Tohoku Gakuin University Hi-tech Research Center

Ar Ion Etching System

This Etching System is made up of an ECR (Electron Cyclotron Resonance) ion shower system and an Ion Milling Probe designed for the high and precise throughput demands of etching procedure. First of all, the patterned samples with several nm to several μm scale is prepared by using an Electron Beam Lithography System. Then, the surface of the sample with several mm regions is etched by using an Ar ion etching system. In order to terminate an etching procedure at a certain depth (layer), this etching system equips with the End-point Detector (Ion Milling Probe, so called SIMS (Secondary Ionization Mass Spectrometer)).

Surface atoms of the sample obtain the kinetic energy and the ionization energy from the irradiated primary ion beams having several keV to several ten keV. These excited atoms are ionized and emitted from the surface of sample as secondary ion beams (sputtering phenomenon). The secondary ion beams trapped in the detector are separated depending on their charge when passing through the electromagnetic field. The numbers of thus separated ions are counted as the electric-pulse by the Electron Multiplier. Thus the SIMS enables to identify the kind of atoms that constitute the sample.