Universal angle-adjustable sample support for vacuum interconnection equipment and sample testing method

Abstract

The invention discloses a universal angle-adjustable sample support for vacuum interconnection equipment and a sample testing method. The angle-adjustable sample holder comprises: a sample holder matrix configured to be adapted to sample stage interfaces of at least two material characterization devices; the sample holder comprises a sample holder body, a sample bearing base and an angle adjusting mechanism, the sample bearing base is provided with a bearing table top used for bearing a sample, the angle adjusting mechanism is arranged on the sample holder body, and the sample bearing base is connected with the angle adjusting mechanism. The angle adjusting mechanism is configured to drive the sample bearing base table to rotate around a selected axis, so that the sample bearing base table tilts relative to the sample holder parent body, and the angle of an included angle formed by the bearing table top and the horizontal plane is changed along with the sample holder parent body. The angle-adjustable sample holder provided by the invention can be directly transferred among a plurality of vacuum interconnected test devices, can be universal for SEM, FIB, EBSD, AES, XPS and other devices, and can realize multi-angle test.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a universal adjustable angle sample holder for vacuum interconnection equipment and a sample testing method, and belongs to the technical field of material testing. BACKGROUND

[0002] The testing of material organization, structure and composition often requires the use of multiple devices for characterization analysis from multiple angles and scales. However, each device has a corresponding probe position and angle, and thus has different requirements for the size, direction and angle of the test sample. For example, the ion beam angle of FIB is 54° from the vertical direction, and the sample also needs to be tilted by 54° to achieve vertical cutting; EBSD requires the sample to be tilted by 70° to enable the probe to collect a stronger signal; the probe of SEM and AES is generally directly above, and the sample can be tested horizontally; the angle-resolved test of XPS requires the sample to be at an angle of 10° to 90° from the analyzer.

[0003] Existing characterization equipment requires different test angles, especially FIB requires 54°, EBSD requires 70°, most other tests require 0°, and XPS can achieve 10° to 90° angle resolution. Therefore, if the same sample needs to be tested by multiple devices, the sample needs to be transferred, the sample holder needs to be changed, and the sample needs to be re-prepared when changing devices, which can easily cause sample damage and contamination, and also wastes time and is inefficient. SUMMARY

[0004] The main purpose of the present application is to provide a universal adjustable angle sample holder for vacuum interconnection equipment and a sample testing method, thereby overcoming the deficiencies in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the foregoing purposes of the application, the technical solutions adopted by the present application include:

[0006] The first aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a universal adjustable angle sample holder for vacuum interconnection equipment, which is used to carry a sample and can be directly transferred between multiple test devices in vacuum interconnection, and comprises:

[0007] A sample holder body configured to interface and adapt to the sample stage of at least two material characterization devices;

[0008] A sample carrying base and an angle adjusting mechanism, the sample carrying base has a carrying platform for carrying a sample, the angle adjusting mechanism is arranged on the sample carrier body, the sample carrying base is connected with the angle adjusting mechanism, the angle adjusting mechanism is configured to drive the sample carrying base to rotate around a selected axis, so that the sample carrying base is tilted relative to the sample carrier body, and the angle between the carrying platform and the horizontal plane is changed.

[0009] Further, the angle adjusting mechanism comprises a driving assembly and a transmission assembly, the driving assembly is in transmission connection with the sample carrying base through the transmission assembly, and the transmission assembly is used for converting the external force applied by the driving assembly into the rotational motion of the sample carrying base rotating around the selected axis.

[0010] Further, the driving assembly comprises a screw rod, and the transmission assembly comprises a gear set formed by at least two intermeshing gears, the gears included in the gear set are arranged on the sample carrier body and are in rotational cooperation with the sample carrier body; the gear set converts the rotational motion of the screw rod into the rotational motion of the sample carrier body, and the angle between the carrying platform and the horizontal plane is changed step by step.

[0011] Further, the gear set comprises a first gear and a second gear, the screw rod is in threaded connection with the sample carrier body, and the screw rod and the first gear have rotational freedom of rotating around the axis of the screw rod and linear motion freedom of moving along the axis of the screw rod.

[0012] Further, the rotational axis is parallel to the axis of the screw rod.

[0013] Further, the second gear is arranged on a support shaft and is in rotational connection with the support shaft, the support shaft is fixedly arranged on the sample carrier body, and the support shaft limits the axial displacement of the second gear and allows the circumferential rotation of the second gear.

[0014] Further, the second gear is in rotational connection with the support shaft through a bearing.

[0015] Further, the support shaft is arranged in parallel with the screw rod.

[0016] Further, the sample carrier body is provided with a receiving groove, and the gear set is arranged in the receiving groove.

[0017] Further, the angle adjusting range of the carrying platform corresponds to the number of teeth of the second gear.

[0018] Further, the angle between the carrying platform and the horizontal plane is changed in the range of -45° to 45°.

[0019] Further, the bearing table is provided with a sample fixing structure for fixing the sample on the bearing table.

[0020] Further, the sample fixing structure fixes the sample by mechanical clamping.

[0021] The second aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides a sample testing method, which comprises:

[0022] Placing the sample on the bearing table of the adjustable angle sample holder of the vacuum interconnection equipment, placing the sample-carrying adjustable angle sample holder in a test chamber of the vacuum interconnection equipment, after the test is completed, directly transferring the sample-carrying adjustable angle sample holder to another test chamber through the vacuum pipeline, and adjusting the angle between the bearing table and the horizontal plane during the test to make the angle between the sample and the test end of the test equipment meet the test requirement.

[0023] Further, the vacuum interconnection equipment comprises at least two of a scanning electron microscope, an Auger electron spectrometer, an X-ray photoelectron spectrometer and an electron backscatter diffraction instrument.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present application include:

[0025] The adjustable angle sample holder of the vacuum interconnection equipment provided by the embodiment of the present application can realize the change of the angle of the sample testing surface while keeping the whole stage of the device horizontal (stage-T=0°) through the cooperation of the internally arranged gear set and screw rod.

[0026] The adjustable angle sample holder of the vacuum interconnection equipment provided by the embodiment of the present application can meet the use of multiple devices such as SEM, FIB, XPS, EBSD and AES, and when the same sample is tested by multiple devices, the sample does not need to be transferred, thereby avoiding the damage and pollution of the sample.

[0027] The adjustable angle sample holder of the vacuum interconnection equipment provided by the embodiment of the present application has a small activity range and high flexibility, and in combination with the small range rotation of the stage-T shaft, can realize large-angle testing of the sample, is flexible to operate, has high safety, can meet in-situ testing when multiple detectors are concentrated on one device, can realize accurate positioning and avoid atmospheric pollution caused by the sample entering and exiting the device, and is convenient, fast and efficient. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an adjustable angle sample holder of a vacuum interconnection equipment provided in a typical embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 2 、 Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of the sample bearing base station and gear engagement state provided in a typical embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the principle of XPS testing of the sample in application case 1 of the present application.

[0031] Figure 5 、 6 is a schematic diagram of the principle of EBSD, FIB testing of the sample in application case 2 of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] In view of the deficiencies in the prior art, the present inventors have obtained the technical solution of the present application through long-term research and a large number of practices. The technical solution, its implementation process and principles will be further explained in combination with the drawings and specific implementation cases. Unless specifically stated, the scanning electron microscope (SEM), focused ion beam system (FIB), electron backscatter diffraction instrument (EBSD), Auger electron spectrometer (AES), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) involved in the embodiments of the present application are known in the art, and their specific structures and models are not limited here.

[0033] The present application combines commonly used material composition and structure characterization means (such as, but not limited to, SEM, AES, XPS, Sims, FIB, EBSD), and the characterization requirements of different equipment, to provide a general adjustable angle sample holder for vacuum interconnection equipment, which can meet the testing requirements of SEM, FIB, EBSD, AES, XPS and other equipment, and can realize multi-angle testing. At the same time, it can meet the requirement of measuring a single device and then interconnecting to another device, without the sample contacting the atmosphere, avoiding contamination, and also meeting the requirement of in-situ testing of SEM, AES, XPS, EBSD and other equipment on the fresh area processed by FIB.

[0034] In a more typical implementation, please refer to Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3A kind of adjustable angle sample holder of vacuum interconnection equipment general, including sample holder parent body 1, sample bearing base 6 and angle adjusting mechanism, angle adjusting mechanism is arranged on the sample holder parent body 1, sample bearing base 6 is arranged on angle adjusting mechanism, wherein, sample holder parent body 1 as adjustable angle sample holder's foundation, it is configured to be adapted to the sample stage interface of at least two material characterization equipment, to enable the adjustable angle sample holder can be directly transferred between at least two test equipment of vacuum interconnection, the sample bearing base 6 has the bearing platform for carrying sample 7, the angle adjusting mechanism is configured to drive the sample bearing base 6 rotates around selected axis, the sample bearing base 6 is tilted relative to the sample holder parent body 1, to make the angle of the bearing platform with the angle of the horizontal plane change.

[0035] Specifically, the angle adjusting mechanism includes a drive assembly and a transmission assembly, the drive assembly is in transmission connection with the sample bearing base 6 via the transmission assembly, and the transmission assembly is used for converting an external force applied by the drive assembly into a rotational motion of the sample bearing base 6 rotating around a selected axis.

[0036] As a typical embodiment, the drive assembly includes a screw rod 2, and the transmission assembly includes a gear set formed by at least two intermeshing gears, the gears included in the gear set are arranged on the sample holder parent body 1 and are in rotational cooperation with the sample holder parent body 1; the gear set converts the rotational motion of the screw rod 2 into the rotational motion of the sample holder parent body 1, and the angle of the bearing platform with the horizontal plane is step-changed. Specifically, the gear set includes a first gear 3 and a second gear 4, the screw rod 2 is in threaded connection with the sample holder parent body 1, the screw rod 2 and the first gear 3 have a rotational freedom of rotating around an axis of the screw rod 2 and a linear motion freedom of moving along the axis of the screw rod 2, and the rotational axis is parallel to the axis of the screw rod 2. Specifically, the angle adjusting range of the bearing platform corresponds to the number of teeth of the second gear 4, and the angle of the bearing platform with the horizontal plane changes in a range of -45° to 45°.

[0037] Specifically, the sample holder parent body 1 is provided with a receiving groove, and the gear set is arranged in the receiving groove.

[0038] In order to improve the structural stability of the sample bearing base 6 during angle adjustment, the second gear 4 is not a complete circular structure, the circumferential side surface of the second gear 4 has a flat surface (flat edge), the sample bearing base 6 is fixedly connected with the flat surface of the second gear 4, of course, the local part of the second gear 4 can also be embedded in the sample bearing base 6, and the two are fixedly connected. Exemplarily, the sample bearing base 6 and the second gear 4 can be fixed by welding, riveting and bonding known in the art.

[0039] Specifically, in order to further improve the structural stability of the sample bearing base 6 during the angle adjustment process, the second gear 4 is arranged on the support shaft 5 and is rotationally connected with the support shaft 5, the support shaft 5 is fixedly arranged on the sample holder body 1, the support shaft 5 limits the axial displacement of the second gear 4 and allows the circumferential rotation of the second gear 4, that is, the second gear 4 rotates around the support shaft 5. More specifically, the second gear 4 is rotationally connected with the support shaft 5 through a bearing, and it can be understood that the second gear 4 is fixedly connected with the outer ring of the bearing, and the support shaft 5 is fixedly connected with the inner ring of the bearing. As a preferred embodiment, the axes of the support shaft 5, the screw rod 2, the first gear 3 and the second gear 4 are all arranged in parallel.

[0040] Specifically, the bearing table is provided with a sample fixing structure for fixing the sample on the bearing table. Specifically, the sample fixing structure is a mechanical clamping structure, which fixes the sample by mechanical clamping or the like. Exemplarily, the sample bearing base 6 can be a fixed flat plate or the like, and the mechanical clamping structure can adopt a clamp or the like known in the art which can fix the sample.

[0041] Application Case 1

[0042] The film material is subjected to angle-resolved XPS testing, the exit electron angle is changed (10-90°), and the sample information at different depths is obtained non-destructively. The conventional testing requires a specific angle sample holder, and the T-axis of the sample table is rotated to complete the testing. The adjustable angle sample holder provided by the embodiment of the application does not need to rotate the T-axis, and the sample tilt angle can be adjusted by directly rotating the screw rod of the adjustable angle sample holder. As shown in the figure, Figure 4 when the sample is tilted by -35°, the angle between the sample test surface and the analyzer is 10°, and when the sample is tilted by 45°, the angle between the sample test surface and the analyzer is 90°. The sample does not need to be transferred to a specific sample holder, reducing the damage and contamination of the sample, and the T-axis does not need to be tilted, and the operation safety is high.

[0043] Application Case 2

[0044] EBSD testing is performed on a sample with a rough surface or a stress layer, a reactant or the like on the surface. Before testing, Fib cutting and cleaning of the test surface are first performed. In the conventional testing, a FIB sample holder is required, the stage-T is tilted, the sample test surface is parallel to the ion beam, ion beam cleaning is performed, and then an EBSD special sample holder (with an angle a=20-70°) is used, combined with the stage-T rotation angle (70-a), so that the sample test surface forms an angle of 70° with the horizontal plane, and EBSD testing is realized.

[0045] The adjustable angle sample holder provided by the embodiment of the application can be used for a vacuum interconnection device, and does not need a large-angle rotating stage-T. Figure 5 As shown in the figure, by rotating the screw rod, the sample is tilted by-38°, the sample test surface is parallel to the Fib ion gun, the ion beam cutting is used to trim the sample, then the bolt is rotated to adjust the sample to be tilted by 45°, and the T axis only needs to be tilted by 25°, and the angle between the sample test surface and the horizontal plane is 70°. The sample does not need to be transferred to a specific sample holder for multiple times, and the damage and pollution of the sample are reduced. The T axis does not need to be tilted by a large angle, the operation safety is high, and the EBSD and the FIB can be installed on the same device or different devices. If the EBSD and the FIB are installed on the same device, the sample holder can be used for SEM, FIB and EBSD tests at one time, the pollution is avoided, the in-situ test is achieved, the convenience is high, and the efficiency is high.

[0046] The adjustable angle sample holder provided by the embodiment of the application can be used for a vacuum interconnection device, and does not need a large-angle rotating stage-T.

[0047] It should be understood that the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and characteristics of the application, and the purpose is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of the application and implement the application, and cannot limit the protection scope of the application. Any equivalent changes or modifications made according to the spirit and principle of the application should be covered within the protection scope of the application.

Claims

1. A universal adjustable angle sample holder for vacuum interconnectable equipment for carrying a sample and capable of being directly transferred between a plurality of test equipment in vacuum interconnectable, characterized in that, The application relates to a sample holder for a vacuum interconnection device, comprising: a sample holder body configured to interface with a sample stage of at least two material characterization devices; a sample carrying base having a carrying surface for carrying a sample, and an angle adjustment mechanism disposed on the sample holder body, the sample carrying base being connected to the angle adjustment mechanism, the angle adjustment mechanism being configured to rotate the sample carrying base about a selected axis to tilt the sample carrying base relative to the sample holder body so as to change an angle of the carrying surface with respect to a horizontal plane.

2. The universally adjustable angle sample holder for vacuum interconnect equipment of claim 1, wherein: The angle adjustment mechanism comprises a driving assembly and a transmission assembly, the driving assembly being in transmission connection with the sample carrying base via the transmission assembly, the transmission assembly being configured to convert an external force applied by the driving assembly into a rotational motion of the sample carrying base about the selected axis.

3. The universally adjustable angle sample holder for vacuum interconnect equipment of claim 2, wherein: The driving assembly comprises a screw, and the transmission assembly comprises a gear set formed by at least two intermeshing gears, the gears of the gear set being disposed on the sample holder body and being in rotational cooperation with the sample holder body, the gear set converting the rotational motion of the screw into the rotational motion of the sample holder body, wherein the angle of the carrying surface with respect to the horizontal plane is changed step by step.

4. The universally adjustable angle sample holder for vacuum interconnect equipment of claim 3, wherein: The gear set comprises a first gear and a second gear, the screw is in threaded connection with the sample holder body, the screw and the first gear have a rotational freedom about the axis of the screw and a linear motion freedom along the axis of the screw. The rotational axis is parallel to the axis of the screw.

5. The universally adjustable angle sample holder for vacuum interconnect equipment of claim 4, wherein: The second gear is disposed on and in rotational connection with a support shaft, the support shaft being fixedly disposed on the sample holder body, the support shaft limiting the axial displacement of the second gear and allowing the circumferential rotation of the second gear. The second gear is in rotational connection with the support shaft via a bearing. The support shaft is parallel to the screw.

6. The universally adjustable angle sample holder for vacuum interconnection equipment according to claim 3 or 5, characterized in that: The sample holder body is provided with a receiving groove, and the gear set is disposed in the receiving groove.

7. The universally adjustable angle sample holder for vacuum interconnection equipment according to claim 4 or 6, characterized in that: The angle adjustment range of the carrying surface corresponds to the number of teeth of the second gear. The angle adjustment range of the carrying surface is -45 DEG to 45 DEG.

8. The universally adjustable angle sample holder for vacuum interconnect equipment of claim 1, wherein: The carrying surface is provided with a sample fixing structure for fixing the sample on the carrying surface. The sample fixing structure fixes the sample by mechanical clamping.

9. A sample testing method characterized by, The application relates to a method for testing a sample in a vacuum interconnection device, comprising the following steps: placing the sample on a carrying surface of an adjustable angle sample holder of the vacuum interconnection device, placing the adjustable angle sample holder carrying the sample in a test chamber of the vacuum interconnection device, directly transferring the adjustable angle sample holder carrying the sample to another test chamber through a vacuum pipeline after the test is completed, and adjusting the angle of the carrying surface with respect to a horizontal plane during the test so that the angle of the sample with respect to a test end of the test device meets the test requirements.

10. The sample testing method of claim 9, wherein: The vacuum interconnect device includes at least two of a scanning electron microscope, an Auger electron spectrometer, an X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, and an electron backscatter diffraction instrument.

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