US 12,476,071 B2
Specimen machining device and specimen machining method
Munehiro Kozuka, Tokyo (JP); Tsutomu Negishi, Tokyo (JP); Tatsuhito Kimura, Tokyo (JP); Yoshikazu Ishikawa, Tokyo (JP); and Hisashi Kawahara, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to JEOL Ltd., Tokyo (JP)
Filed by JEOL Ltd., Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Jun. 3, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/832,054.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-094687 (JP), filed on Jun. 4, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0392739 A1, Dec. 8, 2022
Int. Cl. H01J 37/22 (2006.01); H01J 37/08 (2006.01); H01J 37/09 (2006.01); H01J 37/20 (2006.01); H01J 37/244 (2006.01); H01J 37/305 (2006.01); H01L 21/66 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 37/222 (2013.01) [H01J 37/08 (2013.01); H01J 37/09 (2013.01); H01J 37/20 (2013.01); H01J 37/226 (2013.01); H01J 37/244 (2013.01); H01J 37/305 (2013.01); H01L 22/26 (2013.01); H01J 2237/20207 (2013.01); H01J 2237/24578 (2013.01); H01J 2237/31745 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A specimen machining device for machining a specimen by irradiating the specimen with an ion beam, the specimen machining device comprising:
an ion source for irradiating the specimen with the ion beam;
a shielding member disposed on the specimen to block the ion beam;
a specimen stage for holding the specimen;
a camera for photographing the specimen;
a coaxial illumination device for irradiating the specimen with illumination light along an optical axis of the camera;
a transmission illumination device for transmissively illuminating the specimen; and
a processing unit for determining whether to terminate the machining based on an image photographed by the camera,
the processing unit configured to perform processing for:
acquiring information indicating a target machined width;
acquiring the image;
extracting from the image two inclined surfaces formed by the machining based on a dark appearance of the two inclined surfaces in the image due to the coaxial illumination;
measuring a machined width on the acquired image, the machined width being a distance in a direction perpendicular to both the ion beam and the illumination light, between the two inclined surfaces; and
terminating the machining when the measured machined width equals or exceeds the target machined width,
wherein each of the inclined surfaces is formed in a boundary between a machined region of the specimen and an unmachined region of the specimen.
 
7. A specimen machining method using a specimen machining device for machining a specimen by irradiating the specimen with an ion beam, the specimen machining method comprising:
irradiating the specimen with the ion beam from an ion source;
blocking the ion beam with a shielding member disposed on the specimen;
acquiring information indicating a target machined width;
acquiring an image of the specimen by illuminating the specimen using coaxial illumination light along the optical axis of a camera and by a transmission illumination device for transmissively illuminating the specimen; and photographing the specimen;
extracting from the image two inclined surfaces formed by the machining based on a dark appearance of the two inclined surfaces in the image due to the coaxial illumination;
measuring a machined width on the acquired image, the machined width being a distance in a direction perpendicular to both the ion beam and the illumination light, between two inclined surfaces formed by the machining; and
terminating the machining when the measured machined width equals or exceeds the target machined width,
wherein each of the inclined surfaces is formed in a boundary between a machined region of the specimen and an unmachined region of the specimen.