Sputtering coating of protective layer for charged particle beam processing
First Claim
1. A method for forming a coating on a work piece in a vacuum chamber of a charged particle beam system having a particle beam source and a work piece support, comprising:
- inserting a work piece into the vacuum chamber of the charged particle beam system and onto the work piece support;
providing in the vacuum chamber a sputter material source, the sputter material source being positioned between the particle beam source and the work piece;
directing a focused or shaped charged particle beam toward the sputter material source so that the charged particle beam impacts the surface of the sputter material source to sputter material from the sputter material source onto an area of the work piece to form a layer of material on the area of work piece, thereby avoiding damage to the work piece; and
directing the charged particle beam toward the area of the work piece to process or form an image of the work piece.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A coating is applied to a work piece in a charged particle beam system without directing the beam to work piece. The coating is applied by sputtering, either within the charged particle beam vacuum chamber or outside the charged particle beam vacuum chamber. In one embodiment, the sputtering is performed by directing the charged particle beam to a sputter material source, such as a needle from a gas injection system. Material is sputtered from the sputter material source onto the work piece to form, for example, a protective or conductive coating, without requiring the beam to be directed to the work piece, thereby reducing or eliminating damage to the work piece.
37 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method for forming a coating on a work piece in a vacuum chamber of a charged particle beam system having a particle beam source and a work piece support, comprising:
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inserting a work piece into the vacuum chamber of the charged particle beam system and onto the work piece support; providing in the vacuum chamber a sputter material source, the sputter material source being positioned between the particle beam source and the work piece; directing a focused or shaped charged particle beam toward the sputter material source so that the charged particle beam impacts the surface of the sputter material source to sputter material from the sputter material source onto an area of the work piece to form a layer of material on the area of work piece, thereby avoiding damage to the work piece; and directing the charged particle beam toward the area of the work piece to process or form an image of the work piece. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of charged particle beam processing, comprising:
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placing a work piece in the vacuum chamber of the charged particle beam system; sputtering a coating onto a work piece using a focused or shaped charged particle beam; then, without removing the work piece from the vacuum chamber, processing the work piece using the charged particle beam to etch material from the work piece, deposit material onto the work piece, or to form an image of the work piece, the sputter coating protecting features on the work piece surface during charged particle beam processing. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A charged particle beam system, comprising:
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a charged particle source; charged particle beam optical components for forming the charged particles into a focused or shaped beam for processing a work piece positioned within a vacuum chamber; multiple sputter material sources for sputtering different materials, the multiple sputtering material sources positioned within a vacuum chamber; a manipulator for moving the sputter material sources into a first position between the charged particle beam source and the work piece in which the charged particle beam can be directed to the sputter material source to sputter material from the sputter material source onto the work piece to form a coating on the work piece without directing the charged particle beam toward the work piece and to a second position in which the sputter material source is not in the beam path to allow the charged particle beam can be directed to impact the work piece; a memory storing computer instructions to perform the steps of; directing the charged particle beam toward the sputter material source so that the charged particle beam impacts the surface of the sputter material source to sputter material from the sputter material source onto an area of the work piece to form a protective layer on the area of work piece, thereby avoiding damage to the work piece; and directing the charged particle beam toward the area of the work piece to process or form an image of the work piece after the protective layer has be formed.
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Specification