Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
135 words
An ion source comprising: a vacuum container; an anode disposed in said vacuum container; a cathode having one or more looped slits formed opposite said anode; and one or more permanent magnets located in a position or positions corresponding to a portion of said cathode surrounded by said looped slit or slits and forming a magnetic field having a direction at substantially right angles to the direction of an electric field formed by applying a voltage between said anode and cathode; a gas which is introduced into said vacuum container through an inlet means formed in said vacuum container being made into gas plasma by means of said electric and magnetic fields at right angles to each other, whereby positive ions in said gas plasma will be taken out through said looped slit or slits.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
135 words
An ion source comprising: a vacuum container; an anode disposed in said vacuum container; a cathode having one or more looped slits formed opposite said anode; and one or more permanent magnets located in a position or positions corresponding to a portion of said cathode surrounded by said looped slit or slits and forming a magnetic field having a direction at substantially right angles to the direction of an electric field formed by applying a voltage between said anode and cathode; a gas which is introduced into said vacuum container through an inlet means formed in said vacuum container being made into gas plasma by means of said electric and magnetic fields at right angles to each other, whereby positive ions in said gas plasma will be taken out through said looped slit or slits.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
An ion source according to claim 1, wherein said cathode is formed of a magnetic material and forms, together with said permanent magnet, a magnetic circuit.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
54 words
An ion source according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said cathode has a box-type structure formed of upper and lower covers and side walls, said upper cover having said looped slit formed therein, and said lower cover having ion exhaust ports formed separately in a position thereof substantially corresponding to said looped slit.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
An ion source according to claim 3, wherein said permanent magnet is disposed substantially in the center of the interior of said box-type structure.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
An ion source according to claim 1, wherein said permanent magnet is a cobalt-samarium based magnet.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
An ion source according to claim 1, wherein said looped slits and permanent magnets are two or more in number.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
An ion source according to claim 1, wherein said looped slit is a circular looped slit.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
An ion source according to claim 1, wherein said looped slit is a rectangular looped slit.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
134 words
An ion etching process, comprising steps of introducing a gas into a vacuum container; applying a voltage between an anode and a cathode with a looped slit which are disposed opposite to each other in said vacuum container, so that an orthogonal electromagnetic field may be formed in the vicinity of said looped slit as a combination of an electric field created by said impression of the voltage and a magnetic field created by a permanent magnet which is disposed in a position corresponding to a portion of said cathode that is surrounded by said looped slit; generating gas plasma from said gas by means of said orthogonal electromagnetic field; taking out positive ions in said gas plasma through said looped slit; and applying said extracted positive ions to a workpiece to be etched.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
134 words
An ion etching process, comprising steps of introducing a gas into a vacuum container; applying a voltage between an anode and a cathode with a looped slit which are disposed opposite to each other in said vacuum container, so that an orthogonal electromagnetic field may be formed in the vicinity of said looped slit as a combination of an electric field created by said impression of the voltage and a magnetic field created by a permanent magnet which is disposed in a position corresponding to a portion of said cathode that is surrounded by said looped slit; generating gas plasma from said gas by means of said orthogonal electromagnetic field; taking out positive ions in said gas plasma through said looped slit; and applying said extracted positive ions to a workpiece to be etched.