The present invention discloses a structure of an emitter electrode for enhancing ion currents, including a tip end part and a shank part. The tip end part has a pinpoint, a first diameter, and a radius of curvature. A length of the tip end part with the shank part is from the pinpoint to a first position of the shank part and a distance between the first position and the pinpoint is 300 times the first diameter. The radius of curvature of the tip end part ranges from 50 nanometers to 5 micrometers. The first diameter is 2 times the radius of curvature.

A method of manufacturing an emitter is disclosed. The method enables a crystal structure of the tip of the front end of the emitter to return to its original state with high reproducibility by rearranging atoms in a treatment, and enables a long lasting emitter to be attained by suppressing extraction voltage rise after the treatment. As a method of manufacturing an emitter having a sharpened needle-shape, the method includes: performing an electropolishing process for the front end of an emitter material having conductivity to taper toward the front end; and performing an etching to make the number of atoms constituting the tip of the front end be a predetermined number or less by further sharpening the front end through an electric field-induced gas etching having constantly applied voltage, while observing the crystal structure of the front end, by a field ion microscope, in a sharp portion having the front end at its apex.

An H.sub.3.sup.+ ion is used as an ion beam to achieve improvement in focusing capability influencing observed resolution and machining width, improvement in the beam stability, and a reduction in damage to the sample surface during the beam irradiation, in the process of observation and machining of the sample surface by the ion beam. The H.sub.3.sup.+ ion can be obtained by use of a probe current within a voltage range 21 around a second peak 23 occurring when an extracted voltage is applied to a needle-shaped emitter tip with an apex terminated by three atoms or less, in an atmosphere of hydrogen gas.

The invention relates to a method, a device and a system for the treatment of biological frozen samples using plasma focused ion beams (FIB). The samples can then be used for mass spectrometry (MS), genomics, such as gene sequencing analysis or next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis, and proteomics. The present invention particularly relates to a method of treatment of at least one biological sample. This method is particularly used for high performance microscopy, proteomics analytics, sequencing, such as NGS etc. According to the present invention the method comprises the steps of providing at least one biological sample in frozen form. The milling treats at least one part of the sample by a plasma ion beam comprising at least one of an O.sup.+ and/or a Xe.sup.+ plasma.

A terminal for an ion implantation system is provided, wherein the terminal has a terminal housing for supporting an ion source configured to form an ion beam. A gas box within the terminal housing has a hydrogen generator configured to produce hydrogen gas for the ion source. The gas box is electrically insulated from the terminal housing, and is further electrically coupled to the ion source. The ion source and gas box are electrically isolated from the terminal housing by a plurality of electrical insulators. A plurality of insulating standoffs electrically isolate the terminal housing from an earth ground. A terminal power supply electrically biases the terminal housing to a terminal potential with respect to the earth ground. An ion source power supply electrically biases the ion source to an ion source potential with respect to the terminal potential. Electrically conductive tubing electrically couples the gas box and ion source.

A terminal for an ion implantation system is provided, wherein the terminal has a terminal housing for supporting an ion source configured to form an ion beam. A gas box within the terminal housing has a hydrogen generator configured to produce hydrogen gas for the ion source. The gas box is electrically insulated from the terminal housing, and is further electrically coupled to the ion source. The ion source and gas box are electrically isolated from the terminal housing by a plurality of electrical insulators. A plurality of insulating standoffs electrically isolate the terminal housing from an earth ground. A terminal power supply electrically biases the terminal housing to a terminal potential with respect to the earth ground. An ion source power supply electrically biases the ion source to an ion source potential with respect to the terminal potential. Electrically conductive tubing electrically couples the gas box and ion source.

A gas field ionization source for forming an electric field for ionizing gas comprises: an emitter tip having a tip end; an extraction electrode facing the emitter tip and having an aperture at a position distant therefrom; a gas supply means for supplying the gas in the vicinity of the emitter tip; a vacuum partition made of a metal having a hole; and a high voltage power source for applying voltage between the emitter tip and the extraction electrode. The hole is constructed so that the tip end of the emitter tip can pass therethrough and the vacuum partition has a micro protrusion, around the hole, protruding toward a side of the extraction electrode.

An ion beam device according to the present invention suppresses the fluctuation of an ion emission current by cleaning the inside of a chamber without entailing wear damage to an emitter electrode. The ion beam device includes a GFIS including an emitter electrode having a needle-shaped tip; an extraction electrode having an opening at a position spaced apart from the tip of the emitter electrode; and a chamber encapsulating the emitter electrode therein. The GFIS includes an ionizable gas introduction path for introducing an ionizable gas into the chamber in a state where a voltage equal to or more than a beam generating voltage is applied to the emitter electrode; and a cleaning gas introduction path for introducing a cleaning gas into the chamber in either a state where a voltage less than the beam generating voltage is applied to the emitter electrode or a state where no voltage is applied to the emitter electrode. A pressure of the chamber with the cleaning gas introduced therein is higher than a pressure of the chamber when the ionizable gas is introduced therein.

A method of manufacturing an emitter is disclosed. The method enables a crystal structure of the tip of the front end of the emitter to return to its original state with high reproducibility by rearranging atoms in a treatment, and enables a long lasting emitter to be attained by suppressing extraction voltage rise after the treatment. As a method of manufacturing an emitter having a sharpened needle-shape, the method includes: performing an electropolishing process for the front end of an emitter material having conductivity to taper toward the front end; and performing an etching to make the number of atoms constituting the tip of the front end be a predetermined number or less by further sharpening the front end through an electric field-induced gas etching having constantly applied voltage, while observing the crystal structure of the front end, by a field ion microscope, in a sharp portion having the front end at its apex.

The focused ion beam apparatus includes: a vacuum container; an emitter tip disposed in the vacuum container and having a pointed front end; a gas field ion source; a focusing lens; a first deflector; a first aperture; an objective lens focusing the ion beam passing through the first deflector; and a sample stage. A signal generator responding to the ion beam in a point-shaped area is formed between the sample stage and an optical system including at least the focusing lens, the first aperture, the first deflector, and the objective lens, and a scanning field ion microscope image of the emitter tip is produced by matching a signal output from the signal generator and scanning of the ion beam by the first deflector with each other.