Ion beam cross-section polishing device and method

Abstract

The present invention provides an efficient ion beam cross-section polishing method and device, comprising an ion source, a first focusing module, and a second focusing module; wherein the ion source is used to generate an ion beam; the first focusing module is used to focus the ion beam to increase the beam current density of the ion beam and preliminarily adjust the shape and divergence of the ion beam; the ion beam focused by the first focusing module enters the second focusing module, and the second focusing module performs unidirectional focusing on the ion beam and diverges the ion beam in another direction, thereby forming an elongated elliptical ion beam spot to irradiate the surface of the sample to be polished, thereby achieving efficient ion beam cross-section polishing. The present invention can significantly improve the ion beam current density in the effective action area, thereby improving the polishing efficiency. The device has a simple structure and is easy to be integrated into existing ion beam polishing equipment, and has broad application prospects.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of material processing, and in particular to an ion beam cross-section polishing device and method. Background Art

[0002] Argon ion beam polishing is a precision surface treatment technology that utilizes an accelerated argon ion beam to sputter and remove atoms from the material surface, achieving high-precision polishing. By precisely controlling parameters such as ion beam energy, beam current, incident angle, and polishing time, a smooth, flat, high-quality sample surface can be achieved. Compared to traditional mechanical polishing methods, ion beam polishing offers the advantages of non-contact, high precision, and wide applicability. It avoids sample damage and deformation, improving the accuracy of subsequent imaging and analysis. This technology is widely used in sample preparation for a variety of materials, including metals, ceramics, biological materials, semiconductors, and new energy materials.

[0003] Ion beam polishing can be divided into two types: planar polishing and cross-sectional polishing. Cross-sectional polishing is primarily used to prepare cross-sectional samples of materials. The principle is to use a sharp-edged baffle to cover most of the sample, leaving only a narrow rectangular area to be polished. The ion beam bombards this area, removing material and producing a high-quality cross-sectional sample.

[0004] However, conventional cross-section polishing techniques use ion beams with circular beam spots, such as Figure 1 As shown, there are the following deficiencies:

[0005] Low ion beam energy utilization: During the polishing process, most of the ion beam with a circular beam spot hits the baffle, causing energy waste and reducing efficiency.

[0006] Contamination risk: Most of the ion beam hits the baffle, and sputtering may also occur, posing a risk of deposition and contamination of the sample.

[0007] Limited effective action area: The area of ​​the circular beam spot is limited. For large-sized samples, the sample stage needs to be moved for point-by-point polishing, which reduces polishing efficiency, increases processing difficulty and time cost, and may result in uneven polishing.

[0008] The above factors together lead to low polishing efficiency and long processing time of traditional methods. Summary of the Invention

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose and other advantages of the present invention, the first purpose of the present invention is to provide an ion beam cross-section polishing device, comprising an ion source, a first focusing module, and a second focusing module; wherein,

[0010] The ion source is used to generate an ion beam;

[0011] The first focusing module is used to focus the ion beam to increase the beam current density of the ion beam and preliminarily adjust the shape and divergence of the ion beam;

[0012] The ion beam focused by the first focusing module enters the second focusing module. The second focusing module focuses the ion beam in one direction and diverges the ion beam in another direction, thereby forming a long strip of ion beam spot to irradiate the surface of the sample to be polished, thereby achieving uniform and efficient ion beam cross-section polishing.

[0013] Furthermore, the energy and beam current of the ion beam generated by the ion source can be adjusted according to the material to be polished and the desired polishing effect.

[0014] Further, the first focusing module is configured as an Einzel lens.

[0015] Furthermore, the electrode voltage of the Einzel lens can be adjusted to optimize the focusing effect.

[0016] Furthermore, the second focusing module is configured as a quadrupole lens, and the quadrupole lens performs unidirectional focusing on the ion beam through the non-uniform electric field generated by the quadrupole lens.

[0017] Furthermore, the electrode voltage of the quadrupole lens can be adjusted to precisely control the shape and size of the ion beam spot so as to match the size and shape of the sample to be polished.

[0018] A second object of the present invention is to provide an ion beam cross-section polishing method, which is applied to the above-mentioned ion beam cross-section polishing device, and the method comprises the following steps:

[0019] generating an ion beam using an ion source;

[0020] The ion beam is focused by a first focusing module to increase the beam current density of the ion beam and preliminarily adjust the shape and divergence of the ion beam;

[0021] The ion beam focused by the first focusing module enters the second focusing module, and the second focusing module focuses the ion beam in one direction and diverges the ion beam in another direction, thereby forming an elongated ion beam spot;

[0022] The shaped ion beam is irradiated onto the surface of the sample to be polished, achieving uniform and efficient ion beam cross-section polishing.

[0023] Furthermore, the method further comprises the steps of:

[0024] The energy and beam current of the ion beam are adjusted according to the material to be polished and the required polishing effect.

[0025] Furthermore, the method further comprises the steps of:

[0026] Adjusting the electrode voltage of the first focusing module to optimize the focusing effect;

[0027] Furthermore, the electrode voltage of the second focusing module is adjusted to precisely control the shape and size of the ion beam spot so as to match the size and shape of the sample to be polished.

[0028] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0029] This invention provides an ion beam cross-section polishing device and method that significantly improves energy utilization. A linear beam spot design precisely controls the ion beam's irradiation area, concentrating the beam energy on the target sample area and minimizing the impact on areas outside the sample. This not only improves polishing efficiency but also avoids sample contamination caused by sputtering of other materials, ensuring surface cleanliness and accurate analysis results.

[0030] Expand the effective action area: The linear beam spot can cover a larger sample cross-section polishing area, reducing the number of sample stage movements and improving polishing efficiency.

[0031] Enhanced ion beam adjustment flexibility: By adjusting lens parameters, the shape and size of the ion beam can be flexibly controlled to adapt to samples of different shapes and sizes.

[0032] Significantly improve polishing efficiency: Due to the improvement of energy utilization and the expansion of effective action area, the present invention can greatly shorten the polishing time and improve processing efficiency.

[0033] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present invention and to implement it according to the contents of the description, the following preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The specific implementation methods of the present invention are given in detail by the following embodiments and the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of this application. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0035] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of ion beam cross-section polishing;

[0036] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the ion beam cross-section polishing device;

[0037] Figure 3 This is the schematic diagram of the ion beam cross-section polishing device;

[0038] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of beam density distribution of Example 1;

[0039] Figure 5 is the half-peak width position of example 1;

[0040] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of beam density distribution of Example 2;

[0041] Figure 7 is the half-peak width position of example 2;

[0042] Figure 8 Flow chart of the ion beam cross-section polishing method. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0044] In the drawings, the shapes and dimensions may be exaggerated for clarity, and the same reference numerals will be used throughout to designate the same or like components.

[0045] In the following description, words such as center, thickness, height, length, front, back, rear, left, right, top, bottom, upper, lower, etc. are defined relative to the structure shown in the drawings. In particular, "height" is equivalent to the dimension from top to bottom, "width" is equivalent to the dimension from left to right, and "depth" is equivalent to the dimension from front to back. They are relative concepts and may therefore change accordingly depending on their different positions and different usage states. Therefore, these or other directions should not be interpreted as restrictive terms.

[0046] Terms referring to attachment, coupling, and the like (eg, "connected" and "attached") refer to structures being fixed or attached to one another, directly or indirectly, through intermediate structures, as well as movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0047] Example 1

[0048] An ion beam cross-section polishing device, such as Figure 2 、 Figure 3 As shown, it includes an ion source 3, a first focusing module 2, and a second focusing module 1; wherein,

[0049] The ion source is used to generate an ion beam;

[0050] In some embodiments, the energy and beam current of the ion beam generated by the ion source can be adjusted according to the material to be polished and the desired polishing effect. A suitable ion source (e.g., a cold cathode ion source, a hot cathode ion source, an ECR ion source, an RF ion source, etc.) is used to generate an ion beam of a desired type, such as an argon ion beam.

[0051] The first focusing module is used to focus the ion beam to increase the beam current density of the ion beam and preliminarily adjust the shape and divergence of the ion beam;

[0052] In some embodiments, the first focusing module is configured as an Einzel lens. The ion beam from the ion source is first focused by an Einzel lens to increase the beam current density and preliminarily adjust the shape and divergence of the ion beam. Furthermore, the electrode voltage of the Einzel lens can be precisely controlled to optimize the focusing effect.

[0053] The ion beam focused by the first focusing module enters the second focusing module. The second focusing module focuses the ion beam in one direction and diverges the ion beam in another direction, thereby forming a long strip of ion beam spot to irradiate the surface of the sample to be polished, thereby achieving uniform and efficient ion beam cross-section polishing.

[0054] In some embodiments, the second focusing module is configured as a quadrupole lens, which focuses the ion beam in one direction by generating a non-uniform electric field. Furthermore, by adjusting the electrode voltage of the quadrupole lens, the shape and size of the ion beam spot can be precisely controlled to match the size and shape of the sample to be polished.

[0055] The ion beam, focused by the Einzel lens, then enters a quadrupole lens system. The quadrupole lens generates a nonuniform electric field, focusing the ion beam in one direction and diverging it in the other, forming a long, strip-shaped ion beam spot. The combination of multiple electrostatic lens units enables precise control of the ion beam's shape and distribution.

[0056] The shaped ion beam is irradiated onto the sample surface to be polished, achieving uniform and efficient ion beam cross-section polishing. Because the shape and size of the ion beam match the sample surface, the utilization rate of the ion beam can be maximized, and the polishing rate can be increased.

[0057] Ion beam control is achieved by adjusting the voltage of each electrostatic lens electrode. The shape, size and beam density distribution of the ion beam emitted by the ion optical column with and without a focusing lens group and with different types of focusing lens groups are compared and analyzed.

[0058] Example 1: Comparison between non-focusing and focusing with an electrostatic quadrupole lens: Using an argon ion beam as the experimental object, with a mass of 39.948u and a charge energy of 1eV, 3000 ions were emitted for the experiment. The number of ions in a rectangular interval with a width of 1mm and lengths of 2mm, 4mm, 6mm, and 8mm was calculated.

[0059] Experimental conditions: the argon ion beam is a parallel beam with a diameter of 6 mm, an ion beam energy of 5 keV, and a uniform ion beam position distribution; the voltages of the four electrodes of the electrostatic quadrupole lens are 500 V, -500 V, 500 V, and -500 V, respectively; the voltage of the electrodes of the Ei nzel lens is 2000 V.

[0060] Comparison of no focusing and focusing of electrostatic quadrupole lens Figure 4 、 Figure 5 The results of no focusing and electrostatic quadrupole lens focusing are shown in Table 1.

[0061] Table 1 Results of no focusing and electrostatic quadrupole lens focusing

[0062]

[0063] The total number of ions extracted from the ion source was 536. Compared to a circular ion beam spot without a focusing lens, the ion beam focused by the electrostatic quadrupole lens has an elliptical shape. The half-width in the z-direction is compressed from [-1.25, 1.26] mm to [-0.34, 0.37] mm, and in the y-direction is stretched from [-1.11, 1.23] mm to [-1.97, 2.11] mm. Within a 1 mm width range (i.e., z = [-0.5, 0.5]), the beam current density increases by 1.9 to 2.96 times for various sample lengths.

[0064] Example 2: Comparison of no focusing with focusing using an Ei nzel focusing lens and an electrostatic quadrupole lens combination: If you do not want to stretch the ion beam in another direction, that is, compress the ions in one direction while maintaining the original length, you can first use an Ei nzel lens to focus the ion beam, and then stretch the ion beam through a quadrupole lens.

[0065] Comparison of no focusing, focusing with Ei nze l focusing lens and electrostatic quadrupole lens group Figure 6 、 Figure 7 The focusing results of no focusing, Ei nze l focusing lens and electrostatic quadrupole lens group are shown in Table 2.

[0066] Table 2 Focusing results of no focusing, Ei nze l focusing lens and electrostatic quadrupole lens group

[0067]

[0068] The total number of ions extracted from the ion source was 536. Compared to a circular ion beam spot without a focusing lens, the ion beam focused by the electrostatic quadrupole lens has an elliptical shape. The half-width in the z-direction is compressed from [-1.25, 1.26] mm to [-0.35, 0.34] mm, and in the y-direction is stretched from [-1.11, 1.23] mm to [-1.23, 1.3] mm. Within a 1 mm width range (i.e., z = [-0.5, 0.5]), the beam current density increases by 3.22 to 3.44 times for various sample lengths. Nearly the entire ion beam is directed to the effective area, significantly improving polishing efficiency.

[0069] This embodiment provides an ion beam cross-section polishing device that overcomes the shortcomings of existing ion beam technologies, such as low energy utilization, limited effective area, and low polishing efficiency. This device improves polishing efficiency, reduces processing time, and enhances polishing precision and uniformity, expanding its application in materials analysis. The device has a simple structure and is easily integrated into existing ion beam polishing equipment, promising broad application prospects.

[0070] Example 2

[0071] An ion beam cross-section polishing method is applied to the above-mentioned ion beam cross-section polishing device. For a detailed description of the ion beam cross-section polishing device, reference can be made to the corresponding description in the above-mentioned ion beam cross-section polishing device embodiment, which will not be repeated here. Figure 8 As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0072] S100, generating an ion beam using an ion source;

[0073] S200, the ion beam is focused by a first focusing module to increase the beam current density of the ion beam and preliminarily adjust the shape and divergence of the ion beam;

[0074] S300: The ion beam focused by the first focusing module enters the second focusing module. The second focusing module focuses the ion beam in one direction and diverges the ion beam in another direction, thereby forming an elongated ion beam spot.

[0075] S400: The shaped ion beam is irradiated onto the sample surface to be polished, achieving uniform and efficient ion beam cross-section polishing. Since the shape and size of the ion beam match the sample surface, the utilization rate of the ion beam can be maximized, and the polishing rate can be increased.

[0076] In some embodiments, the steps further include:

[0077] The energy and current of the ion beam are adjusted according to the material to be polished and the desired polishing effect. A suitable ion source (e.g., cold cathode ion source, hot cathode ion source, ECR ion source, RF ion source, etc.) is used to generate the desired type of ion beam, such as an argon ion beam.

[0078] In some embodiments, the steps further include:

[0079] The electrode voltage of the first focusing module is adjusted to optimize the focusing effect.

[0080] In some embodiments, the first focusing module is configured as an Einzel lens. The ion beam from the ion source is first focused by an Einzel lens to increase the beam current density and preliminarily adjust the shape and divergence of the ion beam. Furthermore, the electrode voltage of the Einzel lens can be precisely controlled to optimize the focusing effect.

[0081] In some embodiments, the steps further include:

[0082] The electrode voltage of the second focusing module is adjusted to precisely control the shape and size of the ion beam spot so as to match the size and shape of the sample to be polished.

[0083] In some embodiments, the second focusing module is configured as a quadrupole lens, which focuses the ion beam in one direction by generating a non-uniform electric field. Furthermore, by adjusting the electrode voltage of the quadrupole lens, the shape and size of the ion beam spot can be precisely controlled to match the size and shape of the sample to be polished.

[0084] In conjunction with the above-mentioned embodiment, the ion beam focused by the Einzel lens then enters a quadrupole lens system. The quadrupole lens generates a non-uniform electric field, focusing the ion beam in one direction and diverging it in the other direction, thereby forming an elongated ion beam spot. The combination of multiple electrostatic lens units enables precise control of the shape and distribution of the ion beam.

[0085] This embodiment provides an argon ion beam cross-section polishing method to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, such as low ion beam energy utilization, limited effective action area, and low polishing efficiency, thereby improving polishing efficiency, reducing processing time, and enhancing polishing accuracy and uniformity, thereby expanding its application scope in the field of material analysis.

[0086] The number of devices and processing scales described herein are intended to simplify the description of the present invention. Applications, modifications, and variations of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0087] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed above, they are not limited to the applications listed in the description and implementation methods. They can be fully applied to various fields suitable for the present invention. For those familiar with the art, additional modifications can be easily implemented. Therefore, without departing from the general concept defined by the claims and the scope of equivalents, the present invention is not limited to the specific details and illustrations shown and described herein.

[0088] It should also be noted that the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, commodity, or apparatus that includes a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or includes elements inherent to such process, method, commodity, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprises a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, commodity, or apparatus that includes the element.

[0089] This specification may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer, such as program units. Generally, program units include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and the like that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The specification may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices connected via a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program units may be located in local and remote computer storage media, including storage devices.

[0090] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to in conjunction with each other. Each embodiment focuses on the differences between the other embodiments. In particular, the system embodiments are generally similar to the method embodiments, so the description is relatively simple. For relevant parts, refer to the description of the method embodiments.

[0091] The foregoing is merely an example of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention to one or more embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made to the present invention to one or more embodiments. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention to one or more embodiments shall be included within the scope of the claims of the present invention to one or more embodiments.

Claims

1. An ion beam cross-section polishing device, characterized in that: It includes an ion source, a first focusing module, and a second focusing module; wherein, The ion source is used to generate an ion beam; The first focusing module is used to focus the ion beam to increase the beam current density of the ion beam and preliminarily adjust the shape and divergence of the ion beam; The ion beam focused by the first focusing module enters the second focusing module, which focuses the ion beam in one direction and diverges the ion beam in the other direction, thereby forming a long strip of ion beam spot to irradiate the surface of the sample to be polished, thereby achieving uniform and efficient ion beam cross-section polishing; The first focusing module is configured as an Einzel lens; The second focusing module is configured as a quadrupole lens, which performs unidirectional focusing on the ion beam through the non-uniform electric field generated by the quadrupole lens.

2. The ion beam cross-section polishing device according to claim 1, wherein: The energy and beam current of the ion beam generated by the ion source can be adjusted according to the material to be polished and the desired polishing effect.

3. The ion beam cross-section polishing device according to claim 1, wherein: The electrode voltage of the Einzel lens can be adjusted to optimize the focusing effect.

4. The ion beam cross-section polishing device according to claim 1, wherein: The electrode voltage of the quadrupole lens can be adjusted to precisely control the shape and size of the ion beam spot so as to match the size and shape of the sample to be polished.

5. An ion beam cross-section polishing method, characterized in that: Applied to an ion beam cross-section polishing device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, the method comprises the following steps: generating an ion beam using an ion source; The ion beam is focused by a first focusing module to increase the beam current density of the ion beam and preliminarily adjust the shape and divergence of the ion beam; The ion beam focused by the first focusing module enters the second focusing module, and the second focusing module focuses the ion beam in one direction and diverges the ion beam in another direction, thereby forming an elongated ion beam spot; The shaped ion beam is irradiated onto the surface of the sample to be polished, achieving uniform and efficient ion beam cross-section polishing.

6. The ion beam cross-section polishing method according to claim 5, wherein: Also includes the steps: The energy and beam current of the ion beam are adjusted according to the material to be polished and the required polishing effect.

7. The ion beam cross-section polishing method according to claim 5, wherein: Also includes the steps: Adjusting the electrode voltage of the first focusing module to optimize the focusing effect; Furthermore, the electrode voltage of the second focusing module is adjusted to precisely control the shape and size of the ion beam spot so as to match the size and shape of the sample to be polished.

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