Ion Beam Image Acquisition for Conducting Patterns on Insulating Substrates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ion beam imaging methods struggle to accurately acquire images of conducting patterns on insulating substrates due to charge electrification, leading to deformed or incomplete images, especially when the conducting patterns have linear edges.
Innovation Solution
The method involves performing an equal-width scan with the ion beam in a direction obliquely intersecting the edges and sweeping in a second direction, detecting secondary charged particles, calculating and synthesizing image data to reduce the influence of charge electrification, and correcting position offsets to generate accurate images.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If the ion beam is scanned and swept across the pattern edge of the mask in a horizontal or orthogonal direction to repair the mask, then the mask defects can be repaired, but the insulating part on scan and sweep regions is charged by scan and sweep, causing the scanned and swept ion beam to be influenced by charged electric charges, resulting in deformed images or no image being acquired
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the scanning process into multiple passes with different scanning directions. Instead of scanning in a single direction, the ion beam scans in alternating directions (e.g., left-to-right, then right-to-left) across the pattern edge. This segmentation of the scanning path prevents continuous charging in one direction, thereby reducing the accumulation of electric charges on the insulating substrate and minimizing image deformation while still enabling effective mask repair.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic reversal of the ion beam scanning direction. The scanning process alternates between opposite directions in a periodic manner, similar to a sawtooth wave pattern. This periodic action ensures that charges are not continuously accumulated in one direction, but rather are periodically neutralized or redistributed, thereby maintaining image acquisition accuracy while continuing the mask repair process.
2Area of stationary object
If the ion beam is scanned across a wide area of insulating part surrounding the conducting part, then more electrification occurs, but the scanned ion beam is influenced by charged electric charges, causing the conducting part to approximate a minute conducting part such as a defect, resulting in deformed images or no image being acquired
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional scanning approach by scanning from the outer regions of the insulating substrate toward the center, or by reversing the scanning direction periodically. This inversion strategy allows the ion beam to first scan areas with less charge accumulation and then progressively scan toward regions with higher charge accumulation, thereby reducing the overall influence of charged electric charges on image acquisition while maintaining comprehensive coverage of the scan region.
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 effectively reduces the impact of charge electrification, allowing for clear and accurate image acquisition of conducting patterns with linear edges on insulating substrates, enhancing image quality and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
radiating an ion beam to a sample
Implementation Method 2
detecting secondary charged particles generated by radiating the ion beam
Data Source
AI summary
A method of acquiring an image of an image acquiring region of a sample comprises a first step of irradiating and scanning an ion beam in a first scan pattern on a first scan region of a sample, the scan region including therein the image acquiring region, and a second step of detecting secondary charged particles generated by irradiating and scanning the ion beam on the first scan region of the sample and generating first image data of the image acquiring region. The first and second steps are repeated a plurality of times using different scan patterns on different scan regions that differ from the first scan and the first scan region and from one another, each of the different scan regions including therein the image acquiring region, to generate a plurality of image data of the image acquiring region. Image data of the image acquiring region are generated by synthesizing all the image data generated by scanning the different scan region, and the synthesized image data of the image acquiring region are displayed on a display unit.