Focused Ion Beam Condenser Voltage Table Aperture Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing focused ion beam apparatuses face challenges in stabilizing ion beam generation over time, requiring frequent adjustments of extracting voltage, which affects the condenser lens electric field and ion beam focus, necessitating extensive manual settings for various apertures, leading to inefficiencies in man-hours and accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A focused ion beam apparatus with a bipotential lens and a control system that uses a condenser voltage table to store and adjust settings for different apertures, allowing for precise condenser voltage setting by calculating and storing correction values for each aperture, enabling easy and accurate voltage adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the extracting voltage is changed to stabilize ion beam generation, then the ion beam generation stability is improved, but the condenser lens electric field changes causing ion beam focus to deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the condenser voltage in response to extracting voltage changes. When the extracting voltage is modified to stabilize ion beam generation, the control portion simultaneously modifies the condenser voltage to compensate for the resulting electric field changes in the bipotential lens, thereby maintaining the ion beam focus and resolving the contradiction between generation stability and focusing precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If the condenser voltage is adjusted manually for each aperture type to maintain ion beam focus, then the ion beam focus is maintained, but the man-hours required increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service through automated control. The control portion automatically determines the appropriate condenser voltage based on the selected aperture type and stores it in the condenser voltage table, eliminating the need for manual adjustment. When an aperture is selected, the corresponding condenser voltage is automatically applied, maintaining ion beam focus without requiring operator intervention and significantly reducing adjustment time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-storing optimal condenser voltage values for each aperture type in the condenser voltage table. These values are determined in advance and stored for quick retrieval, so when an aperture is selected during operation, the corresponding voltage is immediately applied without requiring real-time manual calculation or adjustment, thus maintaining focus while saving time.
3Length of moving object
If multiple types of apertures with different aperture diameters are used to reduce ion beam diameter, then the ion beam diameter is reduced, but the complexity of voltage settings increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality through the condenser voltage table, which serves as a universal storage mechanism for all aperture-specific voltage settings. Instead of requiring separate adjustment procedures for each aperture type, the table provides a unified interface where the control portion automatically retrieves and applies the appropriate condenser voltage for any selected aperture, simplifying the overall system operation while supporting multiple aperture diameters for ion beam reduction.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for high-accuracy and efficient setting of condenser voltage across various apertures, reducing manual effort and ensuring stable ion beam generation by using a reference aperture's experimental voltage to calculate setting values for other apertures, thus streamlining the process.
Implementation Method 1
a first electrode configured to extract the ion beam from the ion source in response to application of an extracting voltage between the first electrode and the ion source, and a second electrode configured to condense the ion beam extracted from the ion source in response to application of a condenser voltage between the second electrode and the ion source
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a focused ion beam apparatus including a control portion configured to: store in advance, in a condenser voltage table, a calculation value of a condenser voltage for obtaining a reference beam current for all each of a plurality of apertures; obtain an experimental value of the condenser voltage for obtaining the reference beam current for a reference aperture; obtain a correction value of the condenser voltage by subtracting the calculation value stored for the reference aperture from the experimental value for the reference aperture; obtain setting values of the condenser voltage by adding the correction value to the calculation values stored for each of the plurality of the apertures; and store the obtained setting value in the condenser voltage table.