Abstract: A cutting system for cutting a workpiece by laser emission relies upon local cooling of the workpiece at the point at which cutting starts and ends. Optionally, local cooling can also be provided at a cross point where two cutting lines intersect. Relying upon the difference in thermal stress between the laser beam incidence point and the surrounding cooled portion, an initial crack can be generated in a specified direction, whereby the initial crack is propagated to form the desired cutting line. In one embodiment, the cooling is provided by a low temperature solid such as a Peltier cooling plate and the temperature of the workpiece near a point of incidence of the laser beam is determined. The determination can be made by measuring the temperature of a plasma generated near the point of incidence, or by directly measuring the temperature of the portion of the workpiece near the point of incidence.

Abstract: A method of modifying an electronic circuit board by performing disconnection or connection of conductive lines at a specified or an arbitrary position of the conductive lines of the electronic circuit board thereby changing an electric circuit and of completely modifying an open pattern defect of the conductive lines or an insulator layer, and its device, wherein a first energy beam is irradiated to portions of repair terminals 9 and 9' which are intended to connect or disconnect, of conductive lines 5 and 5' in the electronic circuit board thereby removing a protection layer, making windows and exposing the terminals 9 and 9' for connection; a second energy beam is irradiated thereby disconnecting the repair terminals 9 and 9', or a metal piece for connecting is supplied to between the repair terminals 9 and 9' and applying an energy thereto thereby electrically connecting them; and the disconnected or connected windowed portion is locally coated with the insulator layer thereby modifying the conductive lin

Abstract: An IC wiring connecting method for interconnecting conductive lines of the same wiring plane of an IC chip for correcting the wiring, for interconnecting conductive lines of different wiring lanes of a multilayer IC chip at the same position, or for connecting a conductive line of a lower wiring plane of a multilayer IC chip to a conductive line formed at a separate position on the same multilayer IC chip. The insulating film or films covering conductive lines to be interconnected are processed by an energy beam such as a concentrated ion beam to form holes so as to expose the respective parts of the conductive lines where the conductive lines are to be interconnected, then a metal is deposited over the surfaces of the holes and an area interconnecting the holes by irradiating the surfaces of the holes and the area by an energy beam or a concentrated ion beam in an atmosphere of a gaseous organic metal compound to form a conductive metal film electrically interconnecting the conductive lines.

Abstract: An IC wiring connecting method for interconnecting conductive lines of the same wiring plane of an IC chip for correcting the wiring, for interconnecting conductive lines of different wiring lanes of a multilayer IC chip at the same position, or for connecting a conductive line of a lower wiring plane of a multilayer IC chip to a conductive line formed at a separate position on the same multilayer IC chip. The insulating film or films covering conductive lines to be interconnected are processed by an energy beam such as a concentrated ion beam to form holes so as to expose the respective parts of the conductive lines where the conductive lines are to be interconnected, then a metal is deposited over the surfaces of the holes and an area interconnecting the holes by irradiating the surfaces of the holes and the area by an energy beam or a concentrated ion beam in an atmosphere of a gaseous organic metal compound to form a conductive metal film electrically interconnecting the conductive lines.

Abstract: An IC wiring connecting method for interconnecting conductive lines of the same wiring plane of an IC chip for correcting the wiring, for interconnecting conductive lines of different wiring lanes of a multilayer IC chip at the same position, or for connecting a conductive line of a lower wiring plane of a multilayer IC chip to a conductive line formed at a separate position on the same multilayer IC chip. The insulating film or films covering conductive lines to be interconnected are processed by an energy beam such as a concentrated ion beam to form holes so as to expose the respective parts of the conductive lines where the conductive lines are to be interconnected, then a metal is deposited over the surfaces of the holes and an area interconnecting the holes by irradiating the surfaces of the holes and the area by an energy beam or a concentrated ion beam in an atmosphere of a gaseous organic metal compound to form a conductive metal film electrically interconnecting the conductive lines.

Abstract: A laser machining apparatus includes a laser beam source, such as of excimer laser, which produces a laser beam to be projected on a work piece or a sample, first and second illumination light sources which have wavelengths substantially equal to the wavelength of the laser beam and illuminate the entire image and the laser beam, respectively, a first beam splitter which guides the image produced by the illumination light to an observation unit, a second beam splitter which guides the laser beam from the laser beam source to an objective lens, and a controller which controls the machining condition including the relative positioning between the sample and the laser beam depending on the result of observation. The laser beam guide path structure from the laser beam source to the sample has its interior wall made of laser-transparent material such as glass, and the transparent material is enclosed by a laser blocking material such as a metal or water.

Abstract: In an interconnection film cutting method and apparatus therefor according to the present invention, a laser beam having a pulse width of 10.sup.-9 second or less is illuminated on a desired portion of the interconnection pattern of a semiconductor device, such as a link used for redundant operation of a defective bit in, for example, a LSI memory, or on a desired portion of the interconnection pattern of a large-scaled interconnection substrate through a transmission type liquid crystal mask in the form of a desired pattern so as to cut the interconnection pattern without damaging a layer disposed below the interconnection pattern.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing a fine pattern of a sample of one of an electronic device, molecular device and bioelement device, wherein a needle having a sharpened tip is disposed in opposed relation to the sample with a gap therebetween. A voltage is applied between the needle and the sample so as to enable a tunnel current and/or a field emission current to flow therebetween and the fine pattern is provided to correct the fine pattern by effecting at least one of removal, repositioning, annealing and film formation of at least one of individual atoms and individual molecules.

Abstract: A metal layer other than gold is formed on a ceramic substrate, a gold layer is further formed on said metal layer, and then a high density beam is applied to the treated substrate member. Thereby, the metal of the underlayer diffused through the grain boundaries of gold up to the surface of the gold layer by heat treatment or the like is uniformly mixed with gold to form an alloyed layer excellent in wettability to a solder. At the same time, nonmetallic impurities such as carbon adhering onto the surface of the gold layer are melted and removed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for correcting defects of an X-ray mask which includes a focused ion beam used to irradiate at least a region having a defective portion of an X-ray mask having a protective film and eliminating the protective film; exposing a circuit pattern having a defective portion located under the region or setting this circuit pattern to the state near the exposure; detecting one of the secondary electrons, secondary ions, reflected electrons, or absorbing current generated from that region and detecting a true defective position. Then positioning the focused ion beam to the true defective position and irradiating the focused ion beam to the defective portion thereby correcting the defect.

Abstract: A IC wiring connecting method for interconnecting conductive lines of the same wiring plane of an IC chip for correcting the wiring, for interconnecting conductive lines of different wiring lanes of a multilayer IC chip at the same position, or for connecting a conductive line of a lower wiring plane of a multilayer IC chip to a conductive line formed at a separate position on the same multilayer IC chip. The insulating film or films covering conductive lines to be interconnected are processed by an energy beam such as a concentrated ion beam to form holes so as to expose the respective parts of the conductive lines where the conductive lines are to be interconnected, then a metal is deposited over the surfaces of the holes and an area interconnecting the holes by irradiating the surfaces of the holes and the area by an energy beam or a concentrated ion beam in an atmosphere of a gaseous organic metal compound to form a conductive metal film electrically interconnecting the conductive lines.

Abstract: An ion beam apparatus which comprises an enclosure defining a chamber of high vacuum. A crucible for producing vapor of a material, ionizing means, ion accelerating means, and a substrate to be deposited with the vaporized material to thereby form a film thereon are disposed within the chamber. An accelerating voltage is applied across the crucible and the accelerating means such that the crucible is of positive polarity while the accelerating means is of negative polarity. The material contained in the crucible is vaporized by heating. A pressure difference is maintained between the vapor pressure within the crucible and the vacuum chamber.

Abstract: This invention discloses an ion beam work apparatus which comprises ion mean radiation means for focusing and radiating an ion beam extracted from an ion source to a target put on a moving mechanism, and scanning two-dimensionally the radiation position; secondary particle detection means for detecting the secondary particles generated from the target upon radiation of the ion beam; and superposition-display means for superposing the secondary particle image with a different kind of image containing such information that is not contained in the secondary particle image, and displaying the resulting image; and which can accurately position the beam radiation position to lower wiring layers of the target such as a semiconductor device that can not be observed by the secondary particle image obtained by scanning the focused ion beam.

Abstract: A photo-mask is mounted on a repairing chamber, with its mask pattern forming surface being exposed to the interior of the chamber. Vaporized repairing material which includes a metallic element is introduced into the chamber, and a laser beam is projected from the exterior of the chamber onto a transparent defect of the mask pattern. The irradiated portion is heated and the vaporized repairing material at the heated portion is resolved, resulting in the metal resolved from the repairing material deposits and fills the transparent defect. Thus, transparent defects of a mask pattern can be repaired in a simplified process.

Abstract: The invention discloses a method and apparatus for correcting a device characterized in that an ion beam is extracted from an ion source having high luminance such as a liquid metal ion source or the like, the ion beam is then converged to a delicate spot by use of a charged particle optical system and apertures, a wiring portion formed on and outside of an active layer region of a device and connected to the device is located to the spot by observing the wiring portion through an SIM, the ion beam in neutralized by an electron shower so as to prevent the wiring portion from being charged electrically, the converged ion beam spot is radiated to the wiring portion to remove the wiring portion, and radiation of the ion beam is stopped while observing the ion beam by a second ion mass spectrometer which detects that the wiring portion is cut by the ion beam and the ion beam reaches an insulating layer.

Abstract: The present invention consists in a semiconductor integrated circuit device characterized in that a circuit programming wiring layer is formed on an insulating film which is provided on a semiconductor substrate, and that a light shielding protective mask material is deposited around the circuit programming wiring layer except a program part thereof, through an insulating film.

Abstract: A light source apparatus comprises one laser oscillator, at least one other laser oscillator, a light converter for converting a laser beam emitted from the other laser oscillator into a ring-shaped laser beam, and a reflecting mirror for passing a laser light beam emitted from the one laser oscillator through the center hole of the mirror and for reflecting the ring-shaped laser beam from the other laser oscillator via the light converter, the laser beam reflected by the reflecting mirror being coaxial with and being overlapped with the laser beam transmitted through the mirror from the one laser oscillator.

Abstract: A photomask with white defects that have corrected with a film comprising a mixture of silver and tantalum oxide. The film has a good resistance to chemicals.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ion beam processing apparatus comprising within a vacuum container a specimen chamber with a table for mounting a specimen provided therein, a high intensity ion source, such as a liquid metal ion source or an electric field ionizing ion source which operates in ultra-low temperature, confronting the specimen chamber, an extraction electrode for extracting an ion beam out of the ion source, a charged-particle optical system for focusing the ion beam to a spot, and an aperture for adjusting the spot diameter.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ion beam processing apparatus comprising within a vacuum container a specimen chamber with a table for mounting a specimen provided therein, a high intensity ion source, such as a liquid metal ion source or an electric field ionizing ion source which operates in ultra-low temperature, confronting the specimen chamber, an extraction electrode for extracting an ion beam out of the ion source, a charged-particle optical system for focusing the ion beam to a spot, and an aperture for adjusting the spot diameter.