper surface of the flattened base 50 and the horizontal plane can be any angle between 0° and 15°, for example, 5°, 8°, 10°, etc., which is not limited here and can be flexibly set according to the actual application scenario.

[0049] Optionally, the designated cutting position of the sample to be cut can be a cutting position where vertical cutting has been performed, that is, a cutting position where vertical cutting has been performed using an existing cutting method. For example, in some scenarios, the existing vertical cutting method can be used to perform a preliminary cutting of the sample to be cut to obtain a designated cutting position, and then the method of the present application can be used to perform a secondary cutting on the designated cutting position. Among them, by performing vertical cutting, the distance between the cutting position of the sample to be cut and the muzzle of the cutting ion gun 20 can be made the same, and the kinetic energy of the ion beam acting on the cutting position is the same, so that fast cutting can be achieved. Vertical cutting can ensure that the cutting depth is roughly the same, and the verticality of the entire cross section is high, close to 90 degrees; further, for the designated cutting position obtained after the vertical cutting operation, the sample to be cut can be placed on the flattening base 50, and the cutting can be achieved by referring to the following cutting process.

[0050] Optionally, the cutting ion gun 20 may include a first processing unit, the scanning electron microscope electron gun 30 may include a second processing unit, and the control platform 10 may be installed with a control software, through which the operating user may send relevant control instructions to the first processing unit and the second processing unit. The specific control process is as follows:

[0051] Among them, the control platform 10 is used to send a cutting instruction to the cutting ion gun 20 according to the user's cutting operation; the cutting ion gun 20 is used to emit a focused ion beam to the specified cutting position of the sample to be cut according to the cutting instruction, perform ion cutting at the specified cutting position through the focused ion beam, and send a cutting completion response to the control platform 10 after the cutting is completed; the control platform 10 is used to generate a monitoring instruction according to the cutting completion response and send it to the scanning electron microscope electron gun 30; the scanning electron microscope electron gun 30 is used to scan the specified cutting position according to the monitoring instruction to obtain a monitoring image.

[0052] Optionally, the focused ion beam system may further include an interactive device, which may be electrically connected to the control platform 10. Optionally, the interactive device may be a touch screen, a button, etc., which is not limited here.

[0053] In some embodiments, a user can generate a user cutting operation for cutting processing through an interactive device and send it to the control platform 10. After receiving the user cutting operation, the control platform 10 can generate a cutting instruction, wherein the generated cutting instruction can be sent to the cutting ion gun 20 (Focused Ion Beam, FIB), specifically, it can be sent to the first processing unit of the FIB ion gun.

[0054] Among them, after receiving the cutting instruction, the FIB ion gun can emit a focused ion beam to the designated cutting position of the sample to be cut on the sample platform 40, perform ion cutting at the designated cutting position by the focused ion beam, and send a cutting completion response to the control platform 10 after the cutting is completed. In this process, it should be noted that since the sample to be cut is placed on a flat-cut base 50 with a preset tilt angle, the designated cutting position of the sample to be cut can be tilted during the cutting process. The contact area between the designated cutting position and the ion beam can be increased by tilting the cutting, and the degree of the cut marks can be delayed and the number of cut marks can be reduced by increasing the contact area.

[0055] The cutting principle of the FIB ion gun is mainly based on the physical bombardment of the material by the high energy ion beam to achieve cutting. Optionally, the designated cutting position of the sample to be cut can be specified by the user, or it can be a preset position, which is not limited here.

[0056] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the cutting ion gun 20 may include: a first processing unit and an electric field module, a lens module and a scanning coil electrically connected to the first processing unit respectively; in some embodiments, after the first processing unit receives the cutting instruction, the ions emitted by the ion source (for example, liquid metal ion source gallium ions) can be accelerated through the electric field module to obtain sufficient energy; the ion beam is focused through the electromagnetic field focusing module; the scanning path of the ion beam on the sample surface is controlled through the scanning coil to move the ion beam along a predetermined path; wherein, when the high-energy ion beam bombards the position to be cut in the sample to be cut, it will collide with the atoms on the surface of the position to be cut, peeling these atoms off the surface, and through a continuous physical sputtering process, the material on the surface of the position to be cut is gradually removed, thereby achieving cutting and milling.

[0057] Based on the above description, after receiving the cutting completion response sent by the cutting ion gun 20, the control platform 10 can generate a monitoring instruction and send it to the scanning electron microscope (SEM) electron gun, specifically, it can be sent to the second processing unit of the SEM electron gun.

[0058] After receiving the monitoring instruction, the SEM electron gun can scan the designated cutting position of the sample to be cut to obtain a monitoring image, wherein the monitoring image can reflect the microscopic morphology of the designated cutting position.

[0059] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the SEM electron gun may include: a second processing unit and an electron gun, an electromagnetic lens, a scanning coil, a detector and a second processing unit that are electrically connected to the second processing unit respectively. In some embodiments, after receiving the monitoring instruction, the second processing unit can control the electron gun to generate and accelerate the electron beam; control the electromagnetic lens to focus the electron beam to a very small point; control the scanning path of the electron beam on the sample surface through the scanning coil, and scan the sample surface line by line; control the detector to detect characteristic X-rays emitted from the sample surface, secondary electrons emitted from the sample surface, backscattered electrons reflected from the sample, and other detection signals and send them to the second processing unit. Furthermore, the second processing unit can generate a monitoring image based on the scanning path and the detection signal.

[0060] Figure 3 A schematic diagram for comparing cutting effects provided in the embodiment of the present application, referring to Figure 3 (a) shows a first monitoring image obtained after a certain designated cutting position is obtained by initially cutting the sample A to be cut using the existing vertical cutting method and scanning the designated cutting position. Figure 3 (b) Figure 3 (a) A partial enlarged schematic diagram of the framed area S1; Figure 3 (c) shows a second monitoring image obtained after scanning after a second cutting is performed on the designated cutting position of the sample A to be cut when the preset inclination angle α is 10°; Figure 3 (d) Figure 3 (c) is a partial enlarged schematic diagram of the selected area S2. By comparison, it can be seen that Figure 3 (b) has many vertical stripes and knife marks, which make it difficult to observe and measure the structure clearly. Figure 3 (d) has fewer knife marks, which can improve sample cutting efficiency and ensure cutting quality.

[0061] In summary, the embodiment of the present application provides a focused ion beam system, including: a machine, a control platform, a cutting ion gun, a scanning electron microscope electron gun, and a sample platform located in a vacuum chamber, wherein the control platform is electrically connected to the cutting ion gun and the scanning electron microscope electron gun, respectively, and the sample platform includes a flat base, the upper surface of the flat base has a preset inclination angle with the horizontal plane, and the upper surface of the flat base is used to place the sample to be cut; the control platform is used to send a cutting instruction to the cutting ion gun according to the user's cutting operation; the cutting ion gun is used to emit a focused ion beam to a specified cutting position of the sample to be cut according to the cutting instruction, and perform cutting at the specified cutting position through the focused ion beam. Ion cutting, and sending a cutting completion response to the control platform after the cutting is completed; the control platform is used to generate a monitoring instruction according to the cutting completion response and send it to the scanning electron microscope electron gun; the scanning electron microscope electron gun is used to scan the specified cutting position according to the monitoring instruction to obtain a monitoring image. Applying the embodiment of the present application, since the sample to be cut can be placed on a flat-cut base with a preset inclination angle, the specified cutting position of the sample to be cut can be inclined during the cutting process. The contact area between the specified cutting position and the ion beam can be increased by the inclined cutting. By increasing the contact area, the degree of the knife mark can be delayed and the number of knife marks can be reduced, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the subsequent analysis results.

[0062] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a flat-cut base provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 One of the side views of a flattened base and a fixed base provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 The second side view of a flattened base and a fixed base provided in an embodiment of the present application. In an optional embodiment, as Figures 4 to 6 As shown, the sample platform 40 also includes: a fixed base 60, the fixed base 60 includes a first positioning hole 61, the lower surface of the flattened base 50 is provided with a first positioning pin 51, and the flattened base 50 is inserted and fixed in the first positioning hole 61 on the fixed base 60 through the first positioning pin 51.

[0063] The flattening base 50 can be arranged on the fixed base 60, such as Figure 5 As shown, in actual application, the flattening base 50 is inserted and fixed in the first positioning hole 61 on the fixed base 60 through the first positioning pin 51.

[0064] Optionally, the fixed base 60 can be fixed on the sample platform 40. Optionally, when specifically fixed, it can be fixed on the sample platform 40 by screws, bolts, etc., which is not limited here.

[0065] Of course, it should be noted that the present application does not limit the shape of the fixed base 60. Optionally, it can be a cube, or a boss, which is not limited here. Of course, the present application does not limit the height of the fixed base 60, which can be flexibly set according to the actual application scenario.

[0066] In particular, when the fixed base 60 is provided in an existing focused ion beam system, compatibility can be achieved on the basis of the existing focused ion beam system, thereby improving the applicability of the present application.

[0067] In an optional embodiment, if Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the fixed base 60 also includes a first embedded hole 62 , the setting direction of the first embedded hole 62 is perpendicular to the insertion direction of the first positioning pin 51 , a first positioning piece is passed through the first embedded hole 62 , and the first positioning piece abuts against the first positioning pin 51 .

[0068] Based on the above description, in order to prevent the flattening base 50 from being displaced in the horizontal direction during the cutting process, a first embedded hole 62 can be provided on the fixed base 60, wherein the setting direction of the first embedded hole 62 is perpendicular to the insertion direction of the first positioning pin 51, such as Figure 3 As shown, the insertion direction of the first positioning pin 51 can be a vertical direction, and the setting direction of the first embedded hole 62 can be a horizontal direction.

[0069] When fixing, a first positioning member may be inserted into the first embedded hole 62 and abutted against the first positioning pin 51 to prevent the flattening base 50 from shifting in the horizontal direction during the cutting process, thereby ensuring the cutting accuracy.

[0070] Figure 7 The third side view of a flattened base and a sample base provided in the embodiment of the present application. In an optional embodiment, as Figure 7 As shown, the sample platform also includes: a sample base 70, the sample base 70 includes a second positioning hole 71, and the upper surface of the flattened base 50 is provided with a third positioning hole 52, wherein in actual application, a second positioning pin is passed through the second positioning hole 71 and the third positioning hole 52.

[0071] In some embodiments, considering that multiple samples to be cut may need to be processed during the actual processing, in order to improve the processing efficiency, a sample base 70 can be provided. The sample base 70 is used for the samples to be cut. Optionally, the samples to be cut can be fixed on the sample base 70 by pasting, clamping, etc., which is not limited here.

[0072] Optionally, in order to improve the cutting efficiency, in some scenarios, multiple sample bases 70 can be set, and the sample to be cut can be fixed on each sample base 70. If it is necessary to cut a certain sample to be cut, the first sample base 70 fixed with the sample to be cut can be fixed on the flattening base 50 in the manner of this embodiment. After the cutting is completed, the first sample base 70 fixed with the sample to be cut can be removed, and another second sample base 70 fixed with the sample to be cut can be installed to perform the cutting operation again.

[0073] Based on the above description, it can be seen that when the sample to be cut is replaced for cutting, the sample base 70 that fixes the sample to be cut can be removed, which not only facilitates the preservation of the sample, but also avoids repeated sample sticking resulting in sample contamination or fragmentation. Furthermore, according to actual needs, the sample to be cut can be further analyzed, such as further cutting processing, monitoring processing, etc., which are not limited here.

[0074] Reference Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, during fixation, a second positioning hole 71 may be provided through the sample base 70 in the vertical direction, and a third positioning hole 52 may be provided on the upper surface of the flattened base 50. By passing a second positioning pin between the second positioning hole 71 and the third positioning hole 52, the sample base 70 can be fixed on the flattened base 50.

[0075] In an optional embodiment, the flattening base 50 further includes a second embedded hole 53 , the setting direction of the second embedded hole 53 is perpendicular to the setting direction of the third positioning hole 52 , a second positioning member is passed through the second embedded hole 53 , and the second positioning member abuts against the second positioning pin.

[0076] Based on the above description, in order to avoid horizontal displacement of the sample base 70 during the cutting process, a second embedded hole 53 can be set on the flattening base 50, wherein the setting direction of the second embedded hole 53 is perpendicular to the setting direction of the third positioning hole 52, that is, the setting direction of the third positioning hole 52 can be a vertical direction, and the setting direction of the second embedded hole 53 can be a horizontal direction.

[0077] It is understandable that, through this arrangement, the second positioning member penetrated through the second embedded hole 53 can abut against the second positioning pin penetrated through the second positioning hole 71 and the third positioning hole 52, thereby avoiding horizontal displacement of the sample base 70 during cutting and ensuring cutting accuracy.

[0078] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the arrangement of a flattened base and an angle adjustment assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application. In an optional embodiment, as Figure 8As shown, the focused ion beam system further includes: an angle adjustment component 80 and an angle controller, wherein the angle adjustment component 80 is transmission-connected to the sample base 70 , and the angle controller is electrically connected to the control platform 10 .

[0079] The control platform 10 is used to send a first adjustment instruction to the angle controller according to the angle adjustment operation of the user; the angle controller is used to drive the sample base 70 to move in a preset direction according to the first adjustment instruction to adjust the angle between the lower surface of the sample base 70 and the lower surface of the flattened base 50 when the sample base 70 is not fixed on the flattened base 50.

[0080] Optionally, the angle adjustment assembly 80 may include a motor, a motor gear, a track gear and a track fixing platform, wherein the angle controller may be electrically connected to the control platform 10, the track fixing platform may be fixedly disposed under the flattening base 50, the track gear may be disposed on the track fixing platform, and the track gear may be meshed with the motor gear.

[0081] In some embodiments, when performing specific control, the control platform 10 can send a first adjustment instruction to the angle controller according to the angle user adjustment operation. After receiving the first adjustment instruction, the angle controller can drive the motor gear to rotate through the motor. During the rotation of the motor gear, the track gear meshed with it can be driven to rotate synchronously. During the rotation of the track gear, the sample base 70 can be driven to move in a preset direction to adjust the angle between the lower surface of the sample base 70 and the lower surface of the flattened base 50. For example, the angle between the lower surface of the sample base 70 and the lower surface of the flattened base 50 can be adjusted from the first angle to the second angle. Optionally, the first angle can be 5° and the second angle can be 10°. Alternatively, the first angle can be 12° and the second angle can be 8°, etc., which are not limited here.

[0082] The larger angle of the first angle and the second angle should be smaller than the preset tilt angle. Optionally, the preset direction can be a preset horizontal direction, and the upper surface of the flattened base 50 can be provided with a moving track for the sample base 70 to move.

[0083] It should be noted that if it is determined that the angle between the lower surface of the sample base 70 and the lower surface of the flattened base 50 meets the preset requirements, then at this time, the sample base 70 can be fixed on the flattened base 50 by the second positioning pin and the second positioning member in the aforementioned embodiment.

[0084] In summary, by using the embodiments of the present application, the angle between the lower surface of the sample base and the lower surface of the flattened base can be flexibly adjusted according to actual needs, thereby improving the applicability of the focused ion beam system.

[0085] In an optional embodiment, the focused ion beam system also includes: an adjustment mechanism and a position adjustment unit, the position adjustment unit is electrically connected to the control platform 10; the control platform 10 is used to send adjustment instructions to the position adjustment unit according to the user's adjustment operation; the position adjustment unit is used to adjust the position and / or tilt angle of the sample platform 40 through the adjustment mechanism according to the adjustment instruction.

[0086] In some embodiments, the user may generate a user adjustment operation through an interactive device and send it to the control platform 10. After receiving the user adjustment operation, the control platform 10 may generate an adjustment instruction accordingly and send it to the position adjustment unit.

[0087] The position adjustment unit, after receiving the adjustment instruction, can control the movement of the adjustment mechanism accordingly, and during the movement of the adjustment mechanism, the position and / or tilt angle of the sample platform 40 can be adjusted. For example, based on the current position, the position of the sample platform 40 can be adjusted to the left or right by a certain distance, or the position of the sample platform 40 can be adjusted forward or backward by a certain distance, or the sample platform 40 can be tilted by a certain angle, for example, the sample platform 40 can be set to tilt at any angle between 0 and 15 degrees, so as to improve the applicability of the focused ion beam system of the present application.

[0088] Optionally, the adjustment mechanism is an electric adjustment mechanism, a magnetic adjustment mechanism, etc., which is not limited here and can be flexibly set according to actual application scenarios.

[0089] In an alternative embodiment, referring to Figure 1 As shown, the focused ion beam system also includes: a vacuum pump 90 and a monitoring unit, the vacuum pump 90 and the monitoring unit are electrically connected to the control platform 10 respectively, and the monitoring unit is arranged in the vacuum chamber; the monitoring unit is used to monitor and obtain the environmental parameters of the vacuum chamber and send them to the control platform 10; the control platform 10 is used to control the operating state of the vacuum pump 90 according to the environmental parameters of the vacuum chamber so that the environmental parameters in the vacuum chamber meet the preset requirements.

[0090] Optionally, the monitoring unit may include: a vacuum gauge instrument (eg, a thermocouple gauge, a Pirani gauge, a cold cathode gauge, etc.), a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, etc., which are not limited here.

[0091] Of course, the present application does not limit the number of monitoring units, and one or more monitoring units may be included according to actual application scenarios.

[0092] Optionally, the vacuum pump 90 may include: one or more of a dry screw pump, a diffusion pump, and a turbomolecular pump, which are not limited here and can be flexibly set according to actual application scenarios.

[0093] In some embodiments, each monitoring unit can send the monitored environmental parameters of the vacuum chamber (e.g., vacuum degree, pressure parameters, etc.) to the control platform 10. After receiving the environmental parameters, the control platform 10 can determine whether they meet the preset requirements. If not, the vacuum pump 90 can be controlled to work accordingly so that the environmental parameters in the vacuum chamber meet the preset requirements. Optionally, when performing specific control, for example, the speed at which the vacuum pump 90 extracts gas can be controlled.

[0094] In summary, the application of the embodiments of the present application can ensure that the environmental parameters of the vacuum chamber always meet the preset requirements, thereby reducing the interference of gas molecules on the ion beam during the cutting process and maintaining the focus and stability of the ion beam; in addition, it can also prevent the surface of the sample to be cut from being contaminated or oxidized, especially when processing sensitive materials. Furthermore, the service life of the ion source can be extended.

[0095] In an optional embodiment, the focused ion beam may be a gallium ion beam or a xenon ion beam.

[0096] It should be noted that the type of focused ion beam is not limited to this. For example, the focused ion beam can also be a helium ion beam, which can be flexibly selected according to the actual application scenario.

[0097] In an optional implementation, the preset tilt angle is any angle value between 0 degrees and 15 degrees.

[0098] Optionally, when making a specific selection, the preset tilt angle can be set to 8 degrees, 10 degrees or 15 degrees, etc., which is not limited here and can be flexibly set according to the actual application scenario.

[0099] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the elements.

[0100] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various changes and variations. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application. It should be noted that similar numbers and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, so once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent drawings. The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various changes and variations. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A focused ion beam system, characterized in that: include: A machine, a control platform, a cutting ion gun, a scanning electron microscope electron gun and a sample platform located in a vacuum chamber, wherein the control platform is electrically connected to the cutting ion gun and the scanning electron microscope electron gun, respectively, and the sample platform comprises a flattened base, the upper surface of the flattened base has a preset inclination angle with the horizontal plane, and the upper surface of the flattened base is used to place a sample to be cut; The control platform is used to send cutting instructions to the cutting ion gun according to the user's cutting operation; The cutting ion gun is used to emit a focused ion beam to a designated cutting position of the sample to be cut according to the cutting instruction, perform ion cutting at the designated cutting position by the focused ion beam, and send a cutting completion response to the control platform after the cutting is completed; The control platform is used to generate a monitoring instruction according to the cutting completion response and send it to the electron gun of the scanning electron microscope; The electron gun of the scanning electron microscope is used to scan the designated cutting position according to the monitoring instruction to obtain a monitoring image.

2. The focused ion beam system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sample platform further includes: a fixed base, the fixed base includes a first positioning hole, a first positioning pin is provided on the lower surface of the flattened base, and the flattened base is inserted and fixed in the first positioning hole on the fixed base through the first positioning pin.

3. The focused ion beam system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The fixed base further includes a first embedded hole, the setting direction of the first embedded hole is perpendicular to the insertion direction of the first positioning pin, a first positioning member is passed through the first embedded hole, and the first positioning member abuts against the first positioning pin.

4. The focused ion beam system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sample platform further comprises: a sample base, the sample base comprises a second positioning hole, a third positioning hole is arranged on the upper surface of the flattened base, and a second positioning pin is passed through between the second positioning hole and the third positioning hole.

5. The focused ion beam system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The flattened base further includes a second embedded hole, the setting direction of the second embedded hole is perpendicular to the setting direction of the third positioning hole, a second positioning member is passed through the second embedded hole, and the second positioning member abuts against the second positioning pin.

6. The focused ion beam system according to claim 4, characterized in that: Also includes: An angle adjustment component and an angle controller, wherein the angle adjustment component is drivingly connected to the sample base, and the angle controller is electrically connected to the control platform; The control platform is used to send a first adjustment instruction to the angle controller according to the angle user adjustment operation; The angle controller is used to drive the sample base to move in a preset direction to adjust the angle between the lower surface of the sample base and the lower surface of the flattened base according to the first adjustment instruction when the sample base is not fixed to the flattened base.

7. The focused ion beam system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: An adjusting mechanism and a position adjusting unit, wherein the position adjusting unit is electrically connected to the control platform; The control platform is used to send an adjustment instruction to the position adjustment unit according to the user's adjustment operation; The position adjustment unit is used to adjust the position and / or tilt angle of the sample platform through the adjustment mechanism according to the adjustment instruction.

8. The focused ion beam system according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes: a vacuum pump and a monitoring unit, wherein the vacuum pump and the monitoring unit are electrically connected to the control platform respectively, and the monitoring unit is arranged in the vacuum chamber; The monitoring unit is used to monitor and obtain the environmental parameters of the vacuum chamber and send them to the control platform; The control platform is used to control the operating state of the vacuum pump according to the environmental parameters of the vacuum chamber so that the environmental parameters in the vacuum chamber meet preset requirements.

9. The focused ion beam system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The focused ion beam is a gallium ion beam or a xenon ion beam.

10. The focused ion beam system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The preset tilt angle is any angle value between 0 and 15 degrees.

Images