Increasing deposition rate by applying negative voltage to gas injection nozzle in FIB system

Abstract

A method of depositing a material over a localized region of a sample is disclosed, the method comprising: positioning the sample within a vacuum chamber such that the localized region is below a field of view of a charged particle beam column; injecting a deposition precursor gas with a gas injection nozzle into the vacuum chamber at a location adjacent to the deposition region; generating a charged particle beam with the charged particle beam column and focusing the charged particle beam within a deposition region of the sample; and scanning the charged particle beam over the deposition region of the sample to activate molecules of the deposition gas that have adhered to the surface of the sample in the deposition region and to deposit a material on the sample within the deposition region; and applying a negative bias to the gas injection nozzle while scanning the focused ion beam over the deposition region to change the trajectory of the secondary electrons and repel the secondary electrons back to the sample surface.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application No. 17 / 950,960, filed on September 22, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0003] Related Applications

[0004] This application is related to commonly assigned U.S. Application No. 17 / 725,023, entitled “Reduced Charging by Low Negative Voltage in FIB Systems,” filed on April 20, 2022. The entire contents of the '023 application are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Background Art

[0005] In the study of electronic materials and processes used to fabricate such materials into electronic structures, specimens of electronic structures may be used for microscopic examination for failure analysis and device verification. For example, a specimen such as a silicon, gallium nitride, or other type of wafer including one or more integrated circuits (ICs) or other electronic structures formed thereon may be milled with a focused ion beam (FIB) and / or analyzed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to study specific characteristics of the circuits or other structures formed on the wafer.

[0006] FIB and SEM tools are similar in that each includes a charged particle column that produces a charged particle beam and directs the beam toward the sample. However, as the names suggest, the charged particle beam produced by a FIB column is a focused ion beam, while the charged particle beam produced by a SEM column is a focused electron beam.

[0007] Although FIB tools and SEM tools (as well as FIB-SEM tools, which include both FIB columns and SEM columns) are often used to analyze and otherwise evaluate structures within a sample, these tools can also be used to etch or deposit materials on the sample. For example, a focused ion beam can be scanned over the surface of a sample, while a gas injection system directs a flow of deposition precursor gas to the scanned area to selectively deposit material in the scanned area with nanometer precision according to a technique often referred to as focused ion beam enhanced deposition, or simply FIB enhanced deposition. During the FIB enhanced deposition process, molecules of the injected gas adhere to the surface of the sample. When the ion beam is scanned over an area of ​​the sample, the energy released by the collision cascade of the bombarding ions causes the precursor molecules adsorbed on the surface to dissociate, resulting in solid deposition on the surface and the release of volatile residues. As another example, a deposition gas can be introduced into a nearby sample, where an electron beam is scanned over the surface of the sample to deposit material under the SEM column.

[0008] Although FIB enhanced deposition has been used in many different situations and applications, the search for improved deposition techniques is ongoing. Summary of the invention

[0009] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an improved method and system for charged particle beam enhanced deposition, such as focused ion beam enhanced deposition. Embodiments may be used to increase the deposition rate of charged particle beam enhanced deposition, and thereby increase the throughput of processes employing charged particle beam enhanced deposition. Although embodiments of the present disclosure may be used to increase the rate at which material is deposited on various different types of samples, some embodiments are particularly useful when depositing material on samples such as semiconductor wafers or similar specimens.

[0010] In some embodiments, a method for depositing a material on a sample in a local region of the sample is provided. The method may include: positioning the sample in a vacuum chamber so that the local region is located under the field of view of a charged particle beam column; injecting a deposition precursor gas into the vacuum chamber at a position adjacent to a deposition region with a gas injection nozzle; generating a charged particle beam with a charged particle beam column and focusing the charged particle beam in a deposition region of the sample; and scanning the charged particle beam over the deposition region of the sample to activate molecules of the deposition gas that have adhered to the sample surface in the deposition region and deposit material on the sample in the deposition region; and applying a negative bias to the gas injection nozzle while scanning the focused ion beam over the deposition region to change the trajectory of secondary electrons and repel the secondary electrons back to the sample surface.

[0011] In various embodiments, the method may include one or more of the following features. The charged particle beam column may be a focused ion beam column and the charged particle beam may be a focused ion beam. The gas injection nozzle may be positioned between the tip of the charged particle column and the sample. The gas injection nozzle may include a channel formed through the far end of the nozzle, the channel being aligned to allow the focused ion beam to pass through the channel to reach the sample. The step of applying a negative bias to the gas injection nozzle may apply a voltage between negative 50 volts and negative 1000 volts or between negative 100 volts and negative 500 volts. The sample may be a semiconductor wafer.

[0012] In some embodiments, a system for depositing a material on a sample in a localized region of the sample is provided. The system may include: a vacuum chamber; a sample support configured to hold the sample in the vacuum chamber during a deposition operation; a charged particle beam column configured to direct a charged particle beam to a region of the vacuum chamber toward the sample during a deposition operation; a gas injection nozzle configured to introduce a deposition gas to a surface of the sample during a deposition operation; and a voltage source operable to apply a negative bias to the gas injection nozzle during a localized deposition process.

[0013] In yet other embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable memory is provided. The computer readable memory may include a plurality of computer readable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processors to: position the sample in a vacuum chamber so that the local area is located under the field of view of a charged particle beam column; inject a deposition precursor gas into the vacuum chamber at a position adjacent to a deposition region using a gas injection nozzle; generate a charged particle beam using a charged particle beam column and focus the charged particle beam within the deposition region of the sample; scan the charged particle beam over the deposition region of the sample to activate molecules of the deposition gas that have adhered to the sample surface in the deposition region and deposit material on the sample in the deposition region; and apply a negative bias to the gas injection nozzle while scanning the focused ion beam over the deposition region to change the trajectory of secondary electrons and repel the secondary electrons back to the sample surface.

[0014] In order to better understand the nature and advantages of the present disclosure, reference should be made to the following description and accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that each of the figures in the accompanying drawings is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not drawn to scale, and is not intended as a definition of limitations on the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, as a general rule, and unless otherwise apparent from the description, where the same reference numerals are used for elements in different drawings, these elements are generally the same or at least similar in function or purpose.

[0015] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is a simplified illustration of a sample focused ion beam (FIB) evaluation system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 2 is a simplified illustration of a sample focused ion beam (FIB) evaluation system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 3 is a simplified flow chart depicting steps associated with a method of depositing a material onto a sample according to some embodiments;

[0019] Figure 4 is a simplified diagram of an area on a semiconductor wafer upon which materials may be deposited according to embodiments disclosed herein;

[0020] Figure 5 is a simplified diagram of secondary electrons produced by colliding an ion beam with a sample;

[0021] Fig. 6A is a simplified diagram of a portion of a FIB column and a gas nozzle according to some embodiments;

[0022] Figure 6B It is a depiction of the Fig. 6A a simplified plan view of a portion of a gas injection nozzle as shown; and

[0023] Figure 6C is a simplified illustration of a gas injection nozzle positioned above a sample, according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an improved method and system for charged particle beam enhanced deposition, such as focused ion beam enhanced deposition. Embodiments may be used to increase the deposition rate of charged particle beam enhanced deposition and thereby increase the throughput of processes employing charged particle beam enhanced deposition.

[0025] Exemplary Focused Ion Beam (FIB) Tools

[0026] In order to better understand and comprehend this disclosure, first refer to Figure 1 , which is a simplified schematic diagram of a focused ion beam (FIB) evaluation system 100. The FIB system 100 may be used for particle enhanced deposition of various materials on semiconductor wafers, among other operations.

[0027] like Figure 1As shown, system 100 may include a vacuum chamber 110 and a focused ion beam (FIB) column 120, among other components. Support element 140 may support a sample 130 (e.g., a semiconductor wafer) within chamber 110 during processing operations in which sample 130 (sometimes referred to herein as an "object" or "specimen") is subjected to a charged particle beam from FIB column 120.

[0028] During processing operations, for certain operations, one or more gases may be delivered into the chamber 110 via the gas injection system 150. For simplicity of description, the gas injection system 150 may be configured to be configured to be a plurality of gases. Figure 1 , but it is noted that the gas injection system 150 may include a gas reservoir, a gas source, a valve, one or more inlets and one or more outlets, among other components. In some embodiments, the gas injection system 150 may be configured to deliver gas to a localized area of ​​the sample 130 exposed to the scan pattern of the charged particle beam, rather than delivering gas to the entire upper surface of the sample. For example, in some embodiments, the gas injection system 150 has a nozzle opening diameter measured as hundreds of microns (e.g., between 400-500 microns), which is configured to deliver gas directly to a relatively small portion of the sample surface that covers the scan pattern of the charged particle beam.

[0029] The FIB column 120 is connected to the vacuum chamber 110 so that the charged particle beam generated by the FIB column propagates through the vacuum environment formed in the vacuum chamber 110 before impinging on the sample 130. Figure 1 As shown, the FIB column 120 can generate a focused ion beam 125 that travels through the vacuum environment of the chamber 110 before colliding with the sample 130.

[0030] The FIB column 120 can mill the sample 130 (e.g., drill a groove in the sample) by irradiating the sample with a charged particle beam 125 to form a cross section, and can also smooth the cross section if necessary. The FIB milling process is generally operated by placing the sample in a vacuum environment and emitting a focused ion beam toward the sample to etch or mill away material on the sample. In some cases, the vacuum environment can be purged by a controlled concentration of a background gas that is used to help control the etching rate and quality or to help control the deposition of substances. The accelerated ions can be generated by xenon, gallium, or other suitable elements, and are generally accelerated toward the sample by a voltage in the range of 500 volts to 100,000 volts, and more typically in the range of 3,000 volts to 30,000 volts. Depending on the configuration and application of the FIB instrument, the beam current is generally in the range of a few picoamps to a few microamps, and the pressure is generally controlled at 10 in different parts of the system and in different operating modes.-10 mbar to 10 -5 Between millibars.

[0031] The milling process can be accomplished, for example, by (i) locating a location of interest that should be milled so as to remove a portion of material (e.g., a portion of one or more layers) from the sample; (ii) moving the sample (e.g., by mechanical support element 140) so that the sample is under the field of view of the FIB unit, and (iii) milling the sample to remove the desired amount of material in the location of interest. The milling process can include forming grooves (typically with lateral dimensions ranging from a few microns to several hundred microns) in the sample.

[0032] The milling process typically involves scanning a charged particle beam back and forth (e.g., in a raster or other scanning pattern) over a specific area of ​​the sample being imaged or milled. As is known to those skilled in the art, one or more lenses (not shown) coupled to the charged particle column can implement the scanning pattern. The area scanned typically occupies only a small portion of the total area of ​​the sample. For example, the sample can be a semiconductor wafer having a diameter of 150 mm, 200 mm, or 300 mm, and each area on the wafer that is scanned (i.e., the area that is milled) can be a rectangular area with a width and / or length measured in microns or tens of microns. Each iteration (or frame) of the ion beam scanning over the area being milled is typically measured in microseconds and removes very small amounts of material (e.g., as little as 0.01 atomic layers using a low-i probe (e.g., 10 pA) or as many as 1000 atomic layers using a high-i probe (e.g., 1000 nA)), so that the scanning pattern is repeated thousands or even millions of times to etch the hole to the desired depth.

[0033] During the milling operation, the charged particle beam 120 generated by the FIB column 120 propagates through the vacuum environment formed in the vacuum chamber 110 before impacting the sample 130. The milling process produces byproducts such as molecules, atoms and ions of the material being milled and secondary electrons. For example, when ions hit the sample surface at a relatively high energy level, the ions can start a collision cascade that transfers momentum and energy from the ions to the sample until the ions stop and are injected. The momentum and energy transfer during the collision cascade can cause atomic dislocation, atomic ionization, and phonon (heat) generation. The cascade can reach the sample surface, causing atoms with sufficient momentum and energy to sputter to escape the solid sample, and secondary ions and electrons are generated due to the combination of ionization and sputtering, which also escape the sample surface. These secondary ions or secondary electrons can be detected by an appropriate detector (not shown). The detected secondary ions or secondary electrons can then be used to analyze the properties of the milled layers and structures.

[0034] Although in Figure 1Although not shown in the drawings, the FIB system 100 may include one or more controllers, processors, or other hardware units that control the operation of the system 100 by executing computer instructions stored in one or more computer-readable memories, as known to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the computer-readable memory may include solid-state memory (such as random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM), which may be programmable, flash-updatable, and / or the like), a disk drive, an optical storage device, or a similar non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

[0035] Figure 2 is a simplified schematic diagram of a portion of another focused ion beam (FIB) evaluation system 200 according to some embodiments. System 200 corresponds to system 100 and Figure 2 The same reference numerals are used to indicate Figure 1 1. However, the system 200 includes a gas injection nozzle 250 positioned directly between the FIB column 120 and the sample 130. In order to allow the focused ion beam 125 to reach the sample 130, the gas injection nozzle 250 may include a hole or channel 252 formed through the gas injection nozzle that allows the ion beam 125 to pass through the gas injection nozzle and collide with the sample 130 at a location directly below the nozzle. One suitable example of a gas injection nozzle that can be used as the nozzle 250 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,992,288, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0036] In some embodiments, each of the gas injection nozzles 150 and 250 can be in a fixed relationship relative to the FIB column 120 in the X-plane and the Y-plane, and movable in the Z-plane to allow the nozzle to be brought into close proximity (e.g., as close as 300 microns in some embodiments) to the upper surface of the sample 300. Thus, during processing operations, the gas injection nozzles 150 and 250 can generally be positioned closer to the surface than the tip of the FIB column 120.

[0037] Charged Particle Enhanced Deposition Process

[0038] Some embodiments of the present disclosure can deposit material on a sample located on a sample support by initiating a deposition process under a FIB column. As an example, in some embodiments, the FIB column 120 can be used in a deposition mode to initiate a focused ion beam enhanced deposition process. To this end, a deposition gas can be supplied to the sample 130 through a gas injection nozzle 150 or 250, and some molecules of the deposition gas can adhere to the surface of the sample. The energy from the FIB column 120 can produce an ion beam 125, which can be focused into a deposition area of ​​the sample. The cascade of impinging ions can then activate molecules of the deposition gas that have adhered to the sample surface, thereby resulting in material deposition on the sample, which is localized to the sample area scanned by the ion beam. Therefore, the deposition that occurs according to such embodiments does not occur simultaneously on the entire surface of the sample or wafer being processed. Instead, deposition occurs only in general areas on the wafer where the ion beam (as a non-limiting example, for xenon plasma, its diameter can range from 0.5 microns to 25 microns) strikes, and occurs as the ion beam scans over these areas of the wafer. Thus, deposition according to some embodiments may be performed with micrometer-scale resolution.

[0039] The rate at which material is deposited in such a focused ion beam (FIB) enhanced deposition process can have a direct impact on the throughput of the process. Therefore, a higher deposition rate can equate to a higher throughput. In a FIB deposition process, the rate at which material is deposited on a sample depends on many different factors, including the energy level of the charged particle beam, the type of material on the sample surface, the temperature of the sample surface, and the precursor gases used for the deposition process.

[0040] As described in more detail below, embodiments of the present invention can increase deposition rates by applying a negative voltage to a gas injection nozzle made of a conductive material during a FIB deposition process. The negative voltage can repel secondary electrons ejected from the sample (e.g., due to collision with a focused ion beam) back to the sample. The repelled electrons can then cause additional dissociation events at or near the sample surface, which in turn can result in an increase in the deposition rate of the process.

[0041] Improving deposition rates in charged particle enhanced deposition processes

[0042] To promote higher deposition rates and thus higher productivity, some embodiments of the present disclosure may apply a negative voltage to the gas injection nozzle during the charged particle enhanced deposition process. Figure 3 and Figure 4 ,in Figure 3 is a simplified flow chart depicting steps associated with a method 300 of depositing a material onto a sample according to some embodiments, and Figure 4 Can represent Figure 1 and Figure 2 4. The method 300 begins by positioning the sample in a processing chamber of a sample evaluation system (block 310). The processing chamber may be, for example, chamber 100, which may include one or more charged particle beam columns that may be operated in a deposition mode to deposit material in one or more localized regions above the sample 400. Block 310 may include positioning the sample on a sample support (such as support 140) within a vacuum chamber.

[0043] In many cases, sample 400 will include multiple different regions of material to be deposited. For example, Figure 4 A top view of a sample 400 and two expanded views of a particular portion of the sample 400 are depicted. The sample 400 may be, for example, a 150 mm, 200 mm, or 300 mm semiconductor wafer, and may include a plurality of integrated circuits 410 (52 in the depicted example) formed on the semiconductor wafer. The integrated circuits 410 may be at an intermediate stage of fabrication, and the method 300 may be used to deposit material over one or more regions 420 of the integrated circuits. For example, Figure 4 Exploded view A of FIG. 4 depicts a plurality of regions 420 of one of the integrated circuits 410 over which material may be deposited according to the techniques described herein. Exploded view B depicts one of the regions 420 in greater detail, and dashed line 430 represents an area within the integrated circuit 410 that is directly the opening of a gas nozzle during a charged particle deposition process according to some embodiments.

[0044] Return to reference Figure 3 , the support 140 may be moved to a position such that a region where material is to be deposited on the sample (e.g., one of the regions 420, referred to herein as a "deposition region") is placed directly below the tip of the focused ion beam column (block 320). Next, a negative bias voltage is applied to the gas injection nozzle (block 330), and a deposition precursor gas may be injected into the chamber 110 at a location proximate to the deposition region, for example, by the gas injection system 150 (block 340). During block 340, molecules of the deposition precursor gas adhere to the surface of the sample according to the adhesion coefficient of the precursor gas.

[0045] While the gas is being delivered to the deposition region and when a negative voltage is applied to the gas injection nozzle, a charged particle beam (e.g., an ion beam) can be generated (step 350) and focused and scanned over an area of ​​interest on the sample (step 360). The charged particle beam can be focused by a focusing lens and scanned over an area of ​​the substrate with one or more deflection lenses (not shown). As discussed above, the cascade of charged particles from beam 125 can activate molecules of the deposition gas that have adhered to the sample in the deposition region, resulting in material deposition on the sample, which is localized to the sample area scanned by the ion beam. For example, the charged particle beam can dissociate a precursor gas, decomposing the gas into volatile and non-volatile components, wherein the non-volatile components remain on the surface of the sample as deposition material.

[0046] The interaction of the ion beam with the sample 400 also generates secondary electrons, some of which are ejected from the sample toward the gas injection nozzle. Figure 5 As shown, the collision of the ion beam 125 with the sample 130 can generate secondary electrons 500, which are ejected from the sample 130 along many different trajectories. The negative bias voltage (block 330) applied to the gas injection nozzle by embodiments of the present invention during the deposition process can repel the ejected secondary electrons 500 back to the sample surface, thereby causing additional dissociation events, which in turn can cause an increase in the deposition rate of the process, as described below in conjunction with FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C Discussed.

[0047] In a practical implementation, steps 350 and 360 may occur substantially simultaneously and very quickly, and while steps 350 and 360 are being performed, steps 330 and 340 may be maintained (i.e., a negative voltage may be continuously applied to the gas injection nozzle and deposition gas may be continuously introduced into the chamber).

[0048] Once material from the precursor gas has been deposited in the first deposition sequence, if there are additional areas on the sample where material is to be deposited (block 370), the sample can be moved via the substrate support to position the next or subsequent deposition area below the tip of the charged particle column (block 320). If not, the deposition process is complete and the sample can be transferred out of the system 100 or otherwise processed (block 380).

[0049] Although method 300 can be used to deposit many different types of materials, and the embodiments described herein are not limited to the use of any particular deposition precursor gas, as a specific example, the deposition precursor gas can be tungsten hexacarbonyl (W(CO)6), which can be dissociated by a charged particle beam, thereby leaving a layer of tungsten material deposited within a localized deposition area on the sample.

[0050] Gas injection nozzle

[0051] Reference now Fig. 6A , which is Figure 2 A simplified illustration of a portion of a sample evaluation system is shown, in which only portions of the FIB column 120, the gas injection nozzle 250, and the sample 130 are depicted. As shown, the gas injection nozzle 250 includes a channel 252 that extends from the upper surface of the nozzle 250 through the nozzle 250 to the lower surface of the nozzle. The channel 252 can have a circular cross-section and can be centered on the ion beam 125 so that the ion beam is impacted on the sample 130 (e.g., at Figure 6B The passage 252 of the gas injection nozzle 250 is traversed in the region 600 shown in FIG. 6A . The nozzle 250 also includes an opening 254 located at the bottom surface of the nozzle adjacent to the upper surface of the sample 130. The gas flowing through the nozzle 250 can be distributed to the surface of the sample 130 via the opening 254.

[0052] Figure 6B 2 is a simplified illustration of a portion of nozzle 250 viewing sample 130 through opening 254. Figure 6B As shown, the opening 620 may also have a circular cross-section that encompasses the channel 252 and symmetrically surrounds the region 600 on the sample 130 where the ion beam 125 collides with the sample. In this way, the gas delivered by the nozzle 250 may be delivered directly to the deposition region 600 of the sample 130.

[0053] like Figure 2 and Fig. 6A As shown, the gas injection nozzle 250 is closer to the sample 130 than the tip of the FIB column. For example, the nozzle 250 can be closer to the deposition area on the upper surface of the sample 130 by an order of magnitude or more than the portion of the focused ion beam column closest to the deposition area. In some embodiments, the lower surface of the nozzle 250 can be spaced apart from the upper surface of the sample 130 by a distance X2 (e.g., Figure 6C As shown), this distance is measured in tens or hundreds of microns. As a non-limiting example, in some charged particle deposition operations, the lower surface of the nozzle 250 may be spaced apart from the sample surface by about 200-700 microns.

[0054] In previously known systems, the substrate support 130 and the gas nozzle 250 are typically electrically grounded. However, embodiments disclosed herein apply a negative voltage to the gas injection nozzle 250 to repel secondary electrons generated during charged particle deposition operations back to the sample. For illustration, reference is made to Figure 6C , which is a simplified illustration of a portion of a gas injection nozzle 250 positioned above the sample 130 as the ion beam 125 bombards the sample.

[0055] like Figure 6B The design of the gas injection nozzle 250 shown completely and symmetrically surrounding the milling area, and the extremely close spacing (in the micrometer range) between the gas nozzle 250 and the sample can result in the repelled secondary electrons 610 being returned to a region of the sample 130 that is centered on the milling area and has a radius of approximately Y2 (and thus at least one order of magnitude or two orders of magnitude or more smaller than Y1) that measures tens of micrometers rather than millimeters. Thus, the secondary electrons can be repelled back to a region on the sample that is within the same approximate range (measured in micrometers) as the deposition area, which enables the repelled secondary electrons to interact with molecules of the deposition gas and cause additional dissociation events, thereby increasing the rate at which material is deposited on the sample 130.

[0056] To promote increased deposition rates, the negative bias voltage applied to the gas injection nozzle should be high enough to repel secondary electrons escaping from the sample surface back into the sample, but should not be so high as to affect the trajectory of the ion beam 125, which would adversely affect the deposition process. In some embodiments, the negative bias voltage may be the minimum voltage required to repel a predetermined percentage of secondary electrons. A suitable value for the negative bias voltage will depend in part on the geometry of the gas injection nozzle, the spacing between the nozzle and the sample, and the predetermined percentage of secondary electrons to be repelled back into the sample. Therefore, a suitable negative bias voltage may be determined by simulation or by experiment, as may be readily determined by one skilled in the art. In some embodiments, the bias voltage may be between negative 50 volts and negative 1000 volts; and in other embodiments, the bias voltage may be between negative 100 volts and negative 500 volts.

[0057] Additional Implementations

[0058] For the purpose of explanation, the foregoing description uses specific terms to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details are not required to practice the described embodiments. Therefore, the foregoing description of the specific embodiments described herein is presented for the purpose of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. For example, although the above embodiments describe the focused ion column as part of a tool with a single charged particle column, in some embodiments, the focused ion beam column can be positioned in a SEM-FIB tool with a scanning electron microscope column and a focused ion beam column.

[0059] In addition, although different embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed above, the specific details of a particular embodiment may be combined in any suitable manner without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Moreover, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, it should be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and variations that fall within the true spirit of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0060] Furthermore, any reference to a method in the above specification shall apply mutatis mutandis to a system capable of performing the method, and shall apply mutatis mutandis to a computer program product storing instructions which, once executed, result in the performance of the method. Similarly, any reference to a system in the above specification shall apply mutatis mutandis to a method executable by the system, and shall apply mutatis mutandis to a computer program product storing instructions executable by the system; and any reference to a computer program product in the specification shall apply mutatis mutandis to a method executable when the instructions stored in the computer program product are executed, and shall apply mutatis mutandis to a system configured to execute the instructions stored in the computer program product.

[0061] Furthermore, while the described embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented to a large extent using electronic components and circuits known to those skilled in the art, such details will not be explained to a greater extent than deemed necessary as described above in order to understand and appreciate the basic concepts of the present disclosure and in order not to obscure or deviate from the teachings of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method of depositing a material over a localized area of ​​a sample, the method comprising: Positioning the sample within the vacuum chamber so that the localized region is located under the field of view of the charged particle beam column; injecting a deposition precursor gas into the vacuum chamber at a location adjacent to the deposition area using a gas injection nozzle; generating a charged particle beam with the charged particle beam column and focusing the charged particle beam within the deposition region of the sample; as well as scanning the charged particle beam over the deposition region of the sample to activate molecules of the deposition gas that have adhered to the surface of the sample in the deposition region and deposit material on the sample in the deposition region; as well as A negative bias is applied to the gas injection nozzle while the focused ion beam is scanned over the deposition area to change the trajectory of the secondary electrons and repel the secondary electrons back to the sample surface. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas injection nozzle is positioned between the tip of the charged particle column and the sample.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the gas injection nozzle includes a channel formed through a distal end of the nozzle, the channel being aligned to allow the focused ion beam to pass through the channel to the sample.

4. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of applying a negative bias to the gas injection nozzle applies a voltage between negative 50 volts and negative 1000 volts.

5. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of applying a negative bias to the gas injection nozzle applies a voltage between negative 100 volts and negative 500 volts. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sample is a semiconductor wafer.

7. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the charged particle beam column is a focused ion beam column and the charged particle beam is a focused ion beam.

8. A system for depositing a material onto a sample in a localized region of the sample, the system comprising: Vacuum chamber; a sample support configured to hold a sample within the vacuum chamber during a deposition operation; a charged particle beam column configured to direct a charged particle beam into the vacuum chamber toward the region of the sample during the deposition operation; a gas injection nozzle configured to introduce a deposition gas to a surface of the sample during the deposition operation; as well as A voltage source is operable to apply a negative bias to the gas injection nozzle during a localized deposition process.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the gas injection nozzle is positioned between the tip of the charged particle column and the sample.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the gas injection nozzle includes a channel formed through a distal end of the nozzle, the channel being aligned to allow the focused ion beam to pass through the channel to the sample.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the sample is a semiconductor wafer.

12. The system of any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the charged particle beam column is a focused ion beam column and the charged particle beam is a focused ion beam.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the voltage source applies a voltage between negative 50 volts and negative 1000 volts during the local deposition process.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the voltage source applies a voltage between negative 100 volts and negative 500 volts during the local deposition process.

15. A non-transitory computer readable memory comprising a plurality of computer readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processors to: Positioning the sample within the vacuum chamber so that the localized region is located under the field of view of the charged particle beam column; injecting a deposition precursor gas into the vacuum chamber at a location adjacent to the deposition area using a gas injection nozzle; generating a charged particle beam with the charged particle beam column and focusing the charged particle beam within the deposition region of the sample; scanning the charged particle beam over the deposition region of the sample to activate molecules of the deposition gas that have adhered to the surface of the sample in the deposition region and deposit material on the sample in the deposition region; as well as A negative bias is applied to the gas injection nozzle while the focused ion beam is scanned over the deposition area to change the trajectory of the secondary electrons and repel the secondary electrons back to the sample surface.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the gas injection nozzle is positioned between a tip of the charged particle column and the sample.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the gas injection nozzle includes a channel formed through a distal end of the nozzle, the channel being aligned to allow the focused ion beam to pass through the channel to the sample.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the charged particle beam column is a focused ion beam column and the charged particle beam is a focused ion beam.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of applying a negative bias to the gas injection nozzle applies a voltage between negative 100 volts and negative 500 volts.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the sample is a semiconductor wafer.

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