Plasma Surface Treatment Neutral Beam for TEM Samples
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for preparing TEM samples, such as ion milling, face challenges in reducing ion energy without damaging the sample and focusing a beam on small samples, leading to high costs and sample damage.
Innovation Solution
A surface treatment apparatus using plasma that converts plasma ions into a neutral beam for etching the sample surface, minimizing damage with a setup including a plasma generating chamber, a neutral chamber, and a separator with an RF cathode, insulator, and neutralizer, allowing for low-energy surface treatment without the need for a focused beam.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If ion milling is used to manufacture TEM samples, then the sample can be thinned to several nanometers, but the sample suffers damage due to high ion energy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts ions into neutral atoms by changing their physical state, eliminating the harmful charged particle effects while maintaining the desired thinning effect. This parameter change from charged to neutral state resolves the contradiction between achieving thin sample sections and avoiding sample damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a neutralizer as an intermediary component between the ion source and sample. This intermediary converts harmful high-energy ions into low-energy neutral atoms, allowing the thinning process to proceed without the damaging effects of ion bombardment.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If ion energy is reduced to minimize sample damage, then sample damage decreases, but the ability to thin the sample effectively is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of the beam from charged ions to neutral atoms. This allows the beam to interact with the sample through physical sputtering without the additional damage caused by ion charging effects, enabling effective thinning at lower energies.
3Manufacturing precision
If a focused ion beam is used to treat small samples, then treatment precision improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful focusing requirement from the system by using neutral atoms instead of ions. Since neutral atoms do not require electromagnetic focusing, the complex focusing system is eliminated while still achieving precise treatment of small samples through direct neutral beam incidence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the electromagnetic focusing system (required for ion beams) with a simpler mechanical or geometric arrangement for neutral beam delivery. This substitution eliminates the need for complex electromagnetic lenses and control systems while maintaining treatment precision.
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
The plasma-based surface treatment effectively removes contaminants while minimizing sample damage, using gases like Ar, O2, and CF4, and does not require a focused beam, offering a cost-effective and damage-reducing alternative to traditional ion milling.
Implementation Method 1
a plasma generating chamber injected with supply gas from the process gas supply unit to generate the plasma
Implementation Method 2
The radio frequency (RF) cathode has a plate shape having a plurality of first gas holes is connected with an RF supply unit, and accelerates the ions by self bias
Implementation Method 3
The neutralizer converts the ions into the neutral beam
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a surface treatment apparatus for cleaning or treating (micro etching, etc.) a surface of a TEM sample (substrate) by converting plasma ions into a neutral beam and a separator including an RF cathode connected to an RF supply unit and accelerating ions by self bias is disposed between a plasma generating chamber and a neutral chamber and the ions generated in the plasma generating chamber are converted into a neutral beam through a separator and accelerated and irradiated to a neutral chamber to enable surface treatment without damaging a sample.