Methods and systems for improved monitoring of tool drift and tool-to-tool matching across large fleets of measurement systems employed to measure semiconductor structures are presented herein. One or more Quality Control (QC) wafers are measured by each of a fleet of measurement systems. Values of system variables are extracted from the QC measurement data associated with each measurement system using a trained QC encoder. The extracted values of the system variables are employed to condition the corresponding measurement model employed by each measurement tool to characterize structures under measurement having unknown values of one or more parameters of interest. Accurate tool-to-tool matching across a fleet of conditioned measurement systems is achieved by extracting values of system variables from measurement data collected from the same set of QC wafers. Tool health is monitored based on changes in values of system variables extracted from measurements performed at different times.

The present disclosure introduces methods for characterizing iron core carbohydrate colloid drug products, such as iron sucrose drug products. Disclosed methods enable the characterization of the iron core size of the iron core nanoparticles in iron carbohydrates as they exist in the formulation in solution, such as e.g. iron sucrose drug products, and more particularly, the average particle diameter size and size distribution(s) of the iron core nanoparticles. The disclosed methods apply small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) in parallel beam transmission geometry, with a sample mounted inside a capillary and centered in the X-ray beam, to iron carbohydrates, such as iron sucrose, in solution without the need to modify the sample, such as to remove unbound carbohydrates, dilute, or dry the sample, to accurately characterize the average iron core particle diameter size of the iron core nanoparticles. An example application of the disclosed method is to perform SAXS measurements under identical instrument settings on two samples of the same type of iron core nanoparticle colloid drug product for the purpose of comparing their iron core structures. Such comparisons are typically performed during the iron core carbohydrate colloid drug development process, and can include comparisons of samples that have been manipulated.

The present disclosure introduces methods for characterizing iron core carbohydrate colloid drug products, such as iron sucrose drug products. Disclosed methods enable the characterization of the iron core size of the iron core nanoparticles in iron carbohydrates as they exist in the formulation in solution, such as e.g. iron sucrose drug products, and more particularly, the average particle diameter size and size distribution(s) of the iron core nanoparticles. The disclosed methods apply small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) in parallel beam transmission geometry, with a sample mounted inside a capillary and centered in the X-ray beam, to iron carbohydrates, such as iron sucrose, in solution without the need to modify the sample, such as to remove unbound carbohydrates, dilute, or dry the sample, to accurately characterize the average iron core particle diameter size of the iron core nanoparticles. An example application of the disclosed method is to perform SAXS measurements under identical instrument settings on two samples of the same type of iron core nanoparticle colloid drug product for the purpose of comparing their iron core structures. Such comparisons are typically performed during the iron core carbohydrate colloid drug development process, and can include comparisons of samples that have been manipulated.

A detector for imaging and efficiently digitizing a spatial distribution of photon flux includes pixel circuits that compressively encode pixel values generated by integrated analog to digital converters (ADCs). On-pixel digital compression circuits (DCCs) implement compression to increase continuous frame rate by reducing the number of bits per pixel while keeping quantization error below Poisson noise. Several mapping algorithms for photon-counting and charge-integrating detectors and compact digital logic implementations are presented.

A method includes placing a wafer on a rotation mechanism of a metrology device; illuminating, by using a light source of the metrology device, the wafer by an X-ray; rotating, by using the rotation mechanism, the wafer while illuminating the wafer by the X-ray; detecting, by using an image sensor of the metrology device, a transmission portion of the X-ray passing through the wafer while rotating the wafer; and obtaining, by using a processor of the metrology device, a top width and a bottom width of a structure over the wafer based on the transmission portion of the X-ray with different rotating angles of the rotation mechanism.

A method includes placing a wafer on a rotation mechanism of a metrology device; illuminating, by using a light source of the metrology device, the wafer by an X-ray; rotating, by using the rotation mechanism, the wafer while illuminating the wafer by the X-ray; detecting, by using an image sensor of the metrology device, a transmission portion of the X-ray passing through the wafer while rotating the wafer; and obtaining, by using a processor of the metrology device, a top width and a bottom width of a structure over the wafer based on the transmission portion of the X-ray with different rotating angles of the rotation mechanism.

Methods and systems for realizing a high radiance x-ray source based on a high density electron emitter array are presented herein. The high radiance x-ray source is suitable for high throughput x-ray metrology and inspection in a semiconductor fabrication environment. The high radiance X-ray source includes an array of electron emitters that generate a large electron current focused over a small anode area to generate high radiance X-ray illumination light. In some embodiments, electron current density across the surface of the electron emitter array is at least 0.01 Amperes/mm.sup.2, the electron current is focused onto an anode area with a dimension of maximum extent less than 100 micrometers, and the spacing between emitters is less than 5 micrometers. In another aspect, emitted electrons are accelerated from the array to the anode with a landing energy less than four times the energy of a desired X-ray emission line.

Methods and systems for realizing a high radiance x-ray source based on a high density electron emitter array are presented herein. The high radiance x-ray source is suitable for high throughput x-ray metrology and inspection in a semiconductor fabrication environment. The high radiance X-ray source includes an array of electron emitters that generate a large electron current focused over a small anode area to generate high radiance X-ray illumination light. In some embodiments, electron current density across the surface of the electron emitter array is at least 0.01 Amperes/mm.sup.2, the electron current is focused onto an anode area with a dimension of maximum extent less than 100 micrometers, and the spacing between emitters is less than 5 micrometers. In another aspect, emitted electrons are accelerated from the array to the anode with a landing energy less than four times the energy of a desired X-ray emission line.

The present invention relates to an in-vitro method of detecting Mtb infection by using SAXS profile of hair sample. The invention is an approach to overcome the problem of non-invasively and cost-effectively yet reliably diagnosing presence of active tuberculosis in the patient. There would be no risk to the sample handlers getting infected from the sample, cross-contamination of samples, low cost and quick turn-around time of diagnosis.

The present invention relates to an in-vitro method of detecting Mtb infection by using SAXS profile of hair sample. The invention is an approach to overcome the problem of non-invasively and cost-effectively yet reliably diagnosing presence of active tuberculosis in the patient. There would be no risk to the sample handlers getting infected from the sample, cross-contamination of samples, low cost and quick turn-around time of diagnosis.