Characterization of the charging effect in a ZrO2 sintered body by Ga ion beam irradiation

The charging effect in a ZrO2 sintered body was investigated by using scanning ion microscope (SIM) images. In this study, we report interesting features caused by the charging effect in the ZrO2 sintered body during the Ga ion beam irradiation: a bright contrast with a distorted net shape appears around the positively charged specimen. From this feature in the SIM image, it is clarified that the Ga ion beam is strongly deflected and the wide area of the internal parts of the focused ion beam machine is irradiated by the Ga ion beam, depending on the extent to which the specimen is charged. We discuss the mechanism of the characteristic charging effect through observing SIM images by varying the intensity of the Ga ion beam.