Internal split faraday shield for a plasma source

• US 9,818,584 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2014
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FEI Company (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: FEI Company (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Miller, Thomas G., Zhang, Shouyin
• Primary Examiner(s): Culbert, Roberts
• Application Number:
  US14/325,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20150008213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 216 67
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/0206 Extinguishing, preventing or controlling unwanted discharges
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/026 Shields
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/31749 Focused ion beam
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/08 Ion sources; Ion guns
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/321 the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32504 Means for preventing sputtering of the vessel
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32651 Shields, e.g. dark space shields, Faraday shields

Abstract

An inductively coupled plasma source for a focused charged particle beam system includes a conductive shield within the plasma chamber in order to reduce capacitative coupling to the plasma. The internal conductive shield is maintained at substantially the same potential as the plasma source by a biasing electrode or by the plasma. The internal shield allows for a wider variety of cooling methods on the exterior of the plasma chamber.

Claims

1. A method of operating a plasma source for a focused beam system, the plasma source including a plasma chamber comprising:

providing radio frequency energy into the plasma chamber from at least one conductive coil to maintain a plasma in the plasma chamber;

providing a conductive shield positioned within the plasma chamber such that no portion of the conductive shield extends into a second chamber containing a workpiece to reduce capacitive coupling between the source of the radio frequency and the plasma;

maintaining the plasma and the conductive shield at electrical potentials different from ground potential;

extracting charged particles from the plasma chamber;

focusing the charged particles into a beam and directing the beam onto or near the workpiece outside of the plasma chamber; and

further comprising providing a biasing electrode in contact with the conductive shield in which the biasing electrode biases the conductive shield potential to a potential of greater than 1000 V.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a cooling fluid to cool the plasma chamber.

3. The method of claim 1 in which providing a conductive shield includes providing a conductive shield coated onto the interior wall of the plasma chamber.

4. The method of claim 1 in which providing a conductive shield includes providing a conductive material inserted into the interior of the plasma chamber.

5. The method of claim 1 in which maintaining the plasma and the conductive shield at electrical potentials different from ground potential includes maintaining the plasma at a high voltage.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the conductive shield is not liquid cooled.

7. The method of claim 1 in which there is no metal sputter target for physical vapor deposition in the plasma chamber.

8. The method of claim 1 in which providing radio frequency energy to maintain a plasma in the plasma chamber includes maintaining a plasma lacking metal ions.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the plasma is biased to a potential to produce a landing energy of the charged particles of between 500 eV and 100 keV.

10. The method of claim 1 in which the conductive shield is a split Faraday shield.

11. The method of claim 10 in which the split Faraday shield is wrapped around the interior of the plasma chamber to form a cylindrical shape within the plasma chamber.

12. The method of claim 1 in which the plasma temperature is kept low enough to avoid sputtering of the conductive shield within the plasma chamber.

13. The method of claim 1 in which the conductive shield distributes heat from the plasma to the walls of the plasma chamber.

14. The method of claim 1 in which the energy spread of the ions leaving the plasma chamber is less than 6 eV.

15. The method of claim 1 in which maintaining the plasma and the conductive shield at electrical potentials different from ground potential includes providing a single electrical connection to bias both the conductive shield and an extraction aperture.

16. The method of claim 1 in which providing a conductive shield comprises providing a thin conductive foil inserted within the plasma chamber.

17. A method of operating a plasma source for a focused beam system, the plasma source including a plasma chamber comprising:

providing radio frequency energy into the plasma chamber from at least one conductive coil to maintain a plasma in the plasma chamber;

providing a conductive shield positioned within the plasma chamber such that no portion of the conductive shield extends into a second chamber containing a workpiece to reduce capacitive coupling between the source of the radio frequency and the plasma;

maintaining the plasma and the conductive shield at electrical potentials different from ground potential;

extracting charged particles from the plasma chamber;

focusing the charged particles into a beam and directing the beam onto or near the workpiece outside of the plasma chamber; and

further comprising providing a biasing electrode in contact with the conductive shield in which the biasing electrode maintains the conductive shield at a voltage having a magnitude greater than 1000 V.