Two‐In‐one sample preparation for plan‐VIew TEM

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample preparation requires special skills, it is time consuming and costly, hence, an increase of the efficiency is of primary importance. This article describes a method that duplicates the yield of the conventional mechanical and ion beam preparation of plan‐view TEM samples. As a modification of the usual procedures, instead of one two different samples are comprised in a single specimen. The two pre‐cut slabs, one from each samples, are embedded side by side in the window of a 3 mm dia Ti disk and the specimen is thinned mechanically and by ion milling until perforation that occurs at the interface of the two different slabs. That, with proper implementation, provides acceptable size thin area for the TEM study of both samples. The suitability of the two‐in‐one method has been confirmed through examples. Microsc. Res. Tech. 78:599–602, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

现代离子注入机的机械扫描技术

简单介绍了典型离子注入机的组成,分析了离子注入机中扫描技术的重要性。随着集成电路工艺技术的提高,对离子注入提出更高的要求,传统的批注入已不能满足当前的工艺,从而开发出了适应当前工艺的单晶片注入的机械扫描技术。这种注入技术解决了技术上的难题,也很好地控制了成本风险,同时具有更高精度、更少污染等一系列优点,成为当前高端离子注入机机械扫描技术的首选。本文对国内外技术进行了对比,对国内离子注入机机械扫描技术的发展进行了展望。     

Contouring algorithm for ion figuring

Ion beam figuring provides a highly deterministic method for the final precision figuring of optical components with advantages over conventional methods. The ion-figuring process involves bombarding a component with a stable beam of accelerated particles, which selectively removes material from the surface. The specific figure corrections are achieved by rastering the fixed-current beam across the workpiece at varying velocities. Unlike conventional methods, ion figuring is a noncontract technique that avoids such problems inherent in traditional fabrication processes as edge roll-off effects, tool wear, and force loading of the work piece. Other researchers have demonstrated that ion beam figuring is effective for correcting of large optical components. This work is directed toward the development of the precision ion-machining system (PIMS) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). This system is designed for processing small ( 10 cm diameter) optical components. The ion-figuring process involves obtaining an interferometric error map of the surface, choosing a raster pattern for the beam, and determining the velocities along that path. Because the material removed is the convolution of the fixed ion beam removal and the rastering velocity as a function of position, determining the appropriate velocities from the desired removal map and the known ion beam profile is a deconvolution process. A unique method of performing this deconvolution was developed for the project, which is also applicable to other mathematically similar processes, including computer-controlled polishing. This paper presents the deconvolution algorithm, a comparison of this technique with other methods, and a simulation analysis. Future research will implement this procedure at MSFC.     

An experimental method for calibration of the plasmon mean free path

Transmission electron microscopy specimens in the form of elongated, conical needles were made using a dual‐beam focused ion beam system, allowing the specimen thickness to be geometrically determined for a range of thickness values. From the same samples electron energy loss maps were acquired and the plasmon mean free path (λ) for inelastic scattering was determined experimentally from the measured values of specimen thickness. To test the method λ was determined for Ni (174 ± 17 nm), α‐Al₂O₃ (143 ± 14 nm), Si (199 ± 20 nm) and amorphous SiO₂ (238 ± 12 nm), and compared both to experimental values of λ taken from the literature and to calculated values. The calculated values of λ significantly underestimate the true sample thickness for high accelerating voltages (300 kV) and large collection angles. A linear dependence of λ on thickness was confirmed for t/λ < 0.5–0.6, but this method also provides an approach for calibrating λ at sample thicknesses for which multiple scattering occurs, thus expanding the thickness range over which electron energy loss spectroscopy can be used to determine the absolute sample thickness (t/λ > 0.6). The experimental method proposed in this contribution offers a means to calibrate λ for any type of material or phase that can be milled using a focused ion beam system.     

Microgan electron cyclotron resonance ion source in a Van de Graaff accelerator terminal

The Van de Graaff accelerator at IRMM works since many years providing proton, deuteron, and helium beams for nuclear data measurements. The original ion source was of RF type with quartz bottle. This kind of source, as well known, needs regular maintenance for which the accelerator tank must be completely opened. The heavy usage at high currents of the IRMM accelerator necessitated an opening about once every month. In 2010, the full permanent magnet Microgan electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source from PANTECHNIK was installed into a new terminal platform together with a solid state amplifier of 50 W, a dedicated dosing system for 4 gases (with respective gas bottles H(2), D(2), He, and Ar), and a set of dedicated power supplies and electronic devices for the remote tuning of the source. The new system shows a very stable behaviour of the produced beam allowing running the Van de Graaf without maintenance for several months. This contribution will describe the full installed system in details (working at high pressure in the terminal, spark effects, and optic of the extraction), as well as beam results in dc or pulsed mode.     

Stabilization of the phase-space portrait parameters of a hydrogen ion beam

This investigation carried out variations in the transverse phase-space portrait of an ion beam during a 200-μs pulse of a proton injector in the linear accelerator at the Institute for Nuclear Research. The parameters of the accelerated 400-keV beam at the entrance into the beam transport channel and the beam from the ion source were measured. Numerical simulation of ion-beam acceleration in the proton injector was performed. The noiseless mode of beam generation in the duoplasmatron was obtained. The generator of the duoplasmatron discharge current with a discharge current instability of ±1% or less was developed and put into operation. A compensated resistive-capacitive voltage divider was used in the accelerating tube. The beam emittance measurements showed that the variations in the phase-space portrait of the beam from the upgraded injector during the 200-μs pulse were absent within the measurement accuracy. The normalized emittance for 90% of the beam current was 0.15π × cm × mrad at an ion current of 65 mA.     

Commissioning of heating neutral beams for COMPASS-D tokamak

Two neutral beam injectors have been developed for plasma heating on COMPASS-D tokamak (Institute of Plasma Physics, Prague). The 4-electrodes multihole ion-optical system with beam focusing was chosen to provide the low divergence 300 kW power in both deuterium and hydrogen atoms. The accelerating voltage is 40 kV at extracted ion current up to 15 A. The power supply system provides the continuous and modulated mode of the beam injection at a maximal pulse length 300 ms. The optimal arrangement of the cryopanels and the beam duct elements provides sufficiently short-length beamline which reduces the beam losses. The evolution of the impurities and molecular fraction content is studied in the process of the high voltage conditioning of the newly made ion sources. Two injectors of the same type have been successfully tested and are ready for operation at tokamak in IPP, Prague.     

电感耦合等离子体质谱45Sc的背景原因和处理方法研究

在众多的电感耦合等离子体质谱（ICP-MS）实验室里,均可发现该类仪器在45 U谱线上存在着偏高、极不稳定的背景信号。本工作在识别此类干扰的实验基础上,提出背景干扰的两种形成机理。一种是样品基体元素（如C,Ca,Al等）在45 U位置上形成的多原子离子干扰,一般表现为进样系统中的记忆效应;另一种是离子透镜被含碳的气溶胶污染,上面积累的碳可以与离子束中的氧氢离子反应形成干扰离子（¹²C¹⁶O₂¹H⁺）。二者的主要差异是后者信号在进样冲洗状态下衰减缓慢,而且进样系统的清洗对它无效。这二者常常同时出现,造成了该质量数处的高背景信号和严重的不稳定现象。 　　本实验采用动能歧视效应来抑制多原子干扰离子,极大地改善了⁴⁵Sc的信背比,检出限可小于1.2 ng/L,背景等效浓度（BEC）值小于16 ng/L,同时改善了分析数据的重现性。国家沉积物和岩石标准物质（SRM）的Sc元素分析结果显示,同一份样品溶液浓度重复测定3次的内精密度小于1.5%（RSD）,平行样品（n=4）的外部精度回归到正常水平（在2.3%~5.23%之间）,分析结果在国家标准物质的允许误差范围内。     

Compact electrostatic beam optics for multi-element focused ion beams: simulation and experiments

Electrostatic beam optics for a multi-element focused ion beam (MEFIB) system comprising of a microwave multicusp plasma (ion) source is designed with the help of two widely known and commercially available beam simulation codes: AXCEL-INP and SIMION. The input parameters to the simulations are obtained from experiments carried out in the system. A single and a double Einzel lens system (ELS) with and without beam limiting apertures (S) have been investigated. For a 1 mm beam at the plasma electrode aperture, the rms emittance of the focused ion beam is found to reduce from ～0.9 mm mrad for single ELS to ～0.5 mm mrad for a double ELS, when S of 0.5 mm aperture size is employed. The emittance can be further improved to ～0.1 mm mrad by maintaining S at ground potential, leading to reduction in beam spot size (～10 μm). The double ELS design is optimized for different electrode geometrical parameters with tolerances of ±1 mm in electrode thickness, electrode aperture, inter electrode distance, and ±1° in electrode angle, providing a robust design. Experimental results obtained with the double ELS for the focused beam current and spot size, agree reasonably well with the simulations.     

Low energy beam transport for facility for rare isotope beams driver linear particle accelerator

The driver linac for the facility for rare isotope beams (FRIB) will provide a wide range of primary ion beams for nuclear physics research. The linac will be capable of accelerating a uranium beam to an energy of up to 200 Mev∕u and delivering it to a fragmentation target with a maximum power of 400 kW. Stable ion beams will be produced by a high performance electron cyclotron resonance ion source operating at 28 GHz. The ion source will be located on a high voltage platform to reach an initial beam energy of 12 keV∕u. After extraction, the ion beam will be transported vertically down to the linac tunnel in a low energy beam transport (LEBT) system and injected into a radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) operating at a frequency of 80.5 MHz. To meet the beam power requirements, simultaneous acceleration of two-charge states will be used for heavier ions (≥Xe). This paper presents the layout of the FRIB LEBT and the beam dynamics in the LEBT. In particular, simulation and design of the beam line section before charge state selection will be detailed. The need to use an achromatic design for the charge state selection system and the advantage of an ion beam collimation system to limit the emittance of the beam injected into the RFQ will be discussed in this paper.     

Matrix based algorithm for ion-beam figuring of optical elements

An algorithm for solving the problem of local shape errors of optical surfaces correcting by a small-sized ion beam, based on the matrix representation is presented. The algorithm involves searching for points that rise relative to the average height on the surface, where exposure to an ion beam of a given shape will lead to a decrease in the RMS deviation of the surface shape from the calculated one. It is shown that the new approach makes it possible to significantly expand the range of spatial frequencies, in which the height of relief can be reduced using the given ion beam size, and provides better results than the method of minimizing the functional of convolution of the ion beam and the surface map. Moreover, the new approach does not lead to appearance of shape errors (concentric structure) defined by the ion beam size and scanning step. An experiment for minimizing of local surface shape errors based on an etching map calculated using new approach was done. Matrix algorithm allowed in one procedure to reduce surface shape errors for a concave spherical optical element made of fused silica with a diameter D = 100 mm and a radius of curvature R = −137.5 mm in the RMS by more than 3 times. The initial RMS was 4.5 nm, RMS after treatment is 1.36 nm.     

Development of a low-energy and high-current pulsed neutral beam injector with a washer-gun plasma source for high-beta plasma experiments

We have developed a novel and economical neutral-beam injection system by employing a washer-gun plasma source. It provides a low-cost and maintenance-free ion beam, thus eliminating the need for the filaments and water-cooling systems employed conventionally. In our primary experiments, the washer gun produced a source plasma with an electron temperature of approximately 5 eV and an electron density of 5 × 10(17) m(-3), i.e., conditions suitable for ion-beam extraction. The dependence of the extracted beam current on the acceleration voltage is consistent with space-charge current limitation, because the observed current density is almost proportional to the 3∕2 power of the acceleration voltage below approximately 8 kV. By optimizing plasma formation, we successfully achieved beam extraction of up to 40 A at 15 kV and a pulse length in excess of 0.25 ms. Its low-voltage and high-current pulsed-beam properties enable us to apply this high-power neutral beam injection into a high-beta compact torus plasma characterized by a low magnetic field.     

Simulation of H- ion source extraction systems for the Spallation Neutron Source with Ion Beam Simulator

A three-dimensional ion optical code IBSimu, which is being developed at the University of Jyva?skyla?, features positive and negative ion plasma extraction models and self-consistent space charge calculation. The code has been utilized for modeling the existing extraction system of the H(-) ion source of the Spallation Neutron Source. Simulation results are in good agreement with experimental data. A high-current extraction system with downstream electron dumping at intermediate energy has been designed. According to the simulations it provides lower emittance compared to the baseline system at H(-) currents exceeding 40 mA. A magnetic low energy beam transport section consisting of two solenoids has been designed to transport the beam from the alternative electrostatic extraction systems to the radio frequency quadrupole.     

Helium ion microscopy and its application to nanotechnology and nanometrology

Helium ion microscopy (HeIM) presents a new approach to nanotechnology and nanometrology, which has several potential advantages over the traditional scanning electron microscope (SEM) currently in use in research laboratories and manufacturing facilities across the world. Owing to the very high source brightness, and the shorter wavelength of the helium (He) ions, it is theoretically possible to focus the ion beam into a smaller probe size relative to that of the electron beam of an SEM. Hence, resolution 2 × – 4 × better than that of comparable SEMs is theoretically possible. In an SEM, an electron beam interacts with the sample and an array of signals are generated, collected and imaged. This interaction zone may be quite large depending upon the accelerating voltage and materials involved. Conversely, the helium ion beam interacts with the sample, but it does not have as large an excitation volume and, thus, the image collected is more surface sensitive and can potentially provide sharp images on a wide range of materials. Compared with an SEM, the secondary electron yield is quite high—allowing for imaging at extremely low beam currents and the relatively low mass of the helium ion, in contrast to other ion sources such as gallium, potentially results in minimal damage to the sample. This article reports on some of the preliminary work being done on the HeIM as a research and measurement tool for nanotechnology and nanometrology being done at NIST. SCANNING 30: 457–462, 2008. Published 2008 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

宽波段全息-离子束刻蚀光栅的设计及工艺

设计和制作了一种在同一基底上具有多闪耀角的宽波段全息-离子束刻蚀光栅。提出了组合形成宽波段全息-离子束刻蚀光栅的分区设计方法,优化了3种闪耀角混合的宽波段全息光栅设计参数,并利用反应离子束刻蚀装置对该光刻胶掩模进行刻蚀图形转移,采用分段、分步离子束刻蚀技术开展了获得不同闪耀角的离子束刻蚀实验。最后在同一光栅基底上分区制作了位相相同,并具有9,18,29°3个不同闪耀角,口径为60mm×60mm,使用波段为200~900nm的宽波段全息光栅。衍射效率测试结果显示其在使用波段的最低衍射效率超过30%,最高衍射效率超过50%,实验结果与理论计算结果基本符合。与其它方式制作的宽波段光栅相比,采用宽波段全息-离子束刻蚀光栅不但工艺成熟,易于控制光栅槽形,而且光栅有效面积尺寸较大,便于批量复制。     

A new extraction system for the Linac4 H- ion source

As part of the CERN accelerator complex upgrade, a new linear accelerator for H(-) (Linac4) is under construction. The ion source design is based on the non-caesiated DESY RF-driven ion source, with the goal of producing an H(-) beam of 80 mA beam current, 45 keV beam energy, 0.4 ms pulse length, and 2 Hz repetition rate. The source has been successfully commissioned for an extraction voltage of 35 kV, corresponding to the one used at DESY. Increasing the extraction voltage to 45 kV has resulted in frequent high voltage breakdowns in the extraction region caused by evaporating material from the electron dump, triggering a new design of the extraction and electron dumping system. Results of the ion source commissioning at 35 kV are presented as well as simulations of a new pulsed extraction system for beam extraction at 45 kV.     

New ion source for KSTAR neutral beam injection system

The neutral beam injection system (NBI-1) of the KSTAR tokamak can accommodate three ion sources; however, it is currently equipped with only one prototype ion source. In the 2010 and 2011 KSTAR campaigns, this ion source supplied deuterium neutral beam power of 0.7-1.6 MW to the KSTAR plasma with a beam energy of 70-100 keV. A new ion source will be prepared for the 2012 KSTAR campaign with a much advanced performance compared with the previous one. The newly designed ion source has a very large transparency (～56%) without deteriorating the beam optics, which is designed to deliver a 2 MW injection power of deuterium beams at 100 keV. The plasma generator of the ion source is of a horizontally cusped bucket type, and the whole inner wall, except the cathode filaments and plasma grid side, functions as an anode. The accelerator assembly consists of four multi-circular aperture grids made of copper and four electrode flanges made of aluminum alloy. The electrodes are insulated using PEEK. The ion source will be completed and tested in 2011.     

Ion beam nanopatterning and micro-Raman spectroscopy analysis on HOPG for testing FIB performances

This work reports Ga⁺ focused ion beam nanopatterning to create amorphous defects with periodic square arrays in highly oriented pyrolytic graphite and the use of Raman spectroscopy as a new protocol to test and compare progresses in ion beam optics, for low fluence bombardment or fast writing speed. This can be ultimately used as a metrological tool for comparing different FIB machines and can contribute to Focused Ion Beam (FIB) development in general for tailoring nanostructures with higher precision. In order to do that, the amount of ion at each spot was varied from about 10⁶ down to roughly 1 ion per dot. These defects were also analyzed by using high resolution scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The sensitivities of these techniques were compared and a geometrical model is proposed for micro-Raman spectroscopy in which the intensity of the defect induced D band, for a fixed ion dose, is associated with the diameter of the ion beam. In addition, the lateral increase in the bombarded spot due to the cascade effect of the ions on graphite surface was extracted from this model. A semi-quantitative analysis of the distribution of ions at low doses per dot or high writing speed for soft modification of materials is discussed.     

Design and application of an efficient scheme for wafer transfer procedure during ion implantation process

Ion implantation is widely used in semiconductor manufacturing to modify electrical properties of the near-surface region of silicon wafers. The efficiency of ion implantation process deeply relies on wafer transfer procedure. Increasing wafer transfer speed is one of the most efficient ways to accelerate the ion implantation process for higher productivity of silicon chips. This study focuses on developing an efficient scheme for wafer transfer procedure to acquire higher transfer speed and reduce cycle time during ion implantation process. The scheme we proposed improves the layout of the vacuum chamber in currently used ion implanter by introducing an additional wafer transfer robot inside while placing the alignment station outside, planning optimal motion sequence of three wafer transfer robots in order to make all of them keep working without spending a long time waiting for other robots. Experimental platform has been established and the results show that wafer transfer speed based on the proposed scheme is over three times faster than the commonly used apparatus.     

Molecular phosphorus ion source for semiconductor technology

This paper presents results on the generation of molecular phosphorus ion beams in a hot filament ion source. Solid red phosphorous is evaporated mainly as tetra-atomic molecules up to a temperature of 800°C. Thus, one of the main conditions for producing maximum P(4)(+) fraction in the beam is to keep the temperature of the phosphorous oven, the steam line and the discharge chamber walls no greater than 800°C. The prior version of our ion source was equipped with a discharge chamber cooling system. The modified source ensured a P(4)(+) ion beam current greater than 30% of the total beam current.