A first material layer, a second material layer, and a photoresist layer may be formed over a substrate. The second material layer may be patterned by transfer of a lithographic pattern therethrough. A conformal spacer layer may be formed over the patterned second material layer in a chamber enclosure of an in-situ deposition-etch apparatus. Spacer films may be formed by anisotropically etching the conformal spacer layer in the chamber enclosure of the in-situ deposition-etch apparatus. The first material layer may be anisotropically etched using a combination of the patterned second material layer and the spacer films as an etch mask in the in-situ deposition-etch apparatus. A high fidelity pattern may be transferred into the first material layer with reduced line edge roughness, reduced line width roughness, and without enlargement of lateral dimensions of openings in the first material layer.

A mass spectrometry device comprises a reaction gas introduction device and a gas phase molecule-ion reaction mass spectrometry analysis device, wherein the reaction gas introduction device is connected to the gas phase molecule-ion reaction mass spectrometry analysis device; the reaction gas introduction device is configured to introduce reaction gas into the gas phase molecule-ion reaction mass spectrometry analysis device; and the gas phase molecule-ion reaction mass spectrometry analysis device is configured to enable molecules or ions to be subjected to a reaction and carry out mass spectrometry analysis on a reaction result. The reaction gas introduction device comprises a reaction gas container, the reaction gas container being configured to contain gas or volatile liquid or solid and generate gas molecules needed by a reaction; and a reaction gas quantitation device, configured to carry out flow control on the gas molecules.

The invention relates to a method for operating a pressure system of a device for imaging, analyzing and/or processing an object. Moreover, the invention relates to a particle beam device for carrying out this method. In particular, the particle beam device is an electron beam device and/or an ion beam device The method comprises disconnecting a pump from a pressure reservoir, connecting the pressure reservoir to a vacuum chamber, measuring a reservoir pressure (V) existing in the pressure reservoir, determining a first pressure value (V1) of the reservoir pressure (V) at a first time (T1) and a second pressure value (V2) of the reservoir pressure (V) at a second time (T2), wherein the second time (T2) is later than the first time (T1), determining a functional relationship between the first pressure value (V1) of the reservoir pressure (V) and the second pressure value (V2) of the reservoir pressure (V), wherein the functional relationship is a function of time, extrapolating the functional relationship for times later than the second time (T2), determining a threshold time (TT1) using the extrapolated functional relationship, wherein the threshold time (TT1) is a time when the extrapolated functional relationship reaches a pressure threshold, determining a remaining time period (RT1) until the reservoir pressure (V) reaches the pressure threshold, and informing a user and/or a control system of the device about the remaining time period (RT1).

A welding head for a welding apparatus, the head comprising an outer face attachable to a welding device such as an electron beam gun or laser, an inner face sealable to a workpiece, and an outer sealing ring and an inner sealing ring situated within the inner face and disposed on either side of an evacuatable region, wherein the inner face has a teardrop-shaped profile. Outer and inner sealing rings can be inflatable or formed from different materials, the outer sealing ring being formed from a material with a Shore hardness of between 50 to 70 and the inner sealing ring being formed from a material with a Shore hardness of 20 to 40. A bridging seal can extend from within the inner sealing ring to the outer sealing ring.

A plasma processing apparatus including: a processing chamber; a sample stage; a vacuum exhaust unit; and a plasma generation unit, the sample stage includes: a first metallic base material having a refrigerant flow path formed therein; a second metallic base material disposed above the first metallic base material and has a lower thermal conductivity than the first metallic base material; and a plurality of lift pins vertically moving the object to be processed with respect to the sample stage. A plurality of through-holes through which the plurality of the lift pins passes is formed in the first and the second metallic base material, and a boss, which electrically insulates the lift pin from the first and the second metallic base material and is formed using an insulating member having a higher thermal conductivity than the second metallic base material, is inserted into each of the plurality of through-holes.

In this charged particle beam device, when a sample chamber is to be placed in a high-vacuum state, a charged particle gun chamber and the sample chamber are evacuated via a main intake of a turbo molecular pump, and when the sample chamber is to be placed in a low-vacuum state, the sample chamber is evacuated via an intermediate intake of the turbo molecular pump while the charged particle gun chamber is evacuated via the main intake. An oil rotation pump for performing back pressure exhausting of the turbo molecular pump does not directly evacuate the charged particle gun chamber or the sample chamber. It is thereby possible to minimize contamination of the device interior in both high-vacuum and low-vacuum states, which makes it possible to prevent contamination of the observed sample and reduce deterioration over time in the ultimate vacuum.

Techniques for yield management in semiconductor inspection systems are described. According to one aspect of the present invention, columns of sensing mechanism in an inspection station are configured with different functions, weights and performances to inspect a sample to significantly reduce the time that would be otherwise needed when all the columns were equally applied.

The invention relates to an ionization vacuum measuring cell (10) comprising an evacuable housing (12) with a measurement connection for a vacuum to be measured at an end portion; a measurement chamber (14) in the housing (12), said measurement chamber being fluidically connected to the measurement connection, wherein the measurement chamber (14) is designed as a replaceable component; and a first and a second electrode (16, 18) in the measurement chamber (14), said electrodes being substantially coaxial to an axis and being arranged at a distance from each other. The measuring cell further comprises an electrically insulating and vacuum-tight feedthrough (20) for an electric supply to the second electrode (18) and a magnetization assembly which is designed to generate a magnetic field in the ionization chamber. According to the invention, the measurement chamber (14), in particular at least one of the electrodes (16, 18), comprises a magnetic material.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a charged particle beam device that exhibits high performance due to the use of vanadium glass coatings, and to provide a method of manufacturing a component for a charged particle beam device. Specifically provided is a charged particle beam device using a vacuum component characterized by comprising a metal container, the interior space of which is evacuated to form a high vacuum, and coating layers formed on the surface on the interior space-side of the metal container, wherein the coating layers are vanadium-containing glass, which is to say an amorphous substance. Coating vanadium glass onto walls of a space where it is desirable to form a high vacuum, for example walls in the vicinity of an electron source, reduces gas discharge in the vicinity of the electron source, and the getter effect of the coating layer induces localized evacuation and enables the formation of an extremely high vacuum, even in spaces having a complex structure, without providing a large high-vacuum pump.

An ion source assembly and method is provided for improving ion implantation performance. The ion source assembly has an ion source chamber and a source gas supply provides a molecular carbon source gas such as toluene to the ion source chamber. A source gas flow controller controls a flow of the molecular carbon source gas to the ion source chamber. An excitation source excites the molecular carbon source gas, forming carbon ions and atomic carbon. An extraction electrode extracts the carbon ions from the ion source chamber, forming an ion beam. A hydrogen peroxide co-gas supply provides a predetermined concentration of hydrogen peroxide co-gas to the ion source chamber, and a hydrogen peroxide co-gas flow controller controls a flow of the hydrogen peroxide gas to the ion source chamber. The hydrogen peroxide co-gas decomposes within the ion source chamber and reacts with the atomic carbon from the molecular carbon source gas in the ion source chamber, forming hydrocarbons within the ion source chamber. An inert gas is further introduced and ionized to counteract oxidation of a cathode due to the decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide. A vacuum pump system removes the hydrocarbons from the ion source chamber, wherein deposition of atomic carbon within the ion source chamber is reduced and a lifetime of the ion source chamber is increased.