Approved by: Process Engineer / / / / Equipment Engineer 1 SCOPE The purpose of this document is to detail the use of the Amray 1830 SEM. All users are expected to have read and understood this document. It is not a substitute for in-person training on the system and is not sufficient to qualify a user on the system. Failure to follow guidelines in this document may result in loss of privileges. 2 REFERENCE DOCUMENTS o Appropriate Tool Manuals 3 DEFINITIONS 3.1 LaB6 Filament used in SEM 4 TOOLS AND MATERIALS 4.1 General Description 4.1.1 The AMRAY 1830 SEM will accommodate wafer pieces as well as whole wafers. Image capture is done with the Kinovea Image Capture software. 5 SAFETY PRECAUTIONS 5.1 Personal Safety Hazards 5.1.1 Radiation-This equipment can produce low levels of radiation. Do not operate tool if any covers are not in place. 5.1.2 High Voltage-The SEM employs voltages that are dangerous and may be fatal to personnel. Do not attempt to defeat the protective interlock systems. 5.1.3 Mechanical Hazards-Drive assemblies in the chamber have sufficient power to cause injury. Keep hands, fingers, clothing and tools clear of moving parts. RIT SMFL Page 1 of 7
5.2 Hazards to the Tool 5.2.1 Sample Loading - Use caution when loading samples in the chamber. If the sample is loaded too high, it may damage the final aperture. When the sample stage is pushed in, be careful not to hit the screen that covers the detector. 5.2.2 Stage Operation The stage is a manual stage. Always make small adjustments and then refocus on the sample. Check the working distance each time the stage is moved to ensure the sample does not damage the final lens. 5.2.3 Contamination - No SU8 is allowed in the SEM. Other organic materials need staff approval, require a lower kv setting and a gold coating. No adhesives are allowed in the chamber except for the carbon pads and carbon paint. Other adhesives will contaminate the column and damage the tool. Gold coated samples should not be used in other process equipment or the cleanroom. 5.2.4 Chamber Vacuum Do not open the V1 valve until the green vacuum ready light illuminates and V1 flashes on Panel 9. Always close V1 before turning off the console and never leave V1 open when the tool is unattended. 6 INSTRUCTIONS 6.1 Initial State Check 6.1.1 Ensure valve V1 is closed, located on the left side of column. This is done by, (a)- pressing down on the metal tab and (b)-pushing in on the valve towards the column. (a) (b) RIT SMFL Page 2 of 7
R I T Fabrication Laboratory Revision: D 6.1.2 6.1.3 6.1.4 Rev Date: 03/18/2016 Verify ION pump is on by checking the indicator light illuminated above [ION PUMP] button. Establish pump is operating correctly by looking at the display on the chamber column gauge and indicator lights. Ensure that the light that is illuminated for the Ion Pump is either the 2mA or 200µA and that the current is less than 500uA. (Panel 9) If none of the lights are illuminated then press the [METER SELECT] button until lights illuminate. If the Ion Pump does not indicate less than 500uA, get the technician. (Panel 9) Vacuum Control Panel SEM column with manual stage controls RIT SMFL SEM console with image capture computer Page 3 of 7
6.2 Operating the system 6.2.1 Sample Loading 6.2.1.1 On the column verify that the V1 valve is closed. It should be pushed in. 6.2.1.2 Verify that the V1 indicator light is flashing on the display below the column. (Panel 9) 6.2.1.3 Press the Vent button on the panel below the column. (Panel 9) 6.2.1.4 If rough pump does not shut off when [VENT] is depressed, get technician. ***********************CAUTION*********************** Do not push [METER SELECT] button Unless GREEN READY light is illuminated ******************************************************** 6.2.1.5 SLOWLY open Chamber Door ***********************CAUTION*********************** Be careful when opening chamber door. Door swings on two sets of hinges. ******************************************************** 6.2.1.6 Insert sample and secure with set-screw. 6.2.1.7 Slowly swing door closed and ensure sample is approximately 3 to 7 mm below the final lens. Use the Z knob on the stage to adjust the sample height. There is a height indicator on the knob to track the height while the sample is in the chamber. 6.2.1.8 Press Evacuate to pump out the chamber. (Panel 9) 6.2.2 Preliminary Settings 6.2.2.1 Press the [POWER ON] button on electronics console. (Panel 1) 6.2.2.2 Select CRT on SEM keyboard. (Panel 11) 6.2.2.3 Select AUTO on SEM keyboard. (Panel 11) 6.2.2.4 Adjust SHIFT knobs to the 12 o clock position. (Panel 8) 6.2.2.5 Adjust BEAM ALIGNMENT knobs to the 12 o clock position (Panel 3) 6.2.2.6 Depress Slow Scan if it is lit. 6.2.2.7 To center the stage under the column, set X to 7675 and Y to 1520 RIT SMFL Page 4 of 7
6.2.3 Obtaining an Image 6.2.3.1 Verify that the V1 indicator light is flashing on the display below the column. Open the V1 valve by pulling it out. (Panel 9) 6.2.3.2 Press the [ ] button on the console until the desired Acceleration Potential is achieved. (Panel 3) 6.2.3.3 Press the [ 10] button on the Magnification panel to 25X (Panel 7) 6.2.3.4 Press the AUTO HEAT button and watch for the red light between the HEAT and BIAS knobs to go out and the green emission current lights to illuminate. Do not adjust the heat or bias knobs. (Panel 3) Emission should be approximately 10KV (50mA) 20KV (100uA) 30KV (150uA) 6.2.3.5 Degauss both lenses. Press Cond Lens and then Degauss. Press Final Lens and then Degauss. 6.2.3.6 Adjust BEAM ALIGNMENT knobs to obtain highest brightness on CRT. (Panel 3) 6.2.3.7 Brightness B and Contrast C can be varied to achieve desired image on the CRT. 6.2.3.8 Press the FINAL LENS button to enable focus and adjust focus by turning silver knob. 6.2.3.9 Zoom in or out as necessary using the Magnification buttons. 6.3 Optimizing the Image 6.3.1 Press Wobbler to check the alignment of the final aperture. A properly aligned aperture will produce an image that pulses in and out of focus when the Wobbler is engaged. If the image shifts up and down or left and right, the final aperture needs alignment. (Panel 8) 6.3.1.1 Aperture alignment is accomplished by turning knobs (1) and (2) on the front and side of the final aperture assembly until there is no up and down or left to right image shift. The aperture alignment is very sensitive and should not need much adjustment. (1) (2) RIT SMFL Page 5 of 7
6.3.2 Turn off the Wobbler. 6.3.3 The best way to optimize the focus and astigmatism is to zoom in on a very small spherical particle and then make the adjustments so that the small particle looks sharp and then zoom back out to your actual image. The partial field [PF] button may be pressed to look at only a small area of the screen. The size and position of this field may be shifted. This may be useful in optimizing the image due to the faster refresh for the smaller area. 6.3.4 Use the Stigmator adjustments to remove astigmatism. Adjust the x-direction to obtain the best focus and then repeat for the y-direction. (Panel 6) 6.3.5 Press the COND LENS button to adjust the spot size. While COND LENS button is illuminated turn silver knob. When desired spot size is obtained press the DEGAUSS button and then refocus the image. System will switch back to FINAL LENS automatically. A smaller spot size will give better resolution but the image will be dimmer and grainy. Adjust the brightness and contrast. The graininess can be improved by using a slower scan to take the picture. (Panel 4) 6.3.6 Iterate through this section again to fine tune the image. Once the Wobbler, Stigmator and Condensor Lens are optimized, you can move around the sample and only have to adjust the focus, brightness and contrast. 6.3.7 When the image looks good, use the Scan Rotation and the rotary dial to make the image level. 6.4 Picture Taking 6.6.1 After optimizing the image, press Slow Scan and Freeze. Use the knob above the freeze button to select the scan rate (1-5); slower scan will result in a better image. Remember to take it out of Slow Scan to continue using the SEM. 6.6.2 Image capture is done with the Swiftcap Osprey program on the computer. 6.6.3 Double click on the Swiftcap Icon icon. 6.6.4 Under Tools, click on Save Snapshot. 6.6.5 Type in the desired name for the image. 6.6.6 Save to a removable drive medium only. Do not save on the PC due to the limited amount of storage. If it says Image cannot be saved, you probably exceeded the amount of storage available on the computer. 6.5 Removing a Sample 6.4.1 Close V1. It should be pushed in. (left side of column) 6.4.2 Press the [VENT] button. (Panel 9) 6.4.3 If rough pump does not shut off when [VENT] is depressed, get technician. 6.4.4 Remove sample from SEM by following instruction 6.2.1 Sample Loading 6.4.5 Load the next sample or proceed to Shutdown. RIT SMFL Page 6 of 7
6.6Shutdown 6.5.1 Set the acceleration potential down to zero or OFF. 6.5.2 Turn off electronics console by pressing the Power Off button. (Panel 1) 6.5.3 Verify that V1 pushed in all the way and closed. (left side of column) 6.5.4 Press Evacuate to pump out the chamber if not already done. (Panel 9) 6.5.4 Wait until the V1 indicator light starts flashing. This indicates that the chamber is pumped down. If the chamber won t pump down, get a staff member. (Panel 9) 6.7 Errors during Run 6.4.1 If the image is lost, return the SEM to the preliminary settings and start over. 6.4.2 If the filament is blown, no current will flow and the red light will come on and stay on. GET TECHNICIAN 7 APPROPRIATE USES OF THE TOOL 7.1 Avoid contaminating the column. Only approved samples may be used. 7.2 No out-gassing materials such as adhesives are allowed. 7.3 Organic materials must be coated with gold. 8 ATTACHMENTS 6.8 Manual for Sample Preparation in the Denton Sputterer REVISION RECORD Summary of Changes Originator Rev/Date Original Issue Sean O Brien/ A-05/25/2007 Bruce Tolleson Moved 6.2.2.2 to 6.2.3.2, rewrote hazards section to match cert sheet O Brien B-09/12/2007 Renumbered sections and changed X and Y Preliminary settings Bruce Tolleson C-10/21/2013 Changed Image Capture Software to Kinovea Bruce Tolleson D-03/18/2016 RIT SMFL Page 7 of 7