Patent · US Expired

Procedure for etching of materials at the surface with focussed electron beam induced chemical reaction at said surface

US7452477B2 · kind B2 · utility

20Cited by
20References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 28, 2003
Grant dateNov 18, 2008
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 14, 2025

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J2237/31744
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The invention relates to a procedure for etching of materials at the surface by focussed electron beam induced chemical reaction at the surface, with the following steps: a) in a vacuum atmosphere the material which is to be etched is irradiated with at least one beam of molecules and at least one first beam of electrons, whereby the irradiated material and the molecules of the beam of molecules are excited in a way that a chemical reaction takes place and forms a reaction product, which is not gaseous/not volatile—reaction step. The invention is characterized in that b) the reaction product is evaporated from said surface by an second beam of electrons, which heats the material locally to a temperature above the vaporisation temperature of the reaction product —removal step—.

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