A beam current measuring device capable of performing measurement of a beam current distribution of a charged particle beam seamlessly and continuously in an arbitrary direction is provided. The beam current measuring device includes collector electrodes whose detection regions seamlessly continue in an arrangement direction thereof.

Methods and circuits for detecting an ion current in a mass spectrometer are described. A circuit and a method may involve converting, over a length of integration time, the ion current to a voltage ramp by an integrating circuit having a gain setting. The circuit and the method may also involve determining a slope of the voltage ramp. The circuit and the method may also involve determining a magnitude of the ion current based on the slope of the voltage ramp and the gain setting. The circuit and the method may further involves determining an out-of-range state based on the voltage ramp and adjusting the gain setting of the integrating circuit, or the length of integration time or both, in response to the determining of the out-of-range state.

There is disclosed an insulated metal substrate, consisting of a dielectric oxide coatings of high crystallinity (>vol 90%) on aluminium, magnesium or titanium and high thermal conductivity (over 6 Wm.sup.1K.sup.1), formed by plasma electrolytic oxidation on a surface comprising aluminium, magnesium or titanium. There is also disclosed a plasma electrolytic oxidation process for generating dielectric oxide coatings of controlled crystallinity on a surface of a metallic workpiece, wherein at least a series of positive pulses of current are applied to the workpiece in an electrolyte so as to generate plasma discharges, wherein discharge currents are restricted to levels no more than 50 mA, discharge durations are restricted to durations of no more than 100 s and are shorter than the durations of each the positive pulses, and/or by restricting the power of individual plasma discharges to under 15W. There is also disclosed an insulated metal substrate capable of withstanding exposure to high temperatures (over 300 C.) and thermal shock or repeated thermal cycling of over 300 C., as a result of excellent adhesion of the insulating dielectric to the metal substrate, and the mechanically compliant nature of the coating (E20-30 GPa). Furthermore, there is disclosed a method of making these insulated metal substrates so thin as to be mechanically flexible or pliable without detriment to their electrical insulation.

A voltage sensor for a substrate processing system is provided. The voltage sensor includes a terminal, a first channel, and a second channel. The terminal connects to a pickup device of a substrate support in the substrate processing system. The first channel is configured to detect, at the pickup device, first radio frequency voltages in a first voltage range. The first channel includes a first voltage divider. The first voltage divider is connected to the terminal and is configured to output a first reduced voltage representative of a detected one of the first radio frequency voltages. The second channel is configured to detect, at the pickup device, second radio frequency voltages in a second voltage range. The second channel includes a second voltage divider. The second voltage divider is connected to the terminal and is configured to output a second reduced voltage representative of a detected one of the second radio frequency voltages. The second voltage range is different than the first voltage range.

Methods and circuits for detecting an ion current in a mass spectrometer are described. A circuit and a method may involve converting, over a length of integration time, the ion current to a voltage ramp by an integrating circuit having a gain setting. The circuit and the method may also involve determining a slope of the voltage ramp. The circuit and the method may also involve determining a magnitude of the ion current based on the slope of the voltage ramp and the gain setting. The circuit and the method may further involves determining an out-of-range state based on the voltage ramp and adjusting the gain setting of the integrating circuit, or the length of integration time or both, in response to the determining of the out-of-range state.

Devices and methods for monitoring a discharge in a plasma process are provided. An example method includes detecting at least a first signal path of at least one plasma supply signal within at least a first time range within at least one period of the plasma supply signal, detecting at least a second signal path of the at least one plasma supply signal within at least a second time range which is at the point corresponding to the first time range in at least one other period of the plasma supply signal, and generating an identification signal if the second signal path deviates by at least a distance from the first signal path. The distance has a minimum time difference and a minimum signal amplitude difference. The method enables to identify arcs in a very reliable and very rapid manner.

A system for voltage measurement of dielectric material in plasma includes a vacuum chamber. The system also includes an electrostatic receiver located outside of the vacuum chamber. The system also includes a conductive probe having a first terminus in contact with the dielectric material in the vacuum chamber and a second terminus in electrical communication with the electrostatic receiver. The system also includes a non-contact electrostatic voltmeter configured to measure a floating potential of the electrostatic receiver that corresponds to a dielectric potential of the dielectric material at a location in contact with the first terminus of the conductive probe.

Provided is a plasma measurement method for measuring a plasma state using a probe device that is provided in a plasma processing apparatus, and a measurement circuit including a signal transmitter that outputs an AC voltage, the method comprising: measuring a first current including a magnitude and phase of current in the measurement circuit when the AC voltage is output from the signal transmitter to the probe device, in a state where no plasma is generated in the plasma processing apparatus; measuring a second current including a magnitude and phase of current in the measurement circuit when the AC voltage is output from the signal transmitter to the probe device, in a state where plasma is generated in the plasma processing apparatus; and measuring current flowing through the plasma by vector operation using the magnitude and phase of the current included in the measured first current and second current.

Provided is a module for measuring current/voltage/power of a plasma apparatus, which includes a process chamber having a sealed processing space in which plasma is formed to process a substrate; a substrate support unit disposed in the processing space and on which a substrate is seated; and a gas injection unit configured to inject gas for performing a process in the processing space, wherein, in a substrate processing apparatus configured to process the substrate by applying RF power to the process chamber, the gas support unit, and the gas injection unit, the module for measuring current/voltage/power of the plasma apparatus is disposed adjacent to at least one application line among a first power application line for applying the RF power and a ground line for grounding to measure a RF voltage, current, and power of an input wave and a reflected wave generated by plasma generated in the processing space.

Embodiments of systems, devices, and methods relate to fast beam position monitoring for detecting beam misalignment in a beam line. In an example, a fast beam position monitor includes a plurality of electrodes extending into an interior of a component of a beam line. The fast beam position monitor is configured to detect a position of a beam passing through the component of the beam line based on beam halo current. Embodiments of systems, devices, and methods further relate to noninvasively monitoring parameters of beams advancing along a beam line. In examples, gas is puffed into a pumping chamber along a beam line. One or more beam parameters are measured from fluorescence resulting from collisions of energetic beam particulates of a beam advancing through the beam line.