SHAPED AND LOW DENSITY FOCUSED ION BEAMS

• Main Authors: UTLAUT, MARK, W, GERLACH, ROBERT, L, CHANDLER, CLIVE, D, YOUNG, RICHARD, J, TESCH, PAUL, P, VAN DER MAST, KARL, D
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 18.03.2009
• Subjects: APPLICATIONS OF SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES, e.g. SCANNING PROBEMICROSCOPY [SPM]; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS; ELECTRICITY; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; MEASURING; METALLURGY; PHYSICS; SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES OR APPARATUS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; TESTING

A method and apparatus for providing a shaped ion beam having low current density and sharp edges. The low current density and sharp edges eliminate the problem of overmilling, while permitting rapid ion beam processing. One method of producing the shaped beam is by using a two lens system, the first lens imaging the source onto the plane of the second lens and the second lens forming an image of the aperture onto the target plane. Another method is to greatly underfocus a chromatic aberration limited beam. Large beams having uniform current density and sharp edges can be produced. A knife edge beam, having a sharp edge can also be produced.