Tescan MIRA3 Instructions For Use Manual Download Page 1

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Summary of Contents for MIRA3

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Page 2: ... express written authority Offenders are liable for damages All rights reserved We have checked the contents of this manual for agreement with the hardware and software described Since deviations cannot be precluded entirely we cannot guarantee full agreement 2013 TESCAN a s Brno Czech Republic ...

Page 3: ... Electron Column Centering 14 4 1 2 1 Centering of the Electron Gun 14 4 1 2 2 Automatic Centering 15 4 1 2 3 Manual Centering 15 4 1 2 4 Electron Column Precentering 16 4 1 3 Angular Intensity Calibration 17 4 2 Chamber and Sample Stage 20 5 Vacuum Modes 21 5 1 High Vacuum Mode 21 5 2 Low Vacuum Mode 21 6 Detectors 22 6 1 SE Detector 22 6 2 In Beam SE Detector 22 6 3 LVSTD Detector 23 6 4 BSE Det...

Page 4: ...w Magnification 30 8 4 Imaging in Low Vacuum Mode 33 8 5 Images at High Magnification 35 8 6 Electron Beam Lithography 38 8 7 Microscope Stopping 43 9 Microscope Maintenance 44 9 1 Basic Microscope Accessories 44 9 2 Insertion of the Final Aperture for the Low Vacuum Mode 45 9 3 Cleaning of the Final Aperture 45 9 4 Specimen Holders 46 ...

Page 5: ...gh resolution Fast imaging rate High throughput large area automation e g automated particle location and analysis Fully automated microscope set up including electron optics set up and alignment Sophisticated software for SEM control image acquisition archiving processing and analysis Network operations and built in remote access diagnostics This manual provides an overview of the components the ...

Page 6: ...ute a part of the microscope for any other part that is not original and is not delivered by the microscope producer e g the substitution of the original steel blinds on the flanges of the microscope chamber for light alloy blinds can cause an emission of dangerous ionizing radiation The microscope is provided with a number of automatic protections making unsuitable use impossible e g it is not po...

Page 7: ...e laboratory is ready technicians of the manufacturer or technicians of an approved company will carry out the installation connection to the mains and user training The customer is not allowed to connect the microscope to the mains or do any other manipulation except moving the microscope to the storage place The installation company will fill in the installation protocol The warranty period will...

Page 8: ...ical system of the microscope allows operation in different modes when some parameters of the beam can be preferred and the others can be kept down Here are some typical examples Work at high magnification It is necessary to reach a high resolution therefore a low beam intensity short working distance and slow scanning speed should be used We recommend using RESOLUTION mode working distance not mo...

Page 9: ...dreds of volts lower than the filament tip potential The accelerating voltage between the cathode and the anode determines the overall energy of the electrons The whole system behaves as an electron virtual source located in the region of the end of the tip with a characteristic size of approximately 20 nm energy of the electrons in the range from 200 eV to 30 keV and emission current up to 300 µA...

Page 10: ...agm trims the final displaying beam It is located under the condenser and gun centering coils The size of the diaphragm is chosen according to the optimal aperture angle of the electron beam and determines the maximum resolution ability of the column The auxiliary IML lens is a magnetic lens used for the aperture change of the beam entering the objective lens or for beam displaying if the objectiv...

Page 11: ... in this mode The aperture is nearly optimal for lower BI values small spot size low beam current short working distances 4 5 mm and for the accelerating voltage 30 kV The pivot point of the scanning and the electric image shifts are close to the principal plane of the objective OBJ so that the curvature of the field distortion and field of view are as good as possible The centering of the objecti...

Page 12: ...by the auxiliary lens IML being switched on Characteristics good resolution increased depth of focus The aperture of the final beam is lower but the spot size is bigger in comparison with RESOLUTION mode The beam in the probe stays unchanged This mode is used if necessary to have a greater depth of focus ...

Page 13: ...affect the middle beam and thus does not need to pass near the centre of the objective OBJ The position of the pivot point of scanning is optimized according to the field of view The centering coils IML center the supplemental intermediate lens IML to avoid image movement during focusing The DC component of the scanning coils is set up so that no image shift occurs if switched from RESOLUTION mode...

Page 14: ...ion is corrected and minimized Highly excited objective multiplies the deflection of the beam The aperture of the beam is very small and the depth of focus is very high The IML Centering coil serves for minimizing the image shift when focusing The mode is used to search for the part of the specimen to be examined To know the proper magnification value the objective must be well focused This might ...

Page 15: ...e lens bore and enters the lens parallel to the optical axis All electron beams parallel to the optic axis are focused by the lens into a single point on the specimen surface As a consequence the scanning is transformed into beam tilting i e the resulting pivot point of the scanning lies on the specimen surface plane The intermediate lens focuses the beam into the upper focal point of the objectiv...

Page 16: ... at high magnifications Note Every user can save his own configurations in menu Options Configurations Save as Using of various configurations can save user s time when switching between various voltages within the same HV index Recommended centering conditions The centering is always done by means of a special centering specimen which is included in the microscope accessories and is marked as ADJ...

Page 17: ...eep to described sequence for each procedure The RESOLUTION mode must always be adjusted first Note If working at a higher magnification and precise centering is needed the manual centering procedure should first be done at a lower magnification and repeated more precisely at higher magnification Note In the case of MIRA3 with InBeam detector check the item InBeam Mode in the main SEM menu 3 Use t...

Page 18: ...tly stigmated especially at low accelerating voltages it is applicable also for other modes Note If the InBeam mode is switched on off it is recommended to carry out the centering of the electron column again It might also be necessary to have FIELD or DEPTH modes precisely centered if working at higher magnifications If needed proceed as follows 4 Switch to DEPTH mode and centre this mode as usua...

Page 19: ...function in the main SEM menu and follow the wizard for Stigmator A and Stigmator B use trackball 9 Switch to DEPTH mode focus and centre this mode follow the wizard 10 Switch to WIDE FIELD mode and centre this mode follow the wizard 11 Repeat steps from 1 to 10 for each of four HV indexes Note In case of MIRA3 with InBeam detector check the item InBeam Mode in the main SEM menu If it is necessary...

Page 20: ...see the figure above on the sample stage Use a WD of between 5 mm to 20 mm Then direct the beam into the above mentioned Faraday cup and set the magnification to a level that makes the field of view smaller than the shape of the cup you should see a black live image You can also use the small Focus window inside the Faraday cup Each Tescan carousel is equipped with at least two Faraday cups Figure...

Page 21: ...icking on the Calibrate button At first the value of absorbed current is displayed and then the angular intensity appears in the Confirm change panel Figure 4 8 If the new value of angular intensity is in the recommended range accept the change by clicking on the Yes button in the Confirm change panel If the value is not within the recommended range do not confirm the new value Make sure that you ...

Page 22: ...as an acoustic contact indicator of the specimen to the chamber If contact between the specimen holder and the chamber body occurs all motorized axes will stop and an audible sound will indicate the contact touch alarm The chamber and sample stage types Type Motorized axes Eucentricity LM X Y Z Rotation Tilt automatic XM X Y Z Rotation Tilt automatic GM X Y Z Rotation Tilt automatic The eucentric ...

Page 23: ...ctive samples require previous metal coating Cr Au Au Pd Pt All displaying modes are available 5 2 Low Vacuum Mode The low vacuum mode is intended for the investigation of non conductive samples 1 Vent the microscope and insert the aperture into the objective see chapter 9 2 2 Pump the microscope 3 Switch the microscope to low vacuum mode pressure range 7 Pa 500 Pa using the UniVac button in the L...

Page 24: ...Detector The detector works in high vacuum only The so called In Beam detector is located in the objective lens and detects secondary electrons It attracts electrons emanating from the sample surface into the objective lens and catches them there This type of detection is sometimes called in lens or through the lens in the literature This allows for the observation of specimens at very short worki...

Page 25: ...mp Switching on 1 Check that UniVac mode is switched on and check that the required value of the pressure in the chamber has been set lower than 500 Pa 2 To switch on the detector click on the LVSTD button in the Low Vacuum Mode panel see Figure 17 3 Now the detector chamber is automatically pumped down This may take about 2 minutes The blinking message LVSTD detector not ready yet appears in the ...

Page 26: ...of the scintillator to the cathode of the photo multiplier They are then processed in the same way as the signal coming from the secondary electrons The BSE detector is manufactured in an R BSE Retractable BSE version This modification allows the retraction of the detector from under the pole piece position if the detector is not used This allows the specimens to be moved as close as possible to t...

Page 27: ...tor carefully to its working position using the retraction mechanism and observe whether the new lightguide sits well and does not hit the objective 6 6 Other Detectors TESCAN provides other special detectors which can be attached to the microscope It is possible to obtain the list from the manufacturer ...

Page 28: ...old down Blocks the changing of the left parameter of the active function 7 2 Mouse The mouse usage follows the Windows system practice Mouse functions during normal scanning Double click with the left mouse button on the SEM Scanning window switches the Focus window on off Turning the mouse wheel changes the scan speed the SEM Scanning window needs to be active If the microscope is scanning over ...

Page 29: ...software module is active the functions of the buttons can be different 7 3 Trackball The trackball is often used with the Pad panel Turning the trackball in the direction of the axis X changes the first parameter of the active function turning the trackball in the direction of the axis Y changes the second parameter of the active function Holding the F11 key locks the first parameter of the activ...

Page 30: ...e software and hence the gun can be switched off safely in the case of a mains power failure Therefore the MiraTC software should be permanently running In the case that the software is completely switched off computer restart for example it is necessary to start the software 1 Click on the MiraTC icon on the Windows desktop The MiraTC Log in screen is displayed with prompt for user name and passw...

Page 31: ...ded for the specimen position exchange To select the sample position click on the appropriate number button on the carousel At this time the button background is red to indicate the specimen exchange mode WARNING If the specimen stage is moving do not touch any of its parts The moving manipulator can cause health injuries During the changing of the specimen use the suitable gloves for prevention o...

Page 32: ...sure that the chamber door is tightly closed 8 3 Images at Low Magnification There are four factory presets for the accelerating voltage 2 5 10 20 kV one for each HV index The user does not need to perform any further adjustments by switching between them and using magnification up to 4000x 1 In the SEM Detectors Mixer panel select the appropriate detector from the list box Figure 8 Using the SE o...

Page 33: ...to set brightness and contrast Figure 12 6 Select RESOLUTION mode click on the Scan Mode function in the Info Panel Figure 15 and select RESOLUTION or use the Continual Wide Field option switches automatically between WIDE FIELD and RESOLUTION mode and vice versa when increasing or decreasing magnification 7 Focus the image by clicking on the WD icon in the Toolbar and turning the Trackball from l...

Page 34: ...in the Pad panel Figure 13 Figure 13 9 To select the sample position in the Stage Control panel click on the appropriate number button on the carousel Figure 14 Figure 14 10 Placing the cursor over the SEM Scanning window and clicking the mouse wheel move that area on the stage into the centre of the image See chapter 7 2 for other mouse actions ...

Page 35: ...pened and used later Figure 15 8 4 Imaging in Low Vacuum Mode An ordinary SE detector is not available in the low vacuum operations see chapter 6 therefore Tescan has developed the LVSTD detector that gives topographical information from the sample in low vacuum The BSE detector is available for both modes LowVac HiVac and gives compositional information 1 Insert the final aperture into the object...

Page 36: ... left click on the BI icon on the Toolbar and then use arrows in the Pad panel Figure 13 9 Use the Auto Signal function to set suitable brightness and contrast 10 Select the OBJ Centering function from the combo box in the Pad panel Figure 18 and turn the Trackball to set the brightest area into the centre of the SEM Scanning window 11 Follow the instructions 6 14 in chapter 8 3 Note Some non cond...

Page 37: ...3 Carry out the Auto Gun Centering procedure by using the combo box in the Electron Beam panel after clicking on the Adjustment button Figure 20 See more details in chapter 4 1 2 1 4 Select the High Voltage function from the combo box in the Pad panel or click on HV in the Info Panel Type value 30 kV into the Pad panel 5 Focus the image use only RESOLUTION mode or click on the Scan Mode function i...

Page 38: ...on the Stop button in the Stage Control panel see Figure 21 Figure 21 7 Gradually magnify and focus the image to achieve 10kx magnification In the case that the image is moving during focusing it is necessary to check the centering of the objective Select the Manual Column Centering function using combo box in the Electron Beam panel after clicking on the Adjustment button Figure 22 The Manual Cen...

Page 39: ...n the Info Panel Figure 21 For precise correction use the Focus window in the SEM Scanning window and the F11 and F12 keys in the same way as in point 7 10 Select the appropriate scanning speed and save the image 11 Clicking on the icon open the dialog for saving the current adjustment of the microscope It is possible to restore the saved adjustment of the microscope later Figure 22 Figure 23 Figu...

Page 40: ...ent of the exposition etching or deposition Electron beam exposure of array of squares 1 Open the Beam Blanker panel in the main SEM menu and select Enable beam on acquisition from the list see Figure 26 The pneumatic beam blanker will be automatically inserted into the working position on the SEM column For the manual beam blanker screw it into the column if it is not there already 2 Set HV to 30...

Page 41: ...s can be created by clicking on the icon in the DrawBeam panel 7 Click on the icon to display the grid in the drawing window in the DrawBeam panel 8 Click on the Create new filled rectangle button in the DrawBeam panel and draw the square in the drawing window When clicking on the object Filled rect 1 in the Objects editor or in the drawing window variable values describing the object will appear ...

Page 42: ... 32 and select the suitable dose 12 Select the layer to be processed and appropriate preset preset can be the current or other user defined SEM settings Note The parameter Dose is defined as an electric charge which hits a unit area during exposure The appropriate dose depends on the type of resist used its thickness and on the energy of the accelerated electrons It is important to perform the dos...

Page 43: ...tting Started 41 MIRA3 FEG SEM Figure 30 Figure 31 a b 13 Change the position and focus the electron beam to the Faraday cup on the sample stage follow step 4 and to it corresponding note in chapter 4 1 3 ...

Page 44: ...t the surface of the sample is in focus Use the same WD as in the centering of the electron beam WARNING An electron beam with a higher intensity BI can disturb the resist and result in an undesirable exposure If you need to know the working position on the sample precisely use a low intensity electron beam for imaging use the SEM presets Note Use the Degauss column function click on the icon to m...

Page 45: ...dissipation and the filament itself works in better vacuum conditions thus extending the filament s life Power consumption is approximately half in comparison to normal operation If the microscope is reinitialized switch off STANDBY mode the temperature drift can cause lower time instability of the image at extremely high magnifications It is thus recommended to use STANDBY mode only in the case o...

Page 46: ...m general use mainly various flange screws the most common size used for screws 2 Hexagonal screwdriver size 2 5 mm used for mounting dismounting sample stage Z extensions 3 Flat screwdriver size 3 2 mm general use 4 Hexagonal screwdriver size 1 5 mm used for fixing the screws in the sample stage 5 Low vacuum aperture holder 6 Screw size M3x25 used for the removal of the low vacuum aperture holder...

Page 47: ...y pulling the screw downwards The apertures become contaminated during microscope usage which can cause a decrease in the optical qualities of the column They will need to be cleaned or replaced from time to time Note During the manipulation with the aperture holder use the suitable gloves for prevention of pollution of it and inner microscope parts 9 3 Cleaning of the Final Aperture Contamination...

Page 48: ...mbled holder with the aperture with clean compressed air or nitrogen 9 4 Specimen Holders The specimen holders differ according to the type of delivered microscope here is only an overview of the possible types Standard specimen holder ø12 5 mm height 3 mm the most common holder suitable for smaller specimen The specimen is normally glued with conductive glue or stuck on with double sided sealing ...

Page 49: ...n holder HM114 designed for flat samples up to a width of 20 mm Specimen holder GM153 replacement of the standard seven position specimen holder the seven position holder must be removed Designed for rod shaped samples of a diameter up to 26 mm Specimen holder HM154 A CAMSCAN ø12 5 mm specimen holder adaptor ...

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