Surface analyzing method and its apparatus
US5714757A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 13, 1995 |
| Grant date | Feb 3, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 13, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01J2237/04756
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A surface analyzing method comprising an ion generation step for generating multiply-charged ions of specific ion species and specific charge state; a deceleration step for decelerating the generated multiply-charged ions to a lower kinetic energy than an energy of threshold of sputtering of an objective material; an irradiation step for irradiating the decelerated multiply-charged ions on the surface of a sample; and an analysis step for analyzing particles or light emitted from the surface of said sample by the irradiation of said multiply-charged ions. Apparatus is provided for carrying out the method. Since the ions irradiated on the sample surface are multiply-charged ions having a lower kinetic energy than that of threshold of sputtering of materials constituting a sample, the irradiated ions interact merely with the top surface layer of the sample whereby analyzed information merely from the top surface layer of the sample can be obtained, and as a result, the kind of atoms of the top surface layer of the sample and the bonding state of said atoms can be analyzed with high sensitivity and high resolution.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.