Patent ID: 7709062

Claim:
A sample processing method comprising: a step of forming a sample piece to be analyzed by an analyzer, by irradiating an ion beam to a position of a sample where said sample piece and the sample are separated, and by etching the position by irradiating with the ion beam; a step of removing the sample piece from the sample, whereby a hole is formed in a position where the sample piece was removed from the sample, the hole having an opening area pattern; and a step of filling the hole formed in the sample using a focused ion beam, whereby the hole is buried with a deposition layer formed using the focused ion beam until a whole region of the deposition layer reaches a surface of the sample, wherein, in the step of filling the hole, the focused ion beam is scanned in a first scanning area pattern within the open area pattern and being smaller than the opening area pattern of the hole and overlapping a part of walls of the hole, to which the focused ion beam is scanned, inside the hole with a supply of a deposition gas, whereby a part of the deposition layer grows so as to reach the surface of the sample in a first differential area pattern within the open area pattern and representing a differential between the opening area pattern and the first scanning area pattern, and wherein the focused ion beam is scanned in a second scanning area pattern within the first scanning area pattern and having a shape of a shrunk area pattern of the first scanning area pattern, being on top of a part of the first scanning area pattern, and overlapping a portion of the same part of walls of the hole being scanned under the first scanning pattern, to which the focused ion beam is scanned, inside the hole with supply of the deposition gas after said focused ion beam is scanned in the first scanning area, whereby a part of the deposition layer grows so as to reach the surface of the sample in a second differential area pattern within the first scanning area pattern and representing a differential between the first scanning area pattern and the second scanning area pattern.