Patent · US Expired

Processing method and apparatus using focused energy beam

US5683547A · kind A · utility

59Cited by
15References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 12, 1994
Grant dateNov 4, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 12, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J2237/31744
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A processing method and apparatus using a focused energy beam for conducting local energy beam processing in a focused energy beam irradiating area by irradiating a sample with a focused energy beam such as an ion beam or an electron beam in an etching gas atmosphere. As the etching gas, a mixed gas different in composition from any conventional one is employed and the gas is uniformly supplied to an etching area and at least one of the components of such a mixed gas is a spontaneous reactive gas for use in etching the sample spontaneously and isotropically. With this arrangement, it is possible to subject to local etching a material for which the local etching has been impossible to provide since a single etching gas causes a reaction too fierce or causes almost nearly no reaction.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.