Patent EP0063493A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0063493A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Ion-processing method and apparatus and a product made thereby
Assignee: Japan Kinoko Research Center Foundation
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Filing: 1982-04-20
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2002-04-20
Abstract
Abstract An ion-processing method and apparatus utilizing a slender tubular member (1) having an open end and an inlet conduit. The tubular member is positioned to bring the open end in spaced juxtaposition with a workpiece (2) across a small gap of a size of 10 and 1000µm in an evacuated atmosphere. Ionizable gas is supplied into the slender tubular member through the inlet conduit for feeding it into the small gap through the open end. A power supply (6) is provided to energize the supplied gas to form ions thereof and to apply an accelerating potential to the formed ions to cause them to propel in a beam across the small gap and to impinge onto a limited area of the surface of the workpiece juxtaposed with the open end of the slender tubular member. The pressure within the small gap, ranging between 10 -4 and 10 -1 Torr (13.3x10 -3 and 13.3 Pa), is maintained in excess of the pressure of the atmosphere surrounding the gap, ranging between 10- 6 and 10- 4 Torr (13.3 x 10 -5 and 13.3 x 10 -3 Pa).
Inventors
- 👤 Kiyoshi Inoue
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 06:26
CPC Classifications
C; C23; C23C; C23C14/00; C23C14/22; C23C14/48; C23C14/24; C23C14/32; H; H01; H01J; H01J37/00; H01J37/30; H01J37/305; H01J37/317
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
129 words
A method of processing a workpiece with a beam of energetic ions, comprising: positioning a slender tubular member to bring its open end into spaced juxtaposition with the workpiece across a small gap of a size ranging between 10 and 1000 µm in an evacuated atmosphere; supplying'said tubular member with an ionizable gas for feeding it into said gap through said open end; energizing said supplied gas to form ions and applying an electrical potential to said formed ions to cause them to propel in a beam across said small gap and to impinge onto a limited area of the surface of said workpiece juxtaposed with said open end; and maintaining the pressure within said small gap in excess of the pressure of said atmosphere surrounding said small gap.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
129 words
A method of processing a workpiece with a beam of energetic ions, comprising: positioning a slender tubular member to bring its open end into spaced juxtaposition with the workpiece across a small gap of a size ranging between 10 and 1000 µm in an evacuated atmosphere; supplying'said tubular member with an ionizable gas for feeding it into said gap through said open end; energizing said supplied gas to form ions and applying an electrical potential to said formed ions to cause them to propel in a beam across said small gap and to impinge onto a limited area of the surface of said workpiece juxtaposed with said open end; and maintaining the pressure within said small gap in excess of the pressure of said atmosphere surrounding said small gap.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to Claim 1, wherein said gap size is not greater than 50 µm.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
62 words
A method according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the pressures of said atmosphere and within said small gap are maintained in the range between 10- 6 and 1 0- 4 Torr (13.3 x 10- 5 and 13.3 x 10- 3 Pa) and in the range between 10 -4 and 10- 1 Torr (13.3 x 10- 3 and 13.3 Pa), respectively.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the pressure within said small gap is maintained so as to be greater by at least one order in Torr than the pressure of said atmosphere.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
31 words
A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein said pressures are maintained by continuously replenishing said gas into said slender tube member while continuously evacuating said atmosphere.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
23 words
A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein said ionizable gas is argon, and/or nitrogen, and/or hydrogen and/or oxygen.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
36 words
A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein said ionizable gas is at least one substance selected from the group which consists of polyhalogenated hydrocarbons containing fluorine and chlorine; fluorides; and chlorides.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
53 words
A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, further comprising applying a magnetic field of a magnetic flux density in excess of 500 Gauss (0.05T) to said ions in the region of said small gap to controlledly facilitate dispersion of said ions impinging on said workpiece in said small gap.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
53 words
A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, further comprising relatively displacing said.workpiece and said slender tubular member in a plane substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of said slender tubular member along a prescribed path to successively process said surface in a scanning manner over a predetermined area thereof.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
41 words
A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, further comprising displacing said slender tubular member relative to said workpiece in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said slender tubular member to maintain said gap size substantially constant.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
46 words
A method according to Claim 10, further comprising electrically sensing said gap size to provide a control signal and, in response to said control signal, axially displacing said slender tubular member towards said workpiece so as to maintain said gap size substantially at a predetermined value.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
49 words
A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 11, wherein said slender tubular member is composed'at least in part of an electrically conductive material to constitute one of a pair of electrodes with respect to said workpiece constituting the other electrode for establishing said electrical potential therebetween.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method according to Claim 12, wherein said slender tubular member is composed at least in a portion of said open end of said electrically conductive material constituting said one electrode.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to Claim 13, wherein said ions are formed within said small gap under said electrical potential.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
21 words
A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 14, wherein said electrical potential ranges between 1 and 10 kV.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
157 words
An apparatus for processing a workpiece with a beam of ions, comprising: a slender tubular member having an open end and communicating with an inlet conduit; means for positioning said slender tubular member to bring said open end into a spaced juxtaposition with the workpiece across a small gap of a size ranging between 10 and 1000 µm in an evacuated atmosphere; means for supplying ionizable gas into said slender tubular member through said inlet conduit and feeding said gas into said small gap through said open end; means for energizing said supplied gas to form ions and applying an electrical potential to said formed ions to cause them to propel in a beam across said small gap to impinge on a limited area of the surface of said workpiece juxtaposed with said open end; and means for maintaining the pressure within said small gap in excess of the pressure of said atmosphere surrounding said small gap.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
157 words
An apparatus for processing a workpiece with a beam of ions, comprising: a slender tubular member having an open end and communicating with an inlet conduit; means for positioning said slender tubular member to bring said open end into a spaced juxtaposition with the workpiece across a small gap of a size ranging between 10 and 1000 µm in an evacuated atmosphere; means for supplying ionizable gas into said slender tubular member through said inlet conduit and feeding said gas into said small gap through said open end; means for energizing said supplied gas to form ions and applying an electrical potential to said formed ions to cause them to propel in a beam across said small gap to impinge on a limited area of the surface of said workpiece juxtaposed with said open end; and means for maintaining the pressure within said small gap in excess of the pressure of said atmosphere surrounding said small gap.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
65 words
An apparatus according to Claim 16, wherein the last-mentioned means include a receptacle for receiving said workpiece and at least a portion of said open end of the slender tubular member, and vacuum pump means for maintaining the pressure of said atmosphere within said receptacle in a range between 10- 6 and 10- 4 Torr (13.3 x 10- 5 and 13.3 x 10- 3 Pa).
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
62 words
An apparatus according to Claim 17, wherein said supply means includes valve means constituting a portion of said pressure-maintaining means and arranged between said inlet conduit and a source of said gas, said valve means being adjustable to maintain the pressure within said small gap in a range between 10 -4 and 10- 1 Torr (13.3 x 10- 3 and 13.3 Pa).
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
34 words
An apparatus according to Claim 18, further comprising means responsive to a change in the pressure within said small gap for controlling at least one of said vacuum pump means and said valve means.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
43 words
An apparatus according to any one of Claims 16 to 19, further comprising means responsive to a'change in said gap size for relatively displacing said slender tubular member at said workpiece so as to maintain said gap size substantially at a predetermined value.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
53 words
An apparatus according to Claims 16 to 20, further comprising means for relatively displacing said workpiece and said slender tubular member in a plane substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of said slender tubular member along a prescribed path to successively process said workpiece surface in a scanning manner over a predetermined area.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
46 words
An apparatus according to Claims 16 to 21, wherein said tubular element is composed, at least in part, of an electrically conductive material to constitute one of a pair of electrodes with respect to said workpiece constituting the other electrode for establishing said electrical potential therebetween.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
31 words
An apparatus according to Claim 22, wherein said slender tubular member is composed, at least in a portion of said open end, of said electrically conductive material constituting said one electrode.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
26 words
An apparatus according to Claim 22 or 23, wherein said one electrode is poled to be anodic and said other electrode is poled to be cathodic.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
23 words
An apparatus according to Claims 1-6 to 24, wherein said slender tubular member has an inner diameter ranging between 0.1 and 0.5 mm.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
50 words
An apparatus according to Claims 16 to 25, further comprising means for applying a magnetic field or a magnetic flux density in excess of 500 Gauss (0.05T) to said beam of ions in the region of said small gap to controlledly facilitate dispersion of said ions impinging on said workpiece.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
15 words
A product made by a method according to any one of Claims 1 to 15.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
18 words
A product made with the use of an apparatus according to any one of Claims 16 to 26.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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