A beam control method is provided that can be implemented with any hardware system for imaging and/or cutting such as SEM/FIB/HIM or charged particle lithography which alleviates the deposited energy overlap between pixels to increase resolution and precision while reducing damage. The method includes scanning a workpiece with e-beam lithography, proton lithography, ion beam lithography, optical lithography, ion beam imaging or FIB in a reduced or sub-sampled pattern, to reduce beam overlap, which can include the step of scanning the beam ensuring that there is the largest difference in time and space between consecutive beam locations.

The invention relates to a device (100) for reducing ice contamination of a sample (S) in a chamber (210) of a focused ion beam milling apparatus (200), wherein the device (100) comprises a body (110) configured to be cooled to cryogenic temperatures, wherein the body (110) comprises an aperture (111), which is configured such that an ion beam (I) generated by an ion source (220) can pass from the ion source (220) through the aperture (111) to the sample (S), wherein the body (110) comprises a recess (112), wherein said aperture (111) is arranged in the recess (112).

The invention further relates to a focused ion beam milling apparatus (200) and a method for focused ion beam milling of a sample (S).

The invention relates to a device (100) for reducing ice contamination of a sample (S) in a chamber (210) of a focused ion beam milling apparatus (200), wherein the device (100) comprises a body (110) configured to be cooled to cryogenic temperatures, wherein the body (110) comprises an aperture (111), which is configured such that an ion beam (I) generated by an ion source (220) can pass from the ion source (220) through the aperture (111) to the sample (S), wherein the body (110) comprises a recess (112), wherein said aperture (111) is arranged in the recess (112).

The invention further relates to a focused ion beam milling apparatus (200) and a method for focused ion beam milling of a sample (S).

A method of automatic detection of a required peak for sample machining by a focused ion beam uses for a filtration of a measured signal of secondary particles of a discrete wavelet transformation followed by a peak detection, and stops sample machining after the required a number of peaks has been reached.

Methods and systems for creating attachments between a sample manipulator and a sample within a charged particle systems are disclosed herein. Methods include translating a sample manipulator so that it is proximate to a sample, and milling portions of the sample manipulator such that portions are removed. The portion of the sample manipulator proximate to the sample is composed of a high sputter yield material, and the high sputter yield material may be the material milled with the charged particle beam such that it is removed from the sample manipulator. According to the present disclosure, the portions of the sample manipulator are milled such that at least some of the removed high sputter yield material redeposits to form an attachment between the sample manipulator and the sample.

A method of manufacturing a memory device includes sequentially forming a first magnetization layer, a tunnel barrier layer, and a second magnetization layer on each other; forming a magnetic tunnel junction structure by patterning the first magnetization layer, the tunnel barrier layer, and the second magnetization layer; forming a sidewall metal layer by etching a portion of a redeposited metal covering a sidewall of the magnetic tunnel junction structure; performing an oxidizing operation that includes oxidizing an exposed surface of the sidewall metal layer to provide an oxidized sidewall metal layer; and performing an irradiating operation that includes irradiating an ion beam towards the oxidized sidewall metal layer. A sidewall insulating layer covering a sidewall of the magnetic tunnel junction structure is formed by alternately performing the oxidizing operation and the irradiating operation two or more times.

A method of manufacturing a memory device includes sequentially forming a first magnetization layer, a tunnel barrier layer, and a second magnetization layer on each other; forming a magnetic tunnel junction structure by patterning the first magnetization layer, the tunnel barrier layer, and the second magnetization layer; forming a sidewall metal layer by etching a portion of a redeposited metal covering a sidewall of the magnetic tunnel junction structure; performing an oxidizing operation that includes oxidizing an exposed surface of the sidewall metal layer to provide an oxidized sidewall metal layer; and performing an irradiating operation that includes irradiating an ion beam towards the oxidized sidewall metal layer. A sidewall insulating layer covering a sidewall of the magnetic tunnel junction structure is formed by alternately performing the oxidizing operation and the irradiating operation two or more times.

A substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate using particles, includes a conveyance mechanism configured to convey the substrate along a conveyance surface, a particle source configured to emit particles, a rotation mechanism configured to make the particle source pivot about a rotation axis, and a movement mechanism configured to move the particle source such that a distance between the particle source and the conveyance surface is changed.

A method of milling a sample that includes a first layer formed over a second layer, where the first and second layers are different materials, the method comprising: milling the region of the sample by scanning a focused ion beam over the region a plurality of iterations in which, for each iteration, the focused ion beam removes material from the sample generating byproducts from the milled region; detecting, during the milling, the partial pressures of one or more byproducts with a residual gas analyzer positioned to have a direct line of sight to the milled region; generating, in real-time, an output detection signal from the residual gas analyzer indicative of an amount of the one or more byproducts detected; and stopping the milling based on the output signal.

A method of evaluating a region of interest of a sample including: positioning the sample within in a vacuum chamber of an evaluation tool that includes a scanning electron microscope (SEM) column and a focused ion beam (FIB) column; acquiring a plurality of two-dimensional images of the region of interest by alternating a sequence of delayering the region of interest with a charged particle beam from the FIB column and imaging a surface of the region of interest with the SEM column; generating an initial three-dimensional data cube representing the region of interest by stacking the plurality of two-dimensional images on top of each other in an order in which they were acquired; identifying distortions within the initial three-dimensional data cube; and creating an updated three-dimensional data cube that includes corrections for the identified distortions.