iLab Name: AJA Ion Mill
iLab Kiosk: BRK Etch Core
FIC: Sunil Bhave
Owner: Neil Dilley
Location: Cleanroom - Q Bay
Maximum Wafer Size: 6"

Overview

General Description

This system is used for direct argon ion milling of thin and thick films. The rotating sample chuck can be oriented +/- 90 degrees from normal beam incidence. A top load-lock system saves time with pumpdown. The chamber can also be vented and the chuck mounted by hand.

An endpoint detector (EPD) from Hiden uses secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) detection of milled material (discerns elements based on charge/mass ratio) to monitor elemental composition and, e.g., automatically stop when a certain element is reached.

Presentation: Introduction to AJA Ion Mill (Fab Forum, Feb 2019)

Specifications

Technology Overview - Remove if multiple tools use the same technology/process

Sample Requirements and Preparation

Note that thick films requiring high etch rates (and hence high amounts of heating), so this may mean one needs to load the sample directly on the chuck by venting the chamber (instead of using load lock). This will permit users to apply more torque and get better cooling of the chuck. 

For EPD, note that argon atomic mass is the same as MgO, so the EPD is not able to sense (ionized) MgO in the large Ar ion background.

Standard Operating Procedure

Questions & Troubleshooting

Process Library

References