Abstract: Provided is a tip capable of repeatedly regenerating a single-atom termination structure in which a distal end is formed of only one atom. A tip (1) having a single-atom termination structure includes: a thin line member (2) made of a first metal material; a protruding portion (4) made of a second metal material, which is formed at least in a distal end portion (2a) of the thin line member (2), and has a distal end terminated with only one atom; and a supply portion (5) made of the second metal material to be supplied to the protruding portion (4), which is formed in the vicinity of the distal end portion (2a) of the thin line member (2).

Abstract: Provided is a tip capable of repeatedly regenerating a single-atom termination structure in which a distal end is formed of only one atom. A tip (1) having a single-atom termination structure includes: a thin line member (2) made of a first metal material; a protruding portion (4) made of a second metal material, which is formed at least in a distal end portion (2a) of the thin line member (2), and has a distal end terminated with only one atom; and a supply portion (5) made of the second metal material to be supplied to the protruding portion (4), which is formed in the vicinity of the distal end portion (2a) of the thin line member (2).

Abstract: A method of acquiring an image of an image acquiring region of a sample comprises a first step of irradiating and scanning an ion beam in a first scan pattern on a first scan region of a sample, the scan region including therein the image acquiring region, and a second step of detecting secondary charged particles generated by irradiating and scanning the ion beam on the first scan region of the sample and generating first image data of the image acquiring region. The first and second steps are repeated a plurality of times using different scan patterns on different scan regions that differ from the first scan and the first scan region and from one another, each of the different scan regions including therein the image acquiring region, to generate a plurality of image data of the image acquiring region.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for acquiring an image, in which an image reducing the influence of electrification of a substrate is easily acquired. The method, in which an image of an image acquiring region is acquired by radiating an ion beam to a sample having a conducting part with a linear edge on a dielectric substrate, includes: performing an equal-width scan caused by the ion beam in a first direction that obliquely intersects the edge and sweep in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and radiating the ion beam to a scan region of a parallelogram shape wider than the image acquiring region; detecting secondary charged particles to generate image data of the scan region; calculating the image data of the scan region to generate image data of the image acquiring region; and displaying the image data of the image acquiring region.

Abstract: A method for acquiring an image, in which an image of an image acquiring region is acquired by radiating an ion beam to a sample having a conducting part with a linear edge on a dielectric substrate, includes performing an equal-width scan of the ion beam in a first direction that obliquely intersects the linear edge and sweep in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The ion beam is sequentially scanned in different patterns on different scan regions of parallelogram shape, each of which includes the image acquiring region. Secondary charged particles are detected to generate image data of all the scan regions, and image data of the scan regions are calculated to generate image data of the image acquiring region. The image data of the image acquiring region are synthesized to display the image data of the image acquiring region.

Abstract: A focused ion beam apparatus is equipped with a gas field ion source that can produce a focused ion beam for a long period of time by stably and continuously emitting ions from the gas field ion source having high luminance, along an optical axis of an ion-optical system for a long period of time. The gas field ion source has an emitter for emitting ions, the emitter having a sharpened end part made of iridium fixed to a cylinder-shaped base part made of dissimilar wire.

Abstract: There is provided an iridium tip including a pyramid structure having one {100} crystal plane as one of a plurality of pyramid surfaces in a sharpened apex portion of a single crystal with <210> orientation. The iridium tip is applied to a gas field ion source or an electron source. The gas field ion source and/or the electron source is applied to a focused ion beam apparatus, an electron microscope, an electron beam applied analysis apparatus, an ion-electron multi-beam apparatus, a scanning probe microscope or a mask repair apparatus.

Abstract: There is provided an iridium tip including a pyramid structure having one {100} crystal plane as one of a plurality of pyramid surfaces in a sharpened apex portion of a single crystal with <210> orientation. The iridium tip is applied to a gas field ion source or an electron source. The gas field ion source and/or the electron source is applied to a focused ion beam apparatus, an electron microscope, an electron beam applied analysis apparatus, an ion-electron multi-beam apparatus, a scanning probe microscope or a mask repair apparatus.

Abstract: A focused ion beam system includes a gas ion source and an emitter structure. The emitter structure includes a pair of conductive pins fixed to a base member, a filament connected between the pair of conductive pins, and an emitter which has a tip end with one atom or three atoms and which is connected to the filament. A supporting member is fixed to the base material, and the emitter is connected to the supporting member.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for acquiring an image, in which an image reducing the influence of electrification of a substrate is easily acquired. The method, in which an image of an image acquiring region is acquired by radiating an ion beam to a sample having a conducting part with a linear edge on a dielectric substrate, includes: performing an equal-width scan caused by the ion beam in a first direction that obliquely intersects the edge and sweep in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and radiating the ion beam to a scan region of a parallelogram shape wider than the image acquiring region; detecting secondary charged particles to generate image data of the scan region; calculating the image data of the scan region to generate image data of the image acquiring region; and displaying the image data of the image acquiring region.

Abstract: There is provided an iridium tip including a pyramid structure having one {100} crystal plane as one of a plurality of pyramid surfaces in a sharpened apex portion of a single crystal with <210> orientation. The iridium tip is applied to a gas field ion source or an electron source. The gas field ion source and/or the electron source is applied to a focused ion beam apparatus, an electron microscope, an electron beam applied analysis apparatus, an ion-electron multi-beam apparatus, a scanning probe microscope or a mask repair apparatus.

Abstract: There is provided a repair apparatus including a gas field ion source which includes an ion generation section including a sharpened tip, a cooling unit which cools the tip, an ion beam column which forms a focused ion beam by focusing ions of a gas generated in the gas field ion source, a sample stage which moves while a sample to be irradiated with the focused ion beam is placed thereon, a sample chamber which accommodates at least the sample stage therein, and a control unit which repairs a mask or a mold for nano-imprint lithography, which is the sample, with the focused ion beam formed by the ion beam column. The gas field ion source generates nitrogen ions as the ions, and the tip is constituted by an iridium single crystal capable of generating the ions.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a focused ion beam apparatus equipped with a gas field ion source that can produce a focused ion beam for a long period of time by stably and continuously emitting ions from the gas field ion source having high luminance, along an optical axis of an ion-optical system for a long period of time. In the focused ion beam apparatus equipped with a gas field ion source having an emitter for emitting ions, the emitter has a shape in which sharpened iridium is fixed to dissimilar wire.

Abstract: There is provided a repair apparatus including a gas field ion source which includes an ion generation section including a sharpened tip, a cooling unit which cools the tip, an ion beam column which forms a focused ion beam by focusing ions of a gas generated in the gas field ion source, a sample stage which moves while a sample to be irradiated with the focused ion beam is placed thereon, a sample chamber which accommodates at least the sample stage therein, and a control unit which repairs a mask or a mold for nano-imprint lithography, which is the sample, with the focused ion beam formed by the ion beam column. The gas field ion source generates nitrogen ions as the ions, and the tip is constituted by an iridium single crystal capable of generating the ions.

Abstract: A focused ion beam apparatus has an ion source chamber in which is disposed an emitter for emitting ions. The surface of the emitter is formed of a precious metal, such as platinum, palladium, iridium, rhodium or gold. A gas supply unit supplies nitrogen gas to the ion source chamber so that the nitrogen gas adsorbs on the surface of the emitter. An extracting electrode is spaced from the emitter, and a voltage is applied to the extracting electrode to ionize the adsorbed nitrogen gas and extract nitrogen ions in the form of an ion beam. A temperature control unit controls the temperature of the emitter.

Abstract: A charged particle beam apparatus is provided that enables faster semiconductor film deposition than the conventional deposition that uses silicon hydrides and halides as source gases. The charged particle beam apparatus includes a charged particle source 1, a condenser lens electrode 2, a blanking electrode 3, a scanning electrode 4, a sample stage 10 on which a sample 9 is mounted, a secondary charged particle detector 8 that detects a secondary charged particle 7 generated from the sample 9 in response to the charged particle beam irradiation, a reservoir 14 that accommodates cyclopentasilane as a source gas, and a gas gun 11 that supplies the source gas to the sample 9.

Abstract: A focused ion beam system includes a gas ion source and an emitter structure. The emitter structure includes a pair of conductive pins fixed to a base member, a filament connected between the pair of conductive pins, and an emitter which has a tip end with one atom or three atoms and which is connected to the filament. A supporting member is fixed to the base material, and the emitter is connected to the supporting member.

Abstract: There is provided an emitter structure, a gas ion source including the emitter structure, and a focused ion beam system including the gas ion source. The emitter structure includes a pair of conductive pins which are fixed to a base member, a filament which is connected between the pair of conductive pins, and an emitter which is connected to the filament and has a sharp tip. A supporting member is fixed to the base material, and the emitter is connected to the supporting member.

Abstract: A focused ion beam apparatus has an ion source chamber in which is disposed an emitter for emitting ions. The surface of the emitter is formed of a precious metal, such as platinum, palladium, iridium, rhodium or gold. A gas supply unit supplies nitrogen gas to the ion source chamber so that the nitrogen gas adsorbs on the surface of the emitter. An extracting electrode is spaced from the emitter, and a voltage is applied to the extracting electrode to ionize the adsorbed nitrogen gas and extract nitrogen ions in the form of an ion beam. A temperature control unit controls the temperature of the emitter.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a sharpened needle-like emitter, the method including: electrolytically polishing an end portion of an electrically conductive emitter material so as to be tapered toward a tip portion thereof; performing a first etching in which the electrolytically polished part of the emitter material is irradiated with a charged-particle beam to form a pyramid-like sharpened part having a vertex including the tip portion; performing a second etching in which the tip portion is further sharpened through field-assisted gas etching, while observing a crystal structure at the tip portion by a field ion microscope and keeping the number of atoms at a leading edge of the tip portion at a predetermined number or less; and heating the emitter material to arrange the atoms at the leading edge of the tip portion of the sharpened part in a pyramid shape.