Method of holding an electrically insulating sample

Details Method of holding an electrically insulating sample Method of holding an electrically insulating sample

1987-10-23

1989-05-23

Anderson, Bruce C.

Radiant energy

Inspection of solids or liquids by charged particles

Analyte supports

250282, G01F 2100, B01D 5944

Patent

active

048333310

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method of holding an electrically insulating sample, and more specifically to a method of holding an electrically insulating sample that is adapted to be used with secondary ion mass spectrometry.


BACKGROUND ART

According to secondary ion mass spectrometry, a sample is bombarded with an ion beam which is a corpuscular beam, and secondary ions emitted from the sample are subjected to mass spectrometry.
The secondary ion mass spectrometry often employs a powdery sample composed of an electrically insulating material. The electrically insulating powdery sample can be held by the following methods:
(1) A method in which one side of a double-sided adhesive tape is stuck to a support member, and the electrically insulating powdery sample is stuck to the other side.
(2) A method in which the sample is dissolved in a solvent which is then applied onto a holder to vaporize the solvent.
According to the method (1) employing the double-sided adhesive tape which is generally an electrically insulating tape, however, the sample bombarded with the corpuscular beam is charged up and the adhesive easily evaporates to contaminate the inner walls of an evacuated sample chamber in which the sample is held as well as the inner walls of the corpuscular beam passage. Therefore, the corpuscular beam impinging upon the sample is undesirably deflected. With the method (2), the sample is prevented from being charged up provided the sample is not too thickly applied onto the holder. However, the sample is degenerated or contaminated with the solvent.


DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a method of holding an electrically insulating sample which is adapted for preventing the sample from being charged up when it is bombarded with a corpuscular beam.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of holding an electrically insulating sample which is adapted for preventing the electrically insulating sample from being charged up when it is bombarded with the corpuscular beam, without relying upon the above-mentioned method (1) or (2).
According to the present invention, there is provided a method of holding an electrically insulating sample to be bombarded with a corpuscular beam comprising the steps of placing an electrically conductive metallic material in a liquefied form on a support member, and burying the electrically insulating sample in the liquefied metallic material except at least a portion to be bombarded with the corpuscular beam.


BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the steps of a method of holding an electrically insulating sample according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein:
FIG. 1(A) illustrates in cross section the state where an electrically conductive metallic material is placed on a support member that is placed on a base plate;
FIG. 1(B) illustrates in cross section the state where the electrically conductive metallic material shown in FIG. 1(A) is flattened;
FIG. 1(C) illustrates in cross section the state where an electrically insulating sample is buried in the flattened electrically conductive metallic material shown in FIG. 1(B);
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing part of the steps of the method of holding an electrically insulating sample according to another embodiment of the present invention, and showing in a plan view the state where a pelletized electrically insulating sample is buried in the electrically conductive metallic material that is placed on the support member;
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing part of the steps of the method of holding electrically insulating samples according to a further embodiment of the present invention, and showing in cross sectional view the state where electrically insulating samples are buried in the electrically conductive metallic material in a well that is formed in the support member; and
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing part of the steps of the method of holding electrically insulating samples according to a still further embod

REFERENCES:
patent: 3754976 (1973-08-01), Babecki et al.
patent: 4719349 (1988-01-01), Phillips
"A Universal Environmental Cell for a 3MV-Class Electron Microscope and its Applications to Metallurgical Subjects", Fujita et al., Jap. Journ. of Applied Physics, vol. 15, No. 11, Nov. 1976, pp. 2221-2228, 250-440.1.

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