Patent · US Active

Method of smoothing solid surface with gas cluster ion beam and solid surface smoothing apparatus

US8481981B2 · kind B2 · utility

5Cited by
1References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 30, 2007
Grant dateJul 9, 2013
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 6, 2029

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J2237/3151
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Surface roughness having intervals of several tens of nanometers to about a hundred micrometers in a solid surface is reduced by directing a gas cluster ion beam to the surface. An angle formed between the normal to the solid surface and the gas cluster ion beam is referred to as an irradiation angle, and an irradiation angle at which the distance of interaction between the solid and the cluster colliding with the solid dramatically increases is referred to as a critical angle. A solid surface smoothing method includes an irradiation step of directing the gas cluster ion beam onto the solid surface at an irradiation angle not smaller than the critical angle. The critical angle is 70°.

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