Patent ID: 6402882
Filing Date: 2002-06-11
Classification: H01J

Abstract:
An ion beam etching device that enables producing an etched surface (2) on a semiconductor (1) or an insulant comprising:a positive ion source (20), means (23) for guiding a beam (42) of the said ions (40) thereby directing the said beam (42) to the etched surface (2), and means (27) for displacing the etched surface (2) relatively to the ion beam (42), a system for space-time detection (28, 49) of ion interactions (40) of the beam (42) with the etched surface (2), means (24) for interrupting the ion beam (42), and a processing unit (29) linked to the displacement means (27), to the detection system (28) and the beam interruption means (24), controlling the successive operations of: detecting (40) the interruptions of the ions in the beam (42) with the etched surface (2), beam interruption (42), relative displacement of the etched surface (2) in relation to the position of the beam (42) and restoring the beam (42).