FOCUSED ION-BEAM MACHINING OF DIAMOND CHIPS AND PROBES

For micro-fabrication of diamond probes and parts, angular dependence of sputtering yields S of single crystal (100) diamond chips bombarded with a focused beam of 30 keV Au ions was investigated. The yields in creases with the increase of an ion incident angle and reaches maximum at the ion incident angle between 500 and 700, then may decrease with the increase of the ion incident angle. The obtained data by this exp eriment was used for the two dimensional computer simulation of profil e change of a protrusion formed on a diamond probe with a FIB by incid ent ions along the probe axis and scanning the beam around the axis at the rotaion radius of mu m order. Surface microtopography of the proc essed diamond chip with the FIB was also examined utilizing the profil e SEM, consequently the specimens processed with FIB have a fine surfa ce at the low ion current. The height and profile of the protrusion of diamond probes processed with 30 keV Au ions increases with the incre ase of machining time and decreases with the increase of rotation radi us. The developed simulation method can predict profile changes during FIB machining.